Job Discussion Forums

[ontheclave]

I've been teaching in Korea for almost 1 1/2 years now and I plan to travel to Europe for work as an ESL teacher this late February. I was born in Poland and am working on my European Union membership as well as my TEFL so that when I arrive in Europe, I'll have both. I have my sights set on Germany, preferably Frankfurt, but I've read that the job market is tough even for EU members. My questions are:

(1) Is it possible to get non-business English work in Germany relatively easily? I teach elementary school children so business English instruction sounds totally out of my sphere of experience. If not, how can I increase my chances of getting a job teaching business English?

(2) I read jobs begin usually in September and not in March when I'll be coming. Do I still stand a chance at getting a contract then? I don't want to do work part time because I've heard tax rates are very high for part-timers. I plan to interview when I get to Europe.

(3) Is paid for housing even in option in Germany or do you have to get your own?

(4) Do I have to have a knowledge of basic German to get a teaching job? I've heard I do and I just know some basic words and a few expressions but not much.

[spiral78]

I am not in Germany, but just over the border in the Netherlands. The university where I work has partner universities in Germany and other countries, and I've recently been to a meeting where many of us got together to chat outside of meetings. One of the hottest topics is always the job market.

It's tight everywhere, and Germany's no exception.

I obviously can't say exactly what will happen for you when you arrive and start job hunting, but I would say that you should be prepared not to find full time work right away. the most realistic expectation is probably that you plan to hopefully pick up some part-time piecework until September - by then you will have made some contacts locally and hopefully have some basic German that will help you.

Also, you don't mention whether you have any specific qualifications. Most of the newbie teachers in the region have a CELTA or equivalent (online courses are generally substandard for this job market, lacking supervised teaching practice). If you're not certified, you will likely need to consier getting into a programme.

Keep in mind that the European teaching scene bears little relation to that in Korea. Less work, more teachers...teachers with qualifications, connections, and local language skills obviously get first pick everywhere.
Start-up costs are MUCH higher for Europe in general, and ultimately you are looking at earning just enoug to get by in any case. It can be totally worth it - and after building up a local reputation and language skills, you're obviously in line for the few 'better' jobs around. But it's not very easy.

[ontheclave]

Thank you for all the detailed info. You wrote what I expected except for the certification. I've searched job openings for Germany as well as Poland and many state they prefer a TEFL or CELTA although some do state that a CELTA is required. I have family in Poland and have been told I will get help getting work there but I don't know about Germany. At the time, I don't think I can afford a CELTA and was going to go for a 100+ hour online TEFL certification with a good reputation. But now I'm considering getting it done on-site in Europe when I arrive. I guess I have some time to figure it out and thank you again.

[spiral78]

If the on-site cert in Germany (or the Czech Rep - there are a lot of training centres in Prague) or Poland is an option, it will be a better start for you than on on-line one.

good luck!