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Moto



Joined: 20 Oct 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:33 am    Post subject: New here . Reply with quote

Hi , I would like to know from anyone who is out there at the moment , just what is the job situation like for English teachers at the moment in CZ ?
. I lived in Prague last year for four months and fell in love with the place , I also visited many of the smaller lesser known places in the republic , and would love to teach there someday , but I would be more than happy to start my Teaching career anywhere in the republic . I understand that I would have a far better chance of getting my first teaching job in one of the smaller cities or towns . Any suggestions would be very welcome . Thank,s .
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"At the moment,' meaning mid October in general? In general, it's a bit past the normal hiring season: most contracts are September through June, with a few teachers getting new contracts in January (replacing a few teachers who didn't return from the winter holidays, or to teach at corporations that signed new contracts to start at the first of the year).

Also in general, if you do not have a certification to teach TEFL, you will need one to compete on this job market, even in most smaller cities and towns. There are quite a few good cert providers in Prague to get you started. Most newbies here have a certification from an on-site course, so if you haven't, it will be a disadvantage on the job market.

Finally, if you are not from the EU, you need to be aware of the Schengen zone and its rules (google Schengen zone if you're not up on this). North Americans and Aussies and Kiwis have 90 days on a tourist visa, and inside that time they must get a school to hire them and apply for work permits to stay legal. This means that you would want to time a job search to maximise your chances of success - arriving at the end of August is ideal.

If you are British, the time limit and work permit bits don't apply - but you will still want to time your arrival with the hiring periods and to get a CELTA or equivalent certification (not online).
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Moto



Joined: 20 Oct 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi , Thank you for your reply , I am just about to finish an online 140 hour course with i-to-i but , I feel that I really need far more classroom experience than this course has offered me so far , just 20 hours over one weekend was truly nowhere near enough time to get to grips with teaching a real classroom of students . I am looking at some of the onsite courses in Prague which seem to offer more real classroom teaching experience , and I am also looking into doing some volunteer teaching here at home which should help with dealing with real students . Any suggestions for a good onsite course in Prague ? . Thanks . I am from the UK so the legal side of things are not much of a problem .
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First of all, kudos to you for realising that i-to-i didn't adequately prepare you to teach. There are all-too-many would-be teachers out there who feel as though any old training is something of a huge imposition on their time and money. This obviously doesn't do justice to the paying students they propose to work with!

On the practical side, the i-to-i certificate won't serve you particularly well in the Czech Republic, because, as you know, there are a good number of on-site training courses in Prague. Because of this, the vast majority of new teachers on the job market here have an on-site certification from a centre that Czech employers will recognise.

You've also hit exactly on the key component: supervised teaching practice with real students (not peer trainees) - absolutely vital for a good entry-level course in the European (and North American) markets.

Volunteering is a good idea, but keep in mind that this isn't usually supervised, so you're still missing out on that important bit of how well you've done it! If you have some higher-level students, you might try to get letters of recommendation from them, and it's also sometimes helpful if you volunteer to assist an experienced and qualified teacher. Then, you can both observe and be observed, assuming the teacher is willing to do this with you (many of us would).

All of the course providers in Prague that I am aware of have been around for a while and all are considered pretty good so far as I know. If you run an extensive search here, you can probably find a few complaints on most courses, but it's impossible to please everyone all of the time - and again, I've never heard of a course in the city which was substantially lesser than any of the others. My own original TEFL cert back in 1998 was a generic one from Prague, and I've never had any problems with its being recognised as a CELTA equivalent, though CELTA is of course the name brand.

Basically, I think you'd be quite safe with any of the course providers in the city.

Good luck!
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gwynnie86



Joined: 27 Apr 2009
Posts: 159

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As I was saying in another post, TEFL Worldwide or the Language House seem like really good course providers.

As you're British you'll be fine, I think. I found that I was given loads of interviews and job offers compared to my non-EU coursemates, just because employers don't want to deal with the hassle of visa paperwork. The peak hiring times are September or January, but as you don't need one full-time employer you can pick up hours from various schools. Basically, if you're from the UK and interview well you should have no problem.
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Moto



Joined: 20 Oct 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:38 pm    Post subject: Cost of living Reply with quote

Thank you very much for all your replies , I wonder if any of you who are currently living in Prague could give me a realistic idea of current cost,s of living there . For instance how much for a small studio or room ? .
Thanks , Having lived there for a few months in 2010 I know all about the cost of transport ,food , beer but now that I am on somewhat tighter budget , I would like to know what other TEFL Teachers are paying , anywhere out to Prague 10 is my sort of ideal area as I have some friends who live there . Thank you , and Happy new year to you all . Very Happy
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Arab Strap



Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 246
Location: under your bed

PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bloody hell this women never gives up!
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