Job Discussion Forums

[esl4everever]

Hi Everyone -

I need some basic information.
Please be nice and no rants or raves.

I have attempted to seek employment before in Germany and got quickly turned away.

When I spoke to the German consulate the woman said it was impossible to get a work permit.
She said the economy is bad in Germany and people make it sound way to easy to get a permit.
And she also said a German school would only hire a US citizen if there was no German person around to could fill the position.
She said the company that hires a US citizen would have to prove no German person could do the job like the US person they wish to hire.


After saying all that...


I was also wondering...


Is it really impossible for a US citizen to get a job in Germany to teach?
Because it seems like they make all students take English classes from the time they are very young.
Am I wrong in wondering why there arent German schools begging for teachers from the US?


There may be something obvious Im missing in the process.
I would love to hear from some individuals in the know.

Thank you.

[spiral78]

What the lady at the consulate said is all correct.

The economy is suffering, like everywhere else, and language classes are sometimes the first thing businesses cut back on. All EU member countries do indeed have to give preference to first their own citizens, then to other citizens of the EU - that puts you way out in third position. And, yes, the burden of legal proof is on the school which wants to hire a non-EU citizen; that's why qualifications are really necessary here.

Yes, German kids learn English from early ages in school, taught by qualified and competent German teachers. It is quite rare for a native English speaker to have a K-12 job anywhere in Europe.

I think the 'something' you are missing here is that non-native English speakers can be (and in most of Europe, are) quite competent teachers of the language.

University positions are also fairly rare and usually go to teachers with high-level qualifications (related MA +) and who have local connections, reputation, and who speak German at least functionally.

The available jobs are by far mostly at private language schools, which send out teachers to businesses to work with adult professionals in their offices. If you come to Germany in the peak hiring period (Sept) on your 90 day time limit as a tourist, you might be able to find a private school that will give you a contract so that you can get a working visa. Your absolute minimum qualifications would be a CELTA or equivalent; best to get it here.

I've just noticed from your other posts that you are married to a Mexican national. If that's correct, I think you'd find it very difficult for both of you to get any kind of legal working visa, unless your husband is highly specialized in some area where German workers are lacking. Your getting a work visa is already problematic (though possibly do-able as a freelance teacher), but getting a Mexican husband one would be much more difficult.

There are quite a few threads here about this process. You could usefully spend some time reading earlier posts to get an idea of what some Americans working here now have gone through to make it work.

So that you know where I get my info, I have worked on the border with Germany for over a decade. I have many colleagues, students, friends, and acquaintances in Germany, and 'my' university has partners there, so I am also there for work from time to time.

[Sashadroogie]

What Spiral said.

Also, don't forget that the US is not the only source of native speakers in the world. There are plenty born within the borders of the EU itself.

On a related note, I have many times also wondered why US schools aren't begging me to come over and teach their learners! Heaven knows they could do with my particular area of expertise!

[Qaaolchoura]

What the others said, with the caveat that I don't thing EU countries are allowed to discriminate in favor of their own citizens, only in favor of EU citizens generally. Sort of like how companies in Massachusetts should try to fill the job with an American, but they don't have to be a New Englander.

[Sashadroogie]

I'm not a binge-drinker either. More of a permanent condition with me throughout most of the day. I mean, only boring people put milk on their cornflakes.

In any case, I feel I have something more to offer the youth of America. Now that you've re-elected your first ever Kremlin-backed president and are well on the way to nationalising your healthcare system, I spot the need for classes in Dialectical-Materialism. Currently this area is woefully neglected on US campuses. I may have to dumb things down considerably by way of introduction.

Childhood obesity can be tackled by regular stints in Pioneer camps. I'll have to set them up too. All there seems to be are something called 'summer camp'. Nowhere near the same.

[spiral78]

OP has a history of posting questions and then never responding if the answers aren't favourable....sometimes I wonder why we bother....

Oh, well, maybe it'll be useful info for someone else.

[artemisia]

There's a lot of that behaviour on this forum: posting questions and then never bothering to come back to acknowledge the time and effort it takes to answer those questions effectively and accurately, or coming back only to ask more and more questions. Reading relevant threads first before posting a question would also be advisable.

There's not a lot of evidence of those who go to Germany returning the favour by coming back to post current information of their work/ visa experiences. This would be really useful to other posters/ readers.

[scot47]

You are not giving the OP the answer that it wants. You have made it unhappy so it has gone away. This behaviour has been reported to the National Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to OPs.

[spiral78]

I'm on their ten most wanted lists, for sure.

[esl4everever]

I will start by saying I work many hours.

Thank you for the information.