Job Discussion Forums

[howard_roark714]

Hello,

So a little bit about me:

I have a TEFL and a bachelors degree in English (language literature and culture) from Virginia Tech. Also, I am a male and I am 27.

Currently, I am teaching English as a Foreign Language in Thailand. I will be here for another six months to make it a total of one year in Thailand.

Next, I am off to Japan for at least 6 months to teach and make some money to save as well as enjoy the wonderful food and scenery.

After that, I want live with a family in Barcelona or Valencia for 3-5 months. How easy is this to do?

What I have found through my research is there are a lot of programs that cost $2000 usd up front. This route I really don't want to take- paying a company.

Thus, I want to find a program where I live with a family and teach their kids in the evening for a couple hours, have most of my meals taken care of and get paid 100-200 euro a week. How plausible is this? And if it is possible to do, what is the best way to go about finding and getting one of those jobs?

I haven't had any luck with my research other than finding non-profits with a fee up front.

Thank you for your replies in advance. I'm a newbie, so take that into consideration.

Best,

Howard

edit: yes, have US passport

[spiral78]

I assume that you have a US passport. This means that you can stay in the Schengen zone for maximum 90 days at a time, before being required to leave the entire zone for 90 days. (Google Schengen zone if you aren't familiar).

No-one is going to even try to get you a work visa for the kind of job you describe (it wouldn't be possible anyway).

So your maximum stay is 90 days. You MIGHT find someone who would want you for the summer.

[howard_roark714]

I might stay for longer and get a teaching gig after all.

HR

[spiral78]

I guess you're not quite up on EU working rules for non-EU citizens.

US and other non-EU member citizens aren't legally eligible for a working visa to teach in Spain, except through a few student permit schemes (you can find out more about those by reading through the Spain forum). Proper international schools are exceptions: they hire certified core subject teachers. A university can get an exceptional visa, but you need exceptional quals. Or you could marry a local.

It used to be common to work illegally, but the loopholes closed with the inception of the Schengen zone rules. It is now a considerable risk to be in the country illegally, as you would be beyond 90 days.

The same is true of Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Netherlands and others. Germany still has a visa program for US citizens, but the job market is extremely tight and it's difficult to make ends meet.
The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland are do-able.
Russia is a case on its own; if you are interested, inquire on the Russia forum.