Job Discussion Forums

[The Fat Rabbit]

Hello,

I'm a Canadian citizen with a BA in English, a TESOL certificate, a CELTA certificate, and 2 years of ESL teaching experience. With my qualifications and experience is it possible to find a decent job teaching English in Germany, specifically Berlin.?

From what I've read in this forum, it seems that ESL jobs are available. The only issue I have heard of is the difficulty that a non-EU citizen has trying to work in Germany. Will it be difficult for me to work being non-EU? Or is this not a factor worth being concerned about?

I'm hoping someone can clear this up for me, thanks!

[spiral78]

It is a concern, though not necessarily insurmountable. You will want to maximise your chances by coming over at the peak hiring season (end August-September). Basically, you've got 90 days to get paperwork lined up (google Schengen zone if you're not familiar with the 3-month time limit in the zone for non-EU citizens).

Where you gained your two years of experience is also an issue. If it was in Asia, this may not impress employers much. The approaches, methods, and student expectations there are quite different to those in Europe and most employers are aware of this. If you earned your experience in Canada, that will be more helpful.

It also depends a bit on what you call 'decent.' The majority of work in this region is with businesspeople in their offices. Split shifts are pretty common, and you'll have already gathered that it's pretty rare to land one full-time contract with a school, particularly in your first year and without German language skills and local connections. Expect to have to cobble together a couple of part-time gigs to get you through the first stage (though of course you might get lucky - it's not the norm).

Pay is fairly subsistence level: enough to live ok and enjoy where you are, but not to save up much or to pay off debt back home. A pair of jeans may require a bit of advance planning, and a new bike would likely be something to budget for for a while.

Again, this is first-year scenario - if you stay in the region, develop language skills and a local rep, there are better jobs out there.

University positions, by the way, generally require related MA+++ and are pretty competitive.

[The Fat Rabbit]

Thank you.

Does the employer help lining up this paperwork? Is it a long process or is 90 days enough time to complete the necessary steps?

I have experience in both Canada and Asia, my most recent being in Asia. Will it make any noticeable difference that I passed my CELTA with an 'A' or that I'm currently studying for my DELTA? How exactly would an ability to speak German help me land an ESL job?

Could you give me an example of what subsistence-level pay would be like after taxes in Euros?

Lastly, assuming the school seasons start in September and January, April would be quite possibly the worst time to arrive in Germany to look for an ESL job. Would that be a correct assumption or are there still plenty of summer teaching positions available beginning around April?

Thank you for your replies!

[spiral78]

An employer will likely help, but the process you will go through is arduous and can be frustrating. The degree of this varies depending on the region, office, official you work with, and the weather of the day

Being currently on a DELTA is certainly worth putting on your CV.

Ability to speak German is obviously not necessary to teach EFL, but it is considered a significant asset in terms of daily life and dealing with legalities. You will find that officials in government offices may (or may not) speak proficient English. Building a local reputation, in order to move up from entry-level positions, really requires local language skills.

It's impossible to say about subsistence level pay in Euros - it's totally dependent on what your housing costs and other expenses are. If you flat-share, that can obviously make expenses significantly lower. I know of teachers at your level of qualifications who live on 1,000 net/monthly, and others who would simply starve at that rate, as they pay 600+ monthly for a flat rental.

No, April would not be a salubrious time at all to try to find work. Your 90-day clock will be ticking, most contracts end at the end of June, and there is very little summer work around - Europeans take July/August holidays very seriously, and it's difficult to line up anything much at all at this time even with local contacts and etc. Recipe for likely failure. Try to arrive in the Schengen zone at the end of August.

I should also be absolutely clear where my knowledge is coming from here: I have lived and worked for about 7 years now in the Netherlands, near the German border. I've got quite a few friends living and working in Germany, but they are mostly British and have no visa issues. I have just two acquaintances who have gone through the visa process in Germany within the last couple of years.

There are other posters here who have more direct experience in the Berlin area, and I'm sure they'll be along soon with more reliable information than the general advice I can offer.

[ioamosalerno]

hey, I'm dealing with the bureaucratic hell right now in the north-rhine westphalia area. One important thing about Germany is that if you are a citizen of the USA, Canada, and a number of other rich, politically stable countries, you can come over here on a tourist stamp, and convert it to a "work visa." I have already got a residency permit (which extended my stay 4 weeks past the 90 days) and another 4 week extension on that. This practice is not the norm in the EU, but it is possible in Germany for Canadian (and select other) passport holders. I advise you consult the website for the immigration/labor bureaus as well as TEFL forums. ALSO, Germany is notorious for being inconsistant as hell between different visa offices. One office will require X,Y,Z and a different office will require A,B,C for the same situation. Please note that to get a residency permit, no matter where you go, you will have to have already registered your stay in Germany, which requires accomodation in a flat or home.... a hostel or hotel will not suffice from my understanding. As for pay, I have already secured 2 positions (new teacher, so no formal experience) for 13 euros/lessons, and another for 25 euros/lessons. The former is with Berlitz, who seem easy to get hired by, and the latter is with a private school. Finally, note that most all positions are freelance. This has a number of hugh implications, including:
- visa requirements (generally, it should be easier than contracted positions from what I have been told)
- insurance: your employer will not provide it. ALC is the only provider that I am aware of that will be willing to provide it to you initally
- tax: no taxes will be with held from your pay. You must set aside extra money to be able to pay it!
- social insurance: like tax it will not be with held. I know nothing about this, as everyone tells me to worry about all of the above problems first. I heard something about being exempt from this for the first 2 years, but I also heard that this exemption has been abolished.

[The Fat Rabbit]

So, is it possible to convert the tourist stamp to a work visa without having secured a job first?

Do you need the work permit to be able to get a residency permit? How is it that a residency permit only extends the 90 days another 4 weeks? Do you mean that you must extend your stay every month for one more month?

It seems like right now is a good time to be looking for teaching positions, since you were able to secure two positions. April, in my case, wouldn't be so easy, unfortunately. I may have to change my plans.

Thanks for your replies.

[JN]

My residency and work permit are all in one. I had a Fiktionsbescheinigung while waiting for the permit, but I had already started work. I did already have a non-teaching job before I came to Germany, though.
I guess things are different in each place here in Germany. I'm not sure if this helps you, but just thought I'd mention it.

[NWBen]

I thought I read on another thread that the process of applying for a work permit would take 6 weeks? Since I'm basically unqualified (although w/a couple years experience teaching EFL in Leipzig and Krakow in the 90s) I guess my procedure would be to apply for work w/Berlitz or inLingua, get some sort of job offer and start their unpaid training while applying for work/residency permits, getting health insurance, etc... ?

I'm fine with that, if that's the case, since I have a comfortable cash cushion.