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Newbie in Berlin
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Skipp



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 16
Location: NULL

PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:09 am    Post subject: Newbie in Berlin Reply with quote

I'm looking to teach abroad next year and am looking at either Spain, or Germany.

I'm 28 years old and female, have a BA in Human Rights and Politics, four years civil service experience and will have a CELTA by then. I haven't got any formal teaching experience, but have volunteered with kids.

Is September the best time to apply? Is Germany competitive?

I'm off to Berlin for a trip in May and heard it's amazing.

As an EU citizen, do I need a work permit?
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Amazing place but full of the ghosts of the past. I was there more than 40 years ago in Berlin-West as a teacher. I found it quite difficult to get to know Berliners on anything more than a superficial level. I did come across Andreas Baader though.
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Skipp



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 16
Location: NULL

PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2012 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just got back from Berlin and really liked it! May visit Cologne soon...

Was it a lonely city then? I live in London, so kinda know what you mean by closeness beyond being superficial.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Read the 1946 novel by Fallada "Jeder stirbt fuer sich allein". Recently and surprisingly a best-seller in a new (and bad) English translation. UK title was Alone in Berlin. May be different in USofA

Last edited by scot47 on Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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thesuitthatdidnt



Joined: 30 Apr 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:45 pm    Post subject: working in Berlin not the same as Germany Reply with quote

Work in Berlin is extremely low pay.
And ALL freelance...you will travel on tubes half the day..to teach
enuff to pay rent.

The rest of Germany is hit and miss in terms of contracts. They are conservative and have a very formal hiring process. Takes time to get a good solid job.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Germans have enough competent English teachers of German nationality. Why should they hire outsiders with dubious credentials ?
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Private language schools in Germany often hire CELTA-qualified teachers.

Many of the students weren't German-born and didn't go through the (pretty excellent in most cases) domestic school system.

Some native Germans did English at school but later on want to strengthen their skills, particularly in-field. To some degree, it's unlike in the Netherlands, where English-language media si more prevalent - Germans don't necessarily hear or use English on a daily basis, so it's easier to get rusty.

As for hiring 'outsiders,' there's still that bias towards native speakers to some degree, in some contexts (high-level academic/professional).
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teacher X



Joined: 13 Feb 2013
Posts: 220
Location: Super Sovietsky Apartment Box 918

PostPosted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:04 pm    Post subject: Re: working in Berlin not the same as Germany Reply with quote

thesuitthatdidnt wrote:
Work in Berlin is extremely low pay.
And ALL freelance...you will travel on tubes half the day..to teach
enuff to pay rent.



Sadly this was also my experience.

I moved there because my gf of several years was German and she was in love with the 'idea of Berlin'. You'll find a lot of people who are in a deep romance with Berlin, thinking it's all David Bowie and Brian Eno. Disappointingly I didn't find the romance; just financial strife.
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Loobs



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 14
Location: Berlin, Germany

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
The Germans have enough competent English teachers of German nationality. Why should they hire outsiders with dubious credentials ?


Assuming your credentials aren't 'dubious', I can imagine being in a better position being a native speaker, at least in some situations.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, not really. Being a native speaker just isn't anything special in some countries - especially the Nordic ones.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Native English speakers are a dime a dozen in much of Northern Europe. Latest statistics for Prague, for example, are somewhere around 100,000 - about 10% of the population of the city. No cachet just for being an English speaker.
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Loobs



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 14
Location: Berlin, Germany

PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most people would prefer to be taught by a native speaker though, at least I would be. I think it's hard to hard argue against that.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Depends on the level and to some degree the purpose for learning. Lower-level learners often appreciate (and may even require) explanations in their L1. Higher-level learners who are grappling with pronunciation, intonation, and etc. generally prefer native speakers, though even here, if they are studying something that is field-specific, a very proficient non-native speaker with extensive in-field experience may be preferred.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All true, Spiral.

However, I have many Russian colleagues who are so proficient in English that I would defy anyone to identify their speech or writing as non-native, in some sort of parade. They weren't born into bilingual families either. They just studied for years, and years, often having never left the country. This is very often the case with many teachers in various northern countries too, so assuming that native-speaker status confers some sort of automatic advantage isn't always such a safe bet.
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spiral78



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

PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree - there are a fair number of true bi-lingual walking about as well:-) They often have serious advantages as language teachers, not only from their own very in-depth knowledge of the target language, but also in that they are such inspiring models for learners.
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