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Compare working at a gymnazium and a language academy

 
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RunItTwice



Joined: 17 May 2018
Posts: 36
Location: Scotland...for now

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:39 pm    Post subject: Compare working at a gymnazium and a language academy Reply with quote

A friend of a colleague runs the English department of a gymnazium and is looking for a teacher. He has offered an opportunity for an interview for an upcoming position in 2019.

I wanted to know what working in a gymnazium is like and how it compares to working in a language academy in CR (pay, benefits, hours, workplace environment etc)? Thanks in advance.
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RunItTwice



Joined: 17 May 2018
Posts: 36
Location: Scotland...for now

PostPosted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nobody works at a gymnasium in CR?

Or is this forum dead? Perhaps I should have used General Discussion.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, the forum has some traffic, but working in a gymnazium is uncommon so there aren’t probably a lot of people who can directly make comparisons. Most gymn. jobs are staffed by qualified locals.
Your best bet for info is to tell us generally what you are being offered and then language school teachers can say how it compares.
Keep in mind that there is a disparity between Prague and the other couple of large cities and smaller towns in terms of income needed to have a decent standard of living so comparisons should be qualified.
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RunItTwice



Joined: 17 May 2018
Posts: 36
Location: Scotland...for now

PostPosted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll come back with more details after the interview.

The students are from 13-19. Classes are General English with some test prep classes for FCE and CAE. Class sizes hang around 15 students. Hours being offered are 18-22 hours (though that obviously excludes work spent grading and planning lessons).

As for me, I am fairly qualified. I have 7 years of teaching experience, a CELTA and MA TESOL. I'm not some backpacker looking for enough to skimp by while experiencing Prague.

I haven't asked about the pay as I don't want to come off as greedy or teaching for the wrong reasons. The pay will come up either during or after the interview. What should I expect as an offer? What should I ask for?
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your quals are certainly good, though relevant MA holders are fairly plentiful in the Czech Rep and you won't be totally unique on the job market.

I can say that in my limited experience working with gymnasium students over the past years (but I have never worked IN a gymnasium, so take this with a grain of salt) they seem pretty nice in general to work with. Reasonably motivated, reasonably well able to pick things up.

The hours will be full-time by the time you get it all done as you note. Though you'll have some late-day slots for lucrative private lessons if you want to.

Another benefit of the gig is that you'd be located at the school, presumably - most language school teachers spend their days travelling to business offices to teach.

Ask about pay and ask about housing assistance (will they provide or find or assist you to find something?). How much legal paperwork support will they give you? How far your pay will get you is directly related to housing costs. Location matters for housing - assuming you are in Prague aim to be on a direct metro line or a shorter tram trip to school and center. Housing is expensive relative to most people's pay.

Other things are relatively cheap - food, drink, events, travel inside the country are all on the lower end. Clothes, electronics, furniture and other purchases are similar to western prices and even higher in some cases.
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RunItTwice



Joined: 17 May 2018
Posts: 36
Location: Scotland...for now

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 1:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the info spiral.

Legal paperwork? I thought I had right to work in the EU as an Irish citizen. Do I need a zivno if I want to do private lessons?

I saw that housing is quite expensive relative to salary if I want to live alone (which would be ideal). It appears that Prague 1 and 2 are off-limits for a teacher though I'd actually prefer not living there due to the noise.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, you shouldn't have any work/visa issues, but there is still some paperwork required (housing contracts, etc.). Contracts in the Czech Rep are only legally binding if they are in Czech, so some assistance with all types of paperwork involved is needed for people without Czech language skills.

Yea, Prague 1 and 2 are too expensive, too crowded, and quality of life there for longer-term daily living is pretty low due to tourist hordes. Much better as I noted earlier to locate yourself in an interesting non-central neighborhood with good connections.

If your school doesn't offer accommodation search assistance, I can recommend movetoprague.com They find accommodation and organize all the paperwork for a flat fee and can also help with other types of paperwork. There are several companies around that do this and I am not specifically advocating for this one; only that they helped me find a flat when I needed to relocate inside the city a couple of years ago and my personal experience with them was positive.
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Sigma



Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 123

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The worst part working for a language school is the lack of hours over the summer. However, it all depends on if you are single or not, and how much money you are looking to save.

I am not sure about pay, but I know for qualified experienced teachers (in state schools) in the Olomouc region can make around 28,000kc after tax. I am sure that number is higher in Prague.
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Dejvice



Joined: 22 May 2013
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Advise the following
1. Your own classroom, it will make delivering the class so much easier, with 10 mins break between each class it saves you a lot of time.
2. Wifi and smart TV.
3. Contract starts whenever and ends 26 August 2019, most likely they will only give you a contract until end of June, and leave you hanging for the summer months with no pay. Enough said about that.
4. 23 classes/week insist on two days where you have at least 6 classes, it make those other days easier with only 3 or 4 classes.
5. Early starts, insist on it, at least by 8am.
6. Make sure you can show continious years experience, the more years exp you show the higher your salary. Exp can be documented by a contract or a reference letter, pay slip etc.
7. Teaching writing, listening, speaking or just grammar? Avoid writing because you will be stuck with approx 360 student 120 word job application letters...at 5 mins per paper equals 30 hrs minimum grading. Do not let them use you for the donkey work.
8. Ask about your testing requirements for each half year….Sept to Jan 28 and 1st Feb to 29 June.

As regards salary and 7 yrs exp expect about net 24k, maybe the school has a premium payment system in place which can up it to 26k or 27k/mth.
It does not matter where the job is, it is a state job, and in state jobs they have pay levels based on experience but do ask about the premium and if you will get an extra payment based on performance. The extra payment based on performance can be as high as one months salary, but it depends on the school and not the state.
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RunItTwice



Joined: 17 May 2018
Posts: 36
Location: Scotland...for now

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dejvice wrote:
Advise the following
3. Contract starts whenever and ends 26 August 2019, most likely they will only give you a contract until end of June, and leave you hanging for the summer months with no pay. Enough said about that.


I hope that isn't the case, especially since my contact at the school said otherwise. Though if that's the case, how easy is it to get enough summer work to keep the lights on?

Quote:
4. 23 classes/week insist on two days where you have at least 6 classes, it make those other days easier with only 3 or 4 classes.

5. Early starts, insist on it, at least by 8am.

7. Teaching writing, listening, speaking or just grammar? Avoid writing because you will be stuck with approx 360 student 120 word job application letters...at 5 mins per paper equals 30 hrs minimum grading. Do not let them use you for the donkey work.


Do I have the negotiating leverage to request this? My impression would be that the school chooses these things for me and that I don't really have a say.

Quote:

6. Make sure you can show continious years experience, the more years exp you show the higher your salary. Exp can be documented by a contract or a reference letter, pay slip etc.


I have had quite a few jobs in the past, as I was looking for better work and hours at the time. I can document my experience in Spain but my experience in China will be a bit more difficult, perhaps even impossible. It's been 5 years since I last taught there. Is it possible that employers keep old contracts on record?

Quote:
As regards salary and 7 yrs exp expect about net 24k, maybe the school has a premium payment system in place which can up it to 26k or 27k/mth. It does not matter where the job is, it is a state job, and in state jobs they have pay levels based on experience but do ask about the premium and if you will get an extra payment based on performance. The extra payment based on performance can be as high as one months salary, but it depends on the school and not the state.


I figured it would be around that much, maybe a bit more. How easy is it to get private classes and part-time work on the side? I saw that some teachers can charge 500 crowns per hour for private classes.

Didn't know about the potential for a bonus plan though. Thanks for telling me about it. Smile
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