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Skipp
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 16 Location: NULL
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:09 am Post subject: Newbie in Berlin |
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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
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:45 pm Post subject: working in Berlin not the same as Germany |
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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
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: working in Berlin not the same as Germany |
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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.
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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
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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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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