Job Discussion Forums

[thom]

Hey.

I�ve just completed my CELTA and am in the process of begining to job hunt for the next academic year. I have a good idea of the sort of location I want to go to and I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for me.

So, here goes:

* In Europe, preferably southern Europe so I don�t have to put up with darkness at 4pm and the cold winter

* A place that feels like a lively town and not a big city, somewhere with things going on but that I can feel I�m getting to know

* Somewhere with some history and culture

* Near (a few hours) the mountains, preferably with a ski resort

* Preferably on the coast

* Affordable to live in

I know it�s a lot to ask, but why not?

Barcelona is the most obvious place although starting out there may be tricky - supply exceeds demand considerably - and, at least at first, affordability may be an issue. In fact, several places in Spain would be good; Sevilla is another that springs to mind. Also, I speak intermediate Spanish and would very much like to get fluent.

Dubrovnic is another idea - does anybody have any comments or pointers on looking for work there?

And I�m sure there are various places in Italy that would be suitable although I really don�t know enough about the country. Any suggestions?

All thoughts welcome and appreciated. For the record I�m British, I have a B pass, six months experience prior to CELTA and a professional background in instructional design (so my teaching theory is good for such little experience).

[rogan]

You're right about Spain - In the last 4 months 4 large franchise schools have gone out of business, leaving thousands of debt ridden students and hundreds of unemployed teachers - some of them with no legal recourse because they were working illegally.

France, lots of travelling, few hours and you often need to have a car. Grenoble and Lyon occasionally advertise but the lang schools are a bit iffy.

N. Italy would suit you

So would many of the Eastern European countries which are candidates for Jan 1st 2004 (Don't forget that EU membership is GOOD for you)

Best advice - keep looking in those publications which are mostly aimed at UK/Irish teachers. eslcafe is mostly axed towards teachers from the US (my opinion, that's all)

Also try to access the unemployment authorities i/net sites for individual countries. such as www.jobshop.co.uk (or whatever it calls itself this week!)

A final tip - life is a lot easier when you have at least a basic idea of the language of the country you are going to. So if you have basic Polish - go to Poland.

[scot47]

Turkey !

[Mike_2003]

I second Scot's suggestion:

* In Europe, preferably southern Europe so I don�t have to put up with darkness at 4pm and the cold winter

- Istanbul has good weather. It's 8am on an April's morning and I'm sitting at my PC preparing lessons in shorts with the window wide open looking at a crisp blue sky. Not TOO hot in summer and not TOO cold in winter.

* A place that feels like a lively town and not a big city, somewhere with things going on but that I can feel I�m getting to know

- OK, so Istanbul certainly is a big city, but it also has more of a town-like feel to it. You can get to know your own district well and the people in it and once they get to know you, you'll feel at home. Plenty of things to do locally: nightlife, restaurants, interesting sites, sports, cheap day-trips...

* Somewhere with some history and culture

- Need I add anything?

* Near (a few hours) the mountains, preferably with a ski resort

- Not a skier myself but I hear Uludag, near Bursa, is quite good for skiing and possibly cheaper than many European resorts.

* Preferably on the coast

- Take your pick: Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, Aegean...

* Affordable to live in

- You won't be saving too much, but you'll make enough for a comfortable life. It's not as cheap as a few years ago.

Turkey has its fair share of problems for teachers, mostly concerning the crooked dealings of many of the schools, but with a little patience and an understanding of how things work it can be a charming place to live in. On the whole Turks are nice people and students are generally keen to learn if you stay clear of the spoilt rich kids. Turkish isn't such a difficult language to pick up and they are plenty of good (and cheap) holiday opportunities in and around the country.

You require a degree for the work permit but many school will take you on without the legal documents if you don't mind the risk and the nuisanse.

Best of luck.

[Iulbahar]

Thessaloniki, Greece would satisfy most of your requirements. (Near seaside resorts, about one hour from ski centre, historical buildings, good night life) There are plenty of jobs, but to get a teaching permit you need a degree or equivalent. Probably you could find a school willing to employ you without, I'm not sure.