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Hamburg - is it do-able?

 
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Allie



Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 32
Location: UK

PostPosted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:29 pm    Post subject: Hamburg - is it do-able? Reply with quote

I'm a Brit, with a CELTA, 5 years of teaching experience and fluent German. I lived in Hamburg over 10 years ago and really want to go back and live there. I wasn't teaching when I was there so I don't have any teaching experience in Germany. I will be the bread-winner for my family - husband and 6 year old. We don't live a fancy lifestyle. Is it realistic to think I would get enough work for us to live in Hamburg? I'm thinking of doing a MA in linguistics with TEFL to improve my chances. Is it work paying to do my MA? Should I forget Hamburg or is it worth taking the risk?
Thanks for any advice!
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artemisia



Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 875
Location: the world

PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 9:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are other posters with more up to date information than I have. However, TEFL has never really been well paid work in Germany unless you can build up a network of contacts, get to know the market and start working for yourself. That usually requires a fair bit of time in a place and many teachers slowly build these networks after going the language school route first. On the plus side, you won’t have any visa issues and you do have the language and a CELTA, but local networks are very important. Germans place high value on recommendations and will often stay loyal to the business connections they already have, even if offered a cheaper provider. They also like people with direct experience in the business world.

The other way to better paid work is a proper uni job but for that you’d definitely need a postgrad degree - probably higher than MA - and significant tertiary experience. They've always been incredibly competitive jobs to get. But it may still be possible to get sessional teaching work though universities. You should be able to get work in language schools and possibly even companies directly if you start putting together an offer and approaching businesses. I’d suggest smaller companies at first as the large ones will almost certainly already be set up. There are threads here on starting your own business (as opposed to working as a freelancer), but in the end it comes down to supporting a family and covering costs like health insurance. I think it is a risk but can't say if it's worth it.

If you’re determined to give this a go, my main suggestion is that you try this out on your own first. You can approach schools in advance, but you really have to be in Germany to get work. If your husband (and/or other family members) can take care of your child in the UK, check how practical it is firsthand before the family is uprooted. I’d also give this plan a time limit. Another possibility to consider is translation work.
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JN



Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 214

PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd agree to everything that Artemisia says. It sounds like the state of things now. I don't have anything to add.
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Allie



Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 32
Location: UK

PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. It's not what I was hoping to hear but I've very grateful for the honest opinion.
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It sounds like you know Hamburg better than any of us.

The market there will be freelance work via a school or as you speak German, unlike most TEFLers there, you can get your own work which will pay well. You probably know that Germans love their six weeks of annual holidays topped up with Krankheitsurlaub so you need to factor this into your earnings.

Why not contact a school such as IH Hamburg? They won't be anything special, but they'll offer you a set amount of freelance hours per week which is a good start. As a freelancer, much to IH and co's chagrin, you aren’t in theory supposed to work for only one supplier, so you are legally free to seek other work.

Health insurance rules changed dramatically in 2009, and anyone resident in Germany must have proper health insurance, which isn’t cheap. Employers pay about half these costs, but the freelancer will have to pay the lot. There are a few international policies which are just as good and cheaper, but you need specialist advice from a broker. Check Toytown.

Health insurance and Hamburg’s high demand for rental property aren’t insurmountable problems, and your German ability will at least make the latter a lot easier. If you’re not totally skint and can pay a rental deposit and a few month’s expenses, I’d be tempted to give Hamburg a go.
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