Job Discussion Forums

[Kofola]

[Roclafacasa]

Hello All,

I am wondering about opportunities for teaching legal english in Bratislava. I have an American Juris Doctor and 1 year of recent experience teaching english as a Fulbright fellow in Poznan, Poland. I do not, however have any tefl certification to speak of. I also have an EU passport (if it matters). Since I am coming to Bratislava for a pre-arranged job in a different field, I would only be looking for part-time work.

Does anyone have any ideas about the probability of finding something? Also, is it advisable to complete a CELTA course after arriving, or will I stand a fair chance in Bratislava without one? And finally, is it worthwhile to contact schools while in the U.S., or should I wait until I arrive in Slovakia in August? Any comments/critiques are most welcome.

Dan

[Kofola]

Hi,

There is definitely demand in Bratislava for legal English. I don't think it would be a problem finding anything.

I don't know whether you've taught legal English before or what training you had in Poland, but I would definitely recommend doing a CELTA or equivalent (IH now does it in Bratislava). I've taught legal English myself and the books are appallingly bad and therefore very difficult to use effectively unless you've had some kind of training so that you can (a) identify what's wrong with the books and (b) supplement accordingly. Without certified training you limit the opportunities available to you. Some schools would refuse to hire you without a cert. Plus in my experience lawyers expect qualified knowledgeable teachers. The Bratislava business community can be fairly demanding.

You could approach schools directly from the US and ask specifically about opportunities for teaching legal English. However, if you're going to do the CELTA first, you'd have 3 or 4 weeks before you began teaching to find something. No harm asking though. They may well keep you on file till something comes up.

Hope it helps,

Kofola