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When to go?

 
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PointedAndPent



Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:38 pm    Post subject: When to go? Reply with quote

Hi,

I'm an English teacher currently in Spain. I've been here over two years and I've got a CELTA, a degree, and a very "English look" about me.

I'm definitely looking to leave Spain shortly. There are some great things about the place, but also a lot of things have grated over the last couple of years and I need to either relocate, or at the least take a couple of years out.

I've been thinking of Germany because:
1) I recently started learning German and I've found it very enjoyable.
2) I often get on well with German people I meet over here.
3) Most of the things that have ground my down about Spain are the things Germany has a reputation for been good at.

What I'd like to know is, when's a good time to go in terms of job recruitment? Over here there are two big drives... August-September, and (less so) January. If you come in June that would be a big mistake, you'd basically have nothing to do for 2-3 months other than scraping the floor with private classes.

So what's the situation in Germany. Are there months when academies are looking? How flexible do you need to be to find a job?

Also how does recruitment work? Here in Spain you walk through the door in a suit, get a 5 minute interview, and they give you the job (that's it). Sending CVs by e-mail is almost a complete waste of time.

Cheers.
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artemisia



Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 875
Location: the world

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The dates/ months you mention apply to Germany, too. It's the same in Europe generally.

However, it is possible to pick up work at various times. How you go about getting that work usually comes down to how desperately they need a teacher at that given moment. You might call in with CV etc. and be given work quickly - or not. Usually they'll hang on to your details until something turns up. Then it's a case of being there and being able to do it. It may not be a job as such - just a few classes. I think that is a difference with Spain and Italy, where schools tend to offer more full-time jobs. Working for yourself with companies is a possibility but you need time to make contacts. Having the language is a definite plus for that.

I'd suggest picking a city and doing a search for language schools and then making contact with them. You could initially email to get names and direct email addresses/ ph no.s of the person in charge of the English programme. Then just deal with that person directly rather than sending off loads of CVs to general office addresses. As you're so close a reconnaissance trip would be worth it. Try and set up some meeting times (if not interviews) but, as I say, their interest will largely depend on their current need, and many (not all) courses will already be underway by now.

Die Gelbe Seiten (the Yellow Pages!) is the easiest way to find schools (some will just be for a specific language but most offer a range of languages). Search under Sprachenunterricht or Sprachschulen with a city. Here�s an example:

http://www.gelbeseiten.de/sprachenunterricht/muenchen

That's the first page - there are several as you'll see at the bottom of the page. Toytown is also a website for expats in Germany with a lot of related info. Germany does things efficiently, if that's what you're looking for, but other things may grate after a while (including that efficiency). Isn't that always the way?
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Public transport is good. While GB follows the American obsession with the motor car, Germany provides sensible alternatives - at least in the cities and big towns.
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