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Will dual-citizenship give me an advantage?

 
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DosEquisX



Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361

PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:59 pm    Post subject: Will dual-citizenship give me an advantage? Reply with quote

I am an American-born citizen who was able to obtain Irish citizenship through family lineage (my grandmother is an Irish immigrant). If I get a EU passport, will that give me an advantage in the ESL job market in Europe in general?

If that is the case, what are the advantages? Will the paperwork process be shorter? Will I be paid more or be more employable?

I was looking at the prospects of working in Czech Republic. Is that the best ESL market in Europe? I'm looking to get away from China and possibly Asia in general.
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ioamosalerno



Joined: 09 Aug 2011
Posts: 40
Location: Belgium

PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

EU citizenship is THE KEY for working and residing legally in the EU.
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DosEquisX



Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361

PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ioamosalerno wrote:
EU citizenship is THE KEY for working and residing legally in the EU.


Is an EU passport is necessary for this? Or are my Irish citizenship papers sufficient enough?

Trying to determine if I should apply for one before I go back to China.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your Irish passport will enable you to work in the EU without any paperwork hassles. No, you won't be paid more, but you are more employabe as versus a US citizen who requires extensive paperwork to work legally in the region.

With Irish citizenship, you should be issued an Irish passport, correct? This is the document needed.

As an American citizen only, you can legally work in the Czech Rep (but not in most of Western Europe), but there are paperwork hassles and an Irish citizen would be preferred by most employers.

Keep in mind that the job market in Europe does not bear much resemblance to that in China.

Most jobs are not found from abroad - you need to be here on the ground to interview in person (there are simply enough teachers around that reputable schools don't have to take chances on someone sight-unseen). Most jobs do not pay airfare and many do not provide housing; you will be responsible for start-up costs.

You will need a CELTA or equivalent to compete - most newbies on this job market have this, so anything less puts you at a disadvantage, regardless of your citizenship. If you haven't got a certificate yet, consider getting one in-country - it's a good bridge into the job market in the region.

Salaries are basically enough in the region to live frugally and enjoy the country you are in, but not enough to pay off debt back home or to save up much.

Finally, experience in China may not be looked upon especially favourably by European employers as European students have very different expectations about language learning in general. It will help you if you can demonstrate that you have some awareness of the differences between European language students and Asian ones.
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DosEquisX



Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361

PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the assistance guys.

I have the material to get my Irish passport. Since I'm in America, I can turn it in before I go back to China at the end of February.

I was planning on getting further certification regardless of my next location. Which is better and more respected: CELTA or PGCE? Is it redundant to get both?

Also, which country has the best employment prospects? I really don't expect to make much to start off. After all, nobody starts at the top of the ladder in their career unless they are highly qualified and have extensive experience in their home country (though if you did, why would you want to leave your job). Czech Republic seems promising. It also seems to have a cost-effective CELTA compared to other European countries. However, I don't know much about the ESL markets in other countries. I have to figure that the cost-of-living in Western Europe is too high to sustain oneself on a normal ESL teaching position. What about countries in Central and Eastern Europe?
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Long-term prospects in Central Europe are still rather dim (why I'm not there full time). University teachers are stuck on a pay scale that is actually lower than what many private language school teacher make, so higher level (post grad) qualis don't pay off in the region.

Some teachers are eventually able to get work directly for a corporation, cutting out the middleman of the school, but this isn't common because most companies need to show a solid school on their books for tax purposes, as versus an individual. Getting such gigs obviously takes local language skills, reputation, and contacts as well.

Another option is to become a teacher trainer, but this doesn't work for too many people in the long-term (pm me for elaboration on this point if needed).
Again, these jobs usually require that you know people who run training centres; openings are not numerous or advertised, usually.

With a PGCE, you would be eligible to work for international schools; these are good jobs, but openings are again relatively rare and often go to people with local contacts and language skills. Not impossible to get, but not a wide-open door by any means.

It's not redundant to have both a CELTA and a PGCE.

I think you might want to make some inquiries on the Russia forum - it's in some ways easier to make a good living there as a teacher.
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