Job Discussion Forums

spaceman spiff · Joined: 28 Dec 2012 Posts: 27

Hello all,

I am a bit of a globe-trotter who has posted in these forums before asking for advice. I really enjoy teaching as a means of self-perseverance - I was recently in Brazil for 6 months (loved it - nothing but great experiences), and I have that itch again to leave boring (and unbearably cold) Canada to settle down again - though this time back to Europe.

As a Canadian citizen, who is eligible for a few work-holiday visas (which permit a stay for up to 1 year), I am beginning to look at Germany/Czech Republic as the cost of living in Western Europe doesn't appeal to me as much.

A bit about myself:
- I have a BA in linguistics at the University of Toronto.
- I am 24 years old and single - I like art/music/movies/history and such.
- I have extensive experience as a language teacher/interpreter/translator in Canada, France and Brazil.
- I am trilingual English/French/Portuguese, and can communicate in Spanish fine - though I wouldn't be able to teach/write it.
- I do not have TEFL accreditation (though I have taught the tests/courses with different schools in Brazil) nor am I particularly interested in paying more money/working more hours in obtaining one. I'm not necessarily married to teaching either, if I can find a desk (or hotel) job that requires languages and pays enough, I'll happily do that.

So my question is where to go? I am both highly interested in Germany and the Czech Republic (more specifically Berlin/Prague). Keep in mind that key aspects would be good work opportunities, a good way of life, high number of younger people - regarding languages: I'm not particularly bothered, both are interesting and after a year I will have learnt one. I plan on studying now before I leave anyway (certainly for Czech, with German I'll be okay). German strikes me as more useful than Czech however.

Personal PROS/CONS
- I already have a base in German and could learn it pretty quickly at a good conversational level. Czech (and all Slavic languages) are alien to me, though I do find its impenetrability interesting.
- I have already been to Berlin (though only for a week), I have never been to Prague.
- I love beer so I'll be happy either way I think.
- I love good food too ... dunno which city will keep my belly happier.
- I love girls too (hey, this is also important), and I do hear that Czech women are quite stunning. Germans can be hit/miss.
- Berlin strikes me as a more North American city in many ways (I have lived in both Toronto and Montreal), though there are aspects of that that I would like. Prague is well medieval looking, which is also great in a different way.
- Would prefer a low cost of living along with a wealth of artistic options and good bars with younger open-minded people.

I'm pretty sure I'll have a great time either way, just looking for some advice that any of you travelers might have to share.

Cheers!

delphian-domine · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 674

There are untold tens of thousands of young people in Europe just like you, and here's the news.

1) With no teaching certification, you're not going to get far in Berlin or Prague. The cities are rammed full of foreigners trying to 'teach' - to a market that is rather minimal due to the economics of the city. Both Berlin and Prague are absolutely saturated with foreigners, and employers don't need to take poor quality candidates for the kind of jobs that are open to you.

2) No place with a high amount of young people is going to offer good work opportunities for one simple reason : the young people have already taken all the jobs.

3) Berlin has a low cost of living compared to the rest of Germany, but it also has one of the worst economic bases in Germany. Combine that with the fact that you don't speak German well enough to work in a real work environment, and you're at a huge disadvantage.

4) In short, don't waste your time if you don't have knowledge and experience. Neither Prague or Berlin will have much for you in terms of earning, and if you genuinely want to come to Europe, go somewhere that your lack of formal qualifications can be overlooked.

At the end of the day, you're just another kid that wants to get drunk and get laid - which makes you very unattractive for potential employers. Hotels in those cities know fine well that they can get slave labour for next to nothing as people are desperate to live in those cities - they simply don't need to pay what you would consider a 'living' wage.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Ditto. d-d hasn't been exactly politically correct, but the bottom line is the bottom line. You'd be one of literally tens of thousands here in a tough job market. Sure, if you are willing to shell out for a cert (simply because most newbies entering this job market have one and why would any employer take a risk on someone with less than the standard when there are so many standard/standard+ job candidates), you can probably find something at least subsistence level.

There's little/no cache in being from North America left here, honestly. Your origins and native English aren't enough to make you (not 'you,' specifically, but all of 'you') hot property either for employers or for women, frankly.

spaceman spiff · Joined: 28 Dec 2012 Posts: 27

Haha, no worries.

Was hoping that a 'certification' wasn't necessarily required. I'm still willing to believe it's not required for every single school or institution, and my multilingualism more often than not puts me at an advantage. I should say that I'm probably going to either country already teaching english through skype with an international teaching company, so I'd be getting paid in CDN dollars anyway.

I'm also not exactly 'married' to teaching, if I can work in a hotel or something, that'd be great too.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

spaceman spiff · Joined: 28 Dec 2012 Posts: 27

Well, it's not like I'm some sort of total louse - I do take my job seriously, and feel like I do teach well with students who are willing to learn.

My bottom line is experiencing a different country, learning a new language, and yes - having fun. I'm not middle aged quite yet, and while I am paying off my student loans, I don't have too much in the way of obligations or debts preventing me from enjoying my slightly crazy nomadic life.

For the record, I'm pretty willing to bet that most Germans and Czechs don't also speak French/Portuguese and Spanish, even in the big cities. If you're adamant that finding gainful employment will be as difficult as you make out, then fair enough. I'm going to end up going anyways and see for myself, and no I won't end up crashing and burning. I always find a way.

taxman · Joined: 18 Mar 2013 Posts: 19 Location: Germany

"As a Canadian citizen, who is eligible for a few work-holiday visas (which permit a stay for up to 1 year), I am beginning to look at Germany/Czech Republic as the cost of living in Western Europe doesn't appeal to me as much."

Not sure how Germany doesn't qualify as "Western Europe", but OK......

"I should say that I'm probably going to either country already teaching english through skype with an international teaching company, so I'd be getting paid in CDN dollars anyway."

Not sure what you meant here....you teach English through Skype for a company in Canada and they are going to send you to Germany/Czech to work for them?

Never heard of that before.

By the way, getting paid in Canadian dollars is not necessarily a good thing here. The current exchange rate is about 1€ to 1.51 Canadian dollars.

"For the record, I'm pretty willing to bet that most Germans and Czechs don't also speak French/Portuguese and Spanish, even in the big cities."

I'm really not trying to crash your dream, spaceman, but you need to be realistic. Many Germans do indeed speak some French, there is no demand for Portuguese, and you said yourself you wouldn't be able to teach Spanish.
Your best bet would be a Mcschool like Berlitz, picking up freelance hours in both English and maybe some French, but as already stated, the fact that you are non-EU is going to make it tough.

"I'm going to end up going anyways and see for myself, and no I won't end up crashing and burning. I always find a way."

Best of luck to you.

spaceman spiff · Joined: 28 Dec 2012 Posts: 27

Well, I meant specifically Berlin and probably should have wrote that, but without getting into a pointless geo-political debate about what constitutes Central Europe/Western Europe, suffice to say the cost of living in Berlin is a bit different from France/Italy.

I will be teaching English through skype with a company - they are not sending me anywhere, but I am able to do this job from anywhere.

I don't expect to be rolling in money, I know how teaching abroad is/I've done it before, and I am quite realistic - but every time I ask people about a certain country, I always get a load of "nobody cares about X,Y language" comments filled with such certainty - people do care. The world over. Believe me taxman and co, being able to at least communicate in other languages is hugely advantageous and provides job opportunities. And no I couldn't teach Spanish, but I could perform pretty much any normal task in a Spanish language environment at least. I'm also willing to wager that the overall level of French in Germany isn't particularly high either, though yes I'm certain some do speak it well.

Cheers for the best wishes though! Same to you, naturally.

I should add that what I really wanted was just a pro/con analysis of the 2 cities, some advice as to employment resources/hiring schedules, and maybe some anecdotal info regarding the cities - I am appreciative of anybody who takes the time to respond however. Smile

sparks · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 632

The Euro forums can be a bit rough Smile

Yes, the advice is sound, it isn't easy to make a good living, you aren't special, no matter how much you think you are etc. etc. You seem like a positive guy though, I'm sure you WILL, in fact, find a way and be able to enjoy your time in either country. Don't let any advice on here get you down. Come over and see. Just make sure you have some extra cash stashed away in case something goes wrong.

delphian-domine · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 674

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

1. Non-EU
2. No language skills
3 No certification

Why would anyone hire you when they can get a EU citizen with language skills and TEFL cert ?

Sashadroogie · Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:13 pm Post subject:

Scot, could you re-edit your three points so that they all have a dot after the numbers, please. Then all the N's will be aligned much more pleasingly.

Thank you!

delphian-domine · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 674

kpjf · Joined: 18 Jan 2012 Posts: 385

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Wow, I was extremely gentle in comparison!

I doubt a smaller city in Germany will prove an easier nut to crack. Native English speakers are still quite prevalent in most, unless you are really going rural - defeating the purpose of lots of girls and etc. Wages will also be relatively lower - if the OP needs to make payments on student loans, that's likely a deal-breaker for the whole region, honestly.

Not having the local language is also a bigger handicap in a smaller city, obviously. 'My' small city in the Czech Rep absolutely requires functional Czech to get about, and it's the same in small town Germany.