Job Discussion Forums

[tomseslcafe]

After getting my TEFL and teaching in China for 2 years I am interested in teaching in Budapest. I have a B.A. I am an American with an Irish passport so I should be legal to teach there. I am surprised that there is no forum specifically dedicated to Hungary because I know that English is important there.

How easy is it to get a job there? I want to work full time and I don't want to do any freelance work. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has any advice about Hungary.

[spiral78]

I work with a number of Hungarian teachers on an education funding program, so have a clue about the teaching scene there in general, though you may find someone here with more direct experience.

The economy's in the toilet and pay rates generally very very low. Very high competition among locals for jobs. Most children are taught basic English by highly qualified locals. The largest program I'm aware of for native speakers of English teaching EFL in Hungary is a volunteer gig. There are probably some jobs around, but they are not plentiful and not well paid, relatively speaking.

[Gamajorba]

I know an American girl who spent a year in the south of Hungary (near the Serbian border) as a kind of live in teacher with a family. Not sure how she got around the visa thing, but she had her own separate place to live, and was popular with the locals in the place she lived. Just takes a bit of searching around!

[tomseslcafe]

The company I am talking about is called The English Institute. I job sounds good but they don't say how much they pay and if the pay is going to be low they should at least provide free housing which they don't.

[spiral78]

Difficult to judge til you know what the pay offer is. Free housing's not a common benefit for the region.

[scot47]

The whole of Eastern and Central Europe is unpromising as a TEFL job market. Wit the possible exception of the Czech Lands and Poland, there are few jobs for native speakers.

I am sorry if that is not what you want to hear.

the bigjob market for us remains Asia and the Middle East.

[tomseslcafe]

@ Scot47

I would always prefer to know the truth even if it is bad news. I love Asia so I am planning to continue to teach here, probably in Southeast Asia. Although it is disappointing to hear that there are so few good jobs in Eastern Europe, I maybe just take a vacation in Budapest sometime instead of looking for work there.

[gypsyhanga]

I recently saw that British Council in Hungary is looking for teachers. You may find it worth looking into. Otherwise, it is very difficult to find teaching jobs in the country, especially Budapest.

CETP, which charges teachers who want to work, has a pretty solid monopoly in Hungary. Most schools are forced to go through them in order for the government to approve work visas. Some teachers have a great time while others (like myself) end up dealing with lots of problems and get little support from the program. Teachers in Hungary earn around $500 per month (though CETP will let private schools pay less). This doesn't go far in Budapest, so many teachers take on freelance work to supplement.

Apart from that, there's not much in the way of work. I think there's a language school near the center, but my understanding is they use teachers who are paying to get the CELTA. To be frank, unless you want to pay to teach or be a freelance tutor, British Council is your best bet for work in Budapest.

[lostgalnomad]

Budapest is a great city for a vacation! It is quintessential Europe with loads of great architecture, varied history, and lots to see. Be sure to check out the ruin pubs while you're there. I also had a bad experience with CETP, but I've already written about that elsewhere. Sadly, the others are right. It is difficult to find work in Eastern Europe, although you might have an easier time as an American with an EU passport. Schools would probably like having a teacher with an American accent but without the fuss of work visa bureaucracy. I highly recommend taking the Eastern Europe vacation and checking out potential schools while you're there. Since there are loads of Brits, most places don't need to advertise as much so it's easier to find things once you're on the ground. Btw, Bratislava and Vienna are only a couple hours from Budapest and definitely worth the trip, too.

[nomad soul]

Yet there's this recent article: "Hungarians are mastering English for pragmatic reasons" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=110750).

[General Disarray]

I left Budapest last week after 3 years on and off living there since 2010.

Fantastic city but I'd say you are late to the party. Maybe I just grew tired of the city but its now become the second Prague. overrun with tourists and erasmus students while my favourite bars were invaded on the weekend by groups of 10-20 British males on a stag party.

There is work and I am sure you will find work quite nicely (providing you have a CELTA) with independent language schools that exist throughout the city.

International House, Berlitz, Dover, Novo school etc etc.

There is also the possibility of private students with people charging between 3k - 6k forints for the hour. The price depends on how rich the client is really.

You would be looking at 250euros rent for a bare minimum for a month with everything included for a typical English teacher flat. It's 33 euros on top for a monthly travel pass around the city.

I would recommend Belgrade although Budapest is still a fantastic city to experience and discover for yourself. Prices are rising quickly though, especially where rent is concerned, I use to be able to get a decent place 5 years ago for 160/180 euros everything. Now you're paying 250 euros for a small one bedroom flat.

No work during the summer months either. Although to be fair you could work a summer camp in England/Berlitz in Germany for 8 weeks and when you return to Budapest the next yaer you have enough money in your pocket until December.

I never really worked in Budapest though but had friends who did. I freelanced in Austria/Germany for 2 weeks at a time on summer/easter camps and took the Euros I earnt back to Budapest to enjoy the city.




p.s I just remembered I did have a friend who worked in an international kindergarten for 180k forints a month teaching 3-6 year olds. She worked for 2 different ones during her time in Budapest. As I said before, a CELTA is essential for this job as well.

[nickw43]

Budapest is a wonderful city with a great quality of life.