Job Discussion Forums

[jsbankston]

I saw this online regarding working in France:

�Freelancers and professionals should try approaching business schools to teach subjects in English such as marketing, accountancy, engineering, etc,, to final year students.� she says. You should also try international schools where you can teach other subjects such as mathematics, history and geography.�

How would you go about finding these international schools?

[Like a Rolling Stone]

Where did you find this? In US publications or online? I have no idea if this applies to non-EU passport holders.

[jsbankston]

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/articles/working_in_france_with_or_without_work_visa.shtml

[spiral78]

If you are a certified teacher K-12 in the U.S., you are eligible to teach your subject at international schools. Teaching at an international school, if you can find an opening, is one of the very few ways to work legally within the western EU member states as a North American.
I do not know where there is a list of such schools, but you can likely find one online for the country(ies) you are interested in.
Alternatively, another long shot is to check U.S. military bases, or NATO bases. However, I have found that most English teaching positions go to spouses of military personnel in both cases.

[jsbankston]

I am not certified. I have a severe math disability and can't pass the math portion of the exam needed for certification in Texas, even though I am an English and history major.

Is there any other state that doesn't require the math?

What exactly is an international school anyway?

[spiral78]

If you can't get certified to teach in a regular public school in the U.S., this option probably isn't open to you.
A general definition of an international school would be a K-12 school located in countries where English (in this case) is not the native language. All classes are in English, and the children who attend are usually a mix of locals and the children of expats living in the area. Such schools are usually of a pretty high quality, academically-speaking. Teachers do not teach English, they teach core subjects IN English. It's not easy to find openings in the more desirable locations (like France), but if you were certified and experienced as a teacher of a core subject (science, math, etc., obviously), it would be worth looking into.

[jsbankston]

Well, I could do it if I found a state in the US that doesn't require math for upper-division education or certification courses of liberal arts majors. Do you know of any states offhand? I never really understood why it mattered for me to know algebra in order to teach English or history, but I've been in career trouble as a result.

Anyway, I'd much rather teach overseas than here--even if the pay was less.

[jsbankston]

I have worked as a librarian and substitute teacher at a K-12 private school, though.

[spiral78]

Sorry, I can't help with specific state info. I was certified in Virginia, but that was almost 20 years ago now. I haven't lived in the States since 1998, and have entirely lost touch with requirements (will not need them in future).
Assuming that you google a state, move there, and get certified.......

Even if you are certified, but are without experience, I think you'd have to start in less desirable locations. France (along with Spain, Italy, etc) is a major target, as I'm sure you've deduced, and you'd need certification + experience + some major references to compete on the international school job market there. And, those teachers who are married to French citizens would still always take priority, as would EU members.

One small possibility you might consider would be the international school in Luxembourg. Lux is not such a prime destination (London-style weather patterns) and you MIGHT get super-lucky and happen upon some opening there. Alternatively, Belgium could offer some possibilities. I do not know the current status, but when I was there in 2000/2001, it was possible to get legal working permits as a non EU citizen. Both countries are essentially French-speaking. Pay in Belgium is peanuts, and jobs are scarce, but the cost of living is also relatively low.
Ireally think it would take serious good luck to land something in either of these countries, but if you are really determined and have enough financial reserves to allow you to go there and beat the pavements for a month or two, you might have some small chance of landing something that would be an all right entry-level position.

[spiral78]

By the way, the pay will be less almost everywhere - especially in Europe. You've got to really have some different motivation. European standards of living are simply quite different than American ones.

[jsbankston]

I have zero financial reserves, which is why I'm also checking out Asia. (Though I'd much prefer Europe.)

Never occured to me to think about Benelux, though.

I like overcast, rainy weather, btw. Am sick of hot, humid, sunny Texas.

Do you know any eligible European women who might want to marry a downwardly-mobile American writer who resembles Balzac?

[spiral78]

NOW, you're asking the right questions !!

It's honestly so tight in Europe for North Americans, marriage is often the most realistic route. It's what worked for me but I'm no advocate of marraiges of convenience - I'm just greatly lucky that my marraige also happened to be convenient as an extra added feature of just wanting to be with this specific person forever!!

Sorry, I can't hook you up.....and true love obviously doesn't happen that way.

Why not bite the bullet and go off to lucrative Asia for a couple of years? Then, you could afford to pound the pavements of Benelux or somewhere else, looking for that rare loophole.

[jsbankston]

And if my book ever sells, then I'd also have that "sexy author/intellectual" cachet they love so much in Europe.

Anyway, I figure if Serge Gainsbourg and Gerard Depardieu could be sex symbols in France, then I'll be seen as a god!

[jsbankston]

Also, I'd never be able to marry just for convenience--love has to be in the picture. But maybe, just maybe, European women have different types of hang-ups from their American counterparts. (Notice I don't think they are without hang-ups.)

[spiral78]

Quite honestly, there's been a little wave of anti-American-boyfriend sentiment rolling through some parts of the European scene over the past couple of years - though it may be more prevalent in the 'new' EU member countries like the Czech Rep and Poland. The thing is, North American guys were considered to be attractive (the image was well-educated and financially strong) but the image isn't always true among the expat TEFLers. Quite a few women married TEFLers, only to find when they reached the U.S. or Canada that the guys were essentially penniless and unable to support them in terms of providing decent housing and enough income to support a family.

I don't mean to imply that the women are gold-diggers - two-income families are just as common here as in N.Am. and most women expect to work. But here, there are pretty generous subsidies for families with babies, cars aren't generally an essential requirement for daily life, schooling is of a high quality in almost all locations, and the overall standard of living in terms of essentials can be much easier to obtain.

There's been some women ( I have absolutely no idea how prevalent this is, so I'm saying it guardedly) returning from North America, many with small children (and much stronger language skills!), without the husband (who may still be working crap jobs somewhere in hopes of affording a plane ticket). Here, the kids are pretty much assured of a good education and a safe living environment, even if the level of household income is relatively low.

I've actually recently spoken to three different North American guys, here in hopes of finding TEFL jobs, in order to live near their children. It's kind of sad, especially because they aren't really much into teaching - they just can't think of any other way to be with their families. I also don't think they necessarily misled the women - it's easy to miscommunicate, given language barriers and expectations based on stereotypes.

In any case, in my personal experience and also that of my circle of friends and acquaintances scattered throughout Europe, there's been a bit of backlash against dating North Americans - again especially in Central Europe. The economies here are getting stronger, and it's now true that if people work hard, they get ahead financially, not to mention that most families have some property so there is usually some safety net. It's become 'cool' to date locals again. And the expat TEFLers have lost quite a bit of their cache in terms of attracting women in search of more than a casual relationship.

Ultimately, I think a marraige of convenience would be pretty hard to swing....even if someone were looking for one!!