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French Switzerland general information

 
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Ireland00



Joined: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 3:47 pm    Post subject: French Switzerland general information Reply with quote

Hi.

23 EU M.
BA English and History
CELTA
4 months in Irish academy and 2 months in Spanish.
Language assistant in Spain (currently)
Language assistant in France (next year)
Will most likely have b2 level French when I'm ready to go there.

I've spoken to an experienced teacher of English in Swirtzerland and she recommended Wall Steet School of English for newer teachers.

I can work from September 2016. Is it a good idea to send out cvs now?
Is it dangerous to try and live here (because it's such a tough market)?
Realistically, how likely is it that I can live and work there long-term (I aim to eventually be a Cambridge examiner, in about 10 years). I will flatshare, but after a few years I would like to be able to rent my own place. It seems like an almost impossible market to break into.

*Also, a side question: does it look bad if I taught for 6 months, and then took 2 language assistant jobs? And will academies recognise those jobs as 'experience'?

Thank you.
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AGoodStory



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome to the cafe, Ireland00!

Clearly you are an exceptionally organized guy, who excels at planning. However, there is no point in sending your CV out now for September 2016. It is way too early, and would be a waste of your time.

I don't think your short teaching stints will limit you, given that you will have two full academic years under your belt following the 2 and 4 month jobs. (Unless of course you lleft under undesirable circumstances, left your employer without reasonable notice, etc.) Otherwise the two full-year contracts should minimize concern, assuming, of course, you do complete them! And, yes, your experience with the two Ministry programs will be considered as bona fide experience for your CV.

Others who have more direct experience/knowledge of Switzerland will no doubt have more advice for you.

Again, welcome!

AGS

.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Others who have more direct experience/knowledge of Switzerland will no doubt have more advice for you.


I actually don't think there will be many (any) here on Dave's. Switzerland is a tiny job market and the 5/6 teachers there that I'm aware of are long-termers with family connections in the country - it's not a general EFL destination.

I work with two partner universities in Switzerland, so have some peripheral info about the general region, but if the OP knows an experienced teacher in the country, he's probably already got a better source than he's likely to find here.
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AGoodStory



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

I actually don't think there will be many (any) here on Dave's. Switzerland is a tiny job market and the 5/6 teachers there that I'm aware of are long-termers with family connections in the country - it's not a general EFL destination.


Spiral makes a good point, especially since she is the Dave's member I thought most likely to have some knowledge of Switzerland. Dedicated is the only person who comes to mind who has actually worked there, so you might try to pm Dedicated once you have enough posts. Most of the (minimal) past discussion here has referred to jobs requiring advanced qualifications.

.
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Ireland00



Joined: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Quote:
Others who have more direct experience/knowledge of Switzerland will no doubt have more advice for you.




if the OP knows an experienced teacher in the country, he's probably already got a better source than he's likely to find here.


I know her, but her advice regarding issues surrounding my queries have been shaky, so I don't know if I can trust her. Sh retired years ago, and now only occasionally acts as a Cambridge examiner. Also, she was based in the German part, which (AFAIK) is run like a completely separate state in almost all aspects, particularly education. If you have some contacts for the French part, I would be much obliged if you could help me out!
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I will ask my contact at the university if s/he will agree for me to put you in contact, or if s/he knows someone with direct info who will agree to advise you.

Generally, the advice you've received regarding starting out at a chain like Wall Street is solid. There are some better jobs out there (though fairly rare), but they really require local contacts and local reputation. The most usual route into this area is to go, take the best job you can find, and build up a local contact base, working your way up the ladder. This can take some time, but it's highly unlikely that a newcomer to the region will walk into a great job right away, given that there are so few in total.
This is true for the wider region, and even more so for this particular very small and fairly exclusive job market.
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Ireland00



Joined: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, thanks for that!
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Ireland00



Joined: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And thank you for the warm welcome! Smile
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Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2015 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I looked into teaching in Switzerland, and coincidentally met a girl who did her CELTA in Bern, and sounds just like a native, yet she can't get a job because she's Swiss...

I've found that Switzerland is kind of like Scandinavia, hard to get jobs. I've seen plenty of vacancies around Switzerland, but the WORK PERMIT (even for EU citizens) is incredibly frustrating, and also, most positions seem to be freelance, which is even worse.

Such a shame! Sad
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