Job Discussion Forums

[newtoefl2011]

Hi guys,

My girlfriend and I are a British couple in our 20's and are currently taking a TEFL course in the UK. We're hoping to teach in Italy from September and are particularly drawn to the idea of teaching in Bologna or, failing that, the any town or city in Emilia-Romagna.

Although we'll both have TEFL qualifications, only my girlfriend has a degree and neither of us have any teaching experience besides the 20 hour work classroom instruction module on our course. We do, however, both have an elementary grasp of Italian and are currently working to improve our language skills.

How difficult is it likely to be to find work in Bologna with these credentials? Also, any advice on any schools or organisations which are likely to be recruiting from September would be much appreciated, as would an idea of what Bologna is like to live and teach in.

Thanks!

[Teacher in Rome]

Why don't you come and have a little look-see in Bologna before you commit to it? It's a short hop on Ryanair (Forli airport) and you can at least get a feel for the city (very nice, btw) and drop off your CVs at some language schools / get some info from them about their September plans.

If you look back through this forum, there is someone living and working in Bologna who posted a while back about his experiences there. You could even try DMing him...

Good luck with your plans!

[newtoefl2011]

Thanks for the info!

Unfortunately it wouldn't really be practical for us to visit Bologna beforehand as we both have full time jobs as well as study until late August when we're looking at heading over to Italy.

We decided on Bologna primarily because we have quite a few friends who have told us that Bologna is a fairly large city which is still easy to get around in, has beautiful architecture, great cuisine and friendly locals, but is still less visited that Rome, Venice or Florence. Another big draw is the fact that it's a big university city, so we thought that job opportunities might be more plentiful there than in the more famous Italian cities such as Rome, Milan and Venice where we figured there'd be quite a glut of English teachers. Is this the case?

Also How is the job market in Rome? Is the fact that we don't have much teaching experience likely to hinder us much?

Thanks for the help!

[spiral78]

newtoefl, I am not sure if you realise that TOEFL is a test for non-native speakers of English.

http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/

it's not really important, but you might not want to use this name anywhere you're applying for jobs
It kinda implies that you've just passed an English language test and are a non-native speaker.

I think you mean TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language - meaning in a non-native English speaking country) or TESL (teaching English as a second language - usually in an Anglophone country to students or immigrants).

[AGoodStory]

[spiral78]

Ah, I didn't get that. Have spent too much time prepping students for TOEFL, probably
Still, a good point to clear up, I think. Some employers may have the same vision as me.

How about: new2EFL?

[newtoefl2011]

It is indeed "new to efl", I didn't even consider that it could be read any other way! Not to worry- at least I won't be applying for jobs with my username!

[acmurray]

Hi! I already responded to your note on PM and just saw your post here, but just one more thing to mention:

Do brush up on your Italian--use flashcards, watch Italian movies, whatever--because finding English speakers is a bit hit or miss here in Bologna, and probably a miss with most landlords.

Bologna is SO lovely! I've gotten all nostalgic since I'm going back to the US in a month. But hey, it's one more teaching position here that will be opening up.