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six bolt
Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 6
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:23 pm Post subject: Teaching in Slovenia??? |
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Hello all! First post here at eslcafe. I'm hoping to teach english in Slovenia next year. I have nine months of teaching experience in Czech Republic, a bachelors degree in Econ, and a teflonline cert.
Has anyone ever taught in Slovenia? Any advice? Will my qualifications be enough to land me a job?
Thanks, ANY advice or info is greatly appreciated. |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone out there with info?? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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I have a friend who was in Slovenia for a couple of years. He says it's a tiny job market and you need to be there, on the ground, to find anything much....
I'd like to be there too - it's beautiful, but I think it's a tough job market. |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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There is a poster named Johnnyenglishteacher who is working in Slovenia. (Or at least was in Slovenia in February of this year.) Perhaps he will spot this thread and chime in with his take on the country. Or, if not, perhaps you could PM him. I was trying to gather info last winter about the possibility of working in Slovenia, and came up with very little. I was told that being neither American nor a bit--quite a bit--older would be a barrier to employment. This info came from a contact at IH in Ljubljana, where I was considering taking the CELTA course, and I haven't verified it elsewhere, so I don't have absolute confidence in it. I do have several information packets from the very helpful government of Slovenia about living and working in the country, although they can be a little short on specifics. (For example, the residency permit requirements state that applicant needs "one good reason" to live in Slovenia.) The one other interesting thing that I have discovered is that most of the EFL teachers are not native speakers. Several lists and registries of teachers of English have few if any non-Slovenian names on them; the ads looking for private students are usually from non-native teachers. The CELTA course in 2008 had 8 non-native and 1 native speaker trainees. I've been speculating about possible reasons, and wondering if this suggests an advantage or a disadvantage were I to go to Ljubljana to look for work. (Advantage: no native speakers available to hire? Disadvantage: strong preference for Slovenian applicants? Complicated visa/work permit red tape? Or perhaps: just no jobs for anyone!)
I'd love to have some solid information to add to my random and speculative bits and pieces. |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:28 am Post subject: |
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I'd definitely recommend Ljubljana, Koper or Nova Gorica in Slovenia. Anywhere in this small country would be perfect. You're at the centre of Europe's linguistic (meeting place of Slavic, Germanic and Romantic languages) and geological landscapes (Alpine, Planes, Med, Karst). Because of the very high level of English spoken in the country it is hard to find work teaching English but salaries here are just as high (or higher) than Italy and certainly higher than any other ex-communist country. Nothing beats Slovenia. |
This is a quote from Euro2010 on a recent thread called "Best place to live in Eastern Europe." Doesn't sound like there's much of a need for English teachers "from away." |
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six bolt
Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 6
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the information guys. Really appreciate anything. I emailed a few schools with no luck.
I have read that Berlitz hires native speakers but that they are not a great employer. I plan on flying out in January and trying my luck. My girlfriend lives there so I'm sort of desperate for work.
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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I think it is one of those scenarios where you have to be physically there and knock on doors. Face to face - the way things should be ! |
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six bolt
Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 6
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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scot47 wrote: |
I think it is one of those scenarios where you have to be physically there and knock on doors. Face to face - the way things should be ! |
Thats my plan. If anyone has any tips for this method please let me know. I found a good list of schools around the country. I guess I'll just show up with a smile and my cv. |
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johnnyenglishteacher
Joined: 11 Aug 2006 Posts: 41
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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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Slovenia has a tiny TEFL market as others have already said, but then there isn't exactly a lot of competition from other native speakers.
Ljubljana and the coastal towns have ridiculously high living costs, especially for renting, so you might be better off looking for work in other towns and cities.
Have you thought about going self-employed? From what I've seen that's a fairly untapped market in Slovenia. |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738
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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you, JET! Do you know anything about work permit/visa regs for the self-employed? Would I be correct in thinking that the self-employment route would work for those from the EU, but not for Americans (and other non-EU passport holders?) Would someone from outside the EU need a school to sponsor them in order to get a visa? Would you be willing to tell us anything about your own situation--how you went about finding a job,etc? (Since you were so successful!) Thanks, again. |
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johnnyenglishteacher
Joined: 11 Aug 2006 Posts: 41
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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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AGoodStory wrote: |
Thank you, JET! Do you know anything about work permit/visa regs for the self-employed? Would I be correct in thinking that the self-employment route would work for those from the EU, but not for Americans (and other non-EU passport holders?) Would someone from outside the EU need a school to sponsor them in order to get a visa? Would you be willing to tell us anything about your own situation--how you went about finding a job,etc? (Since you were so successful!) Thanks, again. |
I sent my e-mail to every language school in Slovenia. I got 3 interviews. All of them were successful and I decided on Koper. Pay was �11/45 minutes. Although I started off a bit slowly in terms of teaching hours, by April I was on 30 teaching hours a week as Slovenia's economic confidence recovered a bit and companies started paying for lessons again.
I only stayed for 6 months so I didn't bother going down the self-employed route. So unfortunately I can't really give you too much info there, or on how easily an American might get visas etc (I'm British so it was all very straightforward for me). Have you tried contacting the Slovene embassy or consulate in the States for advice? I found the London consular staff to be very helpful.
Slovene administration in general does seem to be relatively quick and efficient compared to some of the other places I've lived in (France and Hungary)
Good luck with it, it's a great little country. |
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ioamosalerno
Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 40 Location: Belgium
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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hey, just wondering if anyone (especially non-EU folks) have had any luck in Slovenia? thanks |
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