Job Discussion Forums

[jamo22]

Hello, I want to come to teach english in the Czech rep with my girlfriend. We both will have 2 yrs teaching experience in Korea, her at a good worldwide adult academy. We also both have tefl certificates.

I have 3 questions:

1.Im an EU citizen, she is from the states. I heard it is very tough for non-eu citizens to get visa sponsorship...Would it be possible?! Are some countries more likely to grant it than others? Would there be some way to get around it, eg. her studying and maybe doing privates on the side?

2. What time of year is the easiest to find a job in Europe.

3. Is it worthwhile to get a Celta, considering we both have tefl already?

Thanks

[spiral78]

The answers to your identical questions on the Spain and Italy forums have answered some of these, but I can speak specifically to the Czech Rep.

Non-EU member citizens are still technically eligible for legal work permits in the CR (unlike in Italy and Spain). However, because it's quite a hassle and can be expensive, schools will prefer EU citizen teachers first.

The job market is fairly saturated, and most newbies on the streets looking for work have a CELTA or equivalent cert (120 hours on-site including supervised teaching practice with actual students). Prague has quite a few training centres and most have a pretty good rep with local employers, so some 'unknown' or weekend/online cert will put you at a disadvantage on this highly competitive job market.

Also, keep in mind that teaching experience in Asia may not be looked upon especially favorably by European employers. The approaches and methods accepted, and the motivation and expectations of students in Europe are VERY different to most Asian teaching contexts and students. Your experience may not translate very widely to teaching in Europe, and experienced employers are aware of this in many cases.

Most contracts here are Sept- June.