Job Discussion Forums

Divigars · Joined: 19 Aug 2015 Posts: 1

Hi guys, I am an American who has a second German passport who is scheduled to complete an intensive CELTA course in October. I am interested in teaching English in an EU country. I was wondering what the best countries are for a newbie teacher. I have seen ads for newbies in Germany, Estonia, Finland, Austria, and Hungary. I am open to other countries also.

Nicky_McG · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 190

Hi,

Do you mean you'll be coming to Europe after the CELTA course is finished? Coming at anything other than the start October is quite late for a lot of language schools.

I've never taught in any of those countries (from what I read on here they can be tough markets) but have done in Spain and France. I'd say Spain (and especially Madrid) is a very good option for a newbie. There usually work available all year in Madrid (though it'd be hard to get a new job in summer) even if you arrive after the hiring period.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

It's fairly rare to be hired from abroad on this job market in general, though there are occasional exceptions (mostly for people with specialist qualifications, not standard CELTA). Your best bet is to pick a city you like, come over, and interview in person.

As Nicky points out, most job contracts are for Sept/Oct through June, so arriving later than that is a drawback (significant in tighter job markets like Austria, less so in bigger ones like Spain). From your list, Germany will be your best bet, particularly if you are coming late in the season - the other countries you list are all small and with very tight job markets.

I don't work in any of these places, but I have partner institutions and I regularly work with teachers from all of them, so I have a few clues regarding the job markets. I was in Tallin recently; very small job market. Hungary is extremely difficult, as the economy is very weak and there is competition from numerous highly qualified locals (in fact, I know of no-one from outside Hungary working there on anything other than a volunteer basis, though no doubt there are teachers somewhere!!).