View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
4monthteacher
Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 10
|
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject: retired American non-student English teacher with degree |
|
|
OK -- So what are my chances anywhere in the EU? Paris would be great, but I'm flexible. I'm also an artist, so anywhere there's great art work to see would be fine. Are non-EU folks who are not on a student visa having an easy time finding work? I do have a teaching degree (English as a minor) and several years teaching experience. I'm currently going through a course that teaches how to teach ESL, will not have a certificate when finished but will have experience teaching ESL. Thank you for your comments. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will simply not be eligible for a visa as an English teacher in Western Europe. The national hiring laws for this region dictate EU member citizens only, unless one has specialist qualifications. Any employer who wants to circumvent this must be able to argue to its national government that 'you' have something they need which no EU candidate for the job can offer. With your qualifications, that won't happen.
This is a VERY popular job market for UK teachers - there are many, many, thoughout the Western European region and they are generally well-qualified.
The 'new' EU member countries such as the Czech Rep, Poland, and etc stil do offer visas to non-EU member citizens, though it's a hassle. You would need a CELTA or equivalent recognised cert to compete on that job market, and there are up-front costs as jobs are not normally found from abroad. Wages in the Euro region are generally subsistence-level as well, again because entry-level teachers are abundant.
Your qualifications would not stand above the norm here and might in fact be 'less than', as a CELTA or equivalent is the standard here (onsite certification course 100+ hours, including supervised teaching practice with actual students and feedback on how you've done from experienced teacher trainers). |
|
Back to top |
|
|
4monthteacher
Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 10
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 12:29 pm Post subject: retired American non-student English teacher with degree |
|
|
Thanks, Dave. Your response makes it clear that I should look elsewhere. Good to know! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 12:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Have I been mistaken for the esteemed owner of the site? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
4monthteacher
Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 10
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 3:50 pm Post subject: retired American non-student English teacher with degree |
|
|
Yes! I saw the email return address ([email protected]) and drew an erroneous conclusion. Anyway, thank you for your response, spiral78. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
spiral78 wrote: |
Have I been mistaken for the esteemed owner of the site? |
Undercover all this time, spiral? And to think it took a newcomer to unmask you!
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
|
Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
I'm pretty sure I'm not Dave
4monthteacher, thanks for taking the bad news gracefully - that's not always the case.
I do honestly feel badly to rain on people's parades in this respect, but when contemplating a move abroad, it's really important to have realistic information regarding the challenges one will face. I've been around long enough (14+ years now) to see all-too-many would-be teachers end up disappointed and worse...
Not to imply that you and others can't come on over and try anyway, of course! It does occasionally happen that someone marries swiftly and well, or one of the very rare military post jobs come open, and someone gets massively lucky.
In the past, it was pretty common to work illegally, but as of January 2009 (google Schengen zone for complete info) it's gotten pretty risky and much less commonly done. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|