Job Discussion Forums

[Baggio]

Hi folks,

I'm looking to assess my options for teaching in Italy.

I'll give a few details about myself first:

- 28 y/o male, two years previous experience teaching in Korea and China (which I know doesn't count for anything in Italy but regardless) with my girlfriend

- Currently nearing the finish line of an MA in TESOL with the University of Ulster, with 6+ hours of observed teaching practice in Hungarian public schools

- Will be finished MA in September, so want to do as much research as possible on my options for teaching in Italy

- Irish passport so no issue of visas etc

- I'm fully aware you go to Italy as a lifestyle choice rather than to make money, which is perfectly fine. My Italian is sketchy, can read more than I can write or speak however will be making efforts to learn the language

- Rome is out, no real preference for which Italian city, but as a Juventus fan the ideal scenario would be to be as close to Turin as possible! Ha!

- My understanding is that there are more jobs in the south of the country than in the north?

- Know I have to be in the country, have feet on the ground etc.


Any comments/advice will be greatly appreciated!

[spiral78]

[/quote]- Currently nearing towards the finish line of an MA in TESOL with the University of Ulster, with 6+ hours of observed teaching practice in Hungarian public schools

- Will be finished MA in September, so want to do as much research as possible on my options for teaching in Italy

- Irish passport so no issue of visa's etc

- I'm fully aware you go to Italy as a lifestyle choice rather than to make money, which is perfectly fine. My Italian is sketchy, can read more than I can write or speak however will be making efforts to learn the language

- Rome is out, no real preference for which Italian city, but as a Juventus fan the ideal scenario would be to be as close to Turin as possible! Ha!

- My understanding is that their is more jobs in the south of the country than in the north?

[spiral78]

Weird - my comments appear in the quote box above and I can't seem to reverse this! Anyway, I'll take credit and blame for the text in the quote box above.

spiral

[Baggio]

Hi spiral,

I appreciate the feedback, I'm currently a bit sick so my brain isn't really working at full capacity. Haha. But I see your point.

[spiral78]

Yes, I assumed you were at less than your peak. Hope you'll feel better soon! The good news is that you're likely to find something reasonable in Italy in September:-)

[Baggio]

Thanks!

Spiral would you recommend going to Italy in late August/early September? I'm imagining you'd need to have a city in mind before then?

[spiral78]

The earlier the better, but in my experience Italians won't be much around or doing business in August. Teacher in Rome should appear pretty soon; her knowledge is more on the ground than mine - I am speaking from a different part of Europe, but have worked with Italian partners for almost 15 years now so I have a couple of vicarious clues at least.

[Teacher in Rome]

You know, I rarely check in here these days, but something compelled me to look in this evening. And here you are Spiral!!

Baggio - Spiral is spot on. September is the peak hiring period, so it definitely makes sense (money permitting) to get here late Aug / early Sept to suss out the schools, make contact, leave your CV, etc.

Why is Rome out? Oh well, never mind, there are plenty of jobs in Milan, and with your quals, you should at least appear higher than entry level. Do you have any business English experience - either teaching or gained through work? That would probably be worth talking up in your CV. There are a lot of outfits hiring people with those sorts of skills. Milan is also relatively close to Turin, so easy enough to get to the matches.

Don't worry too much about sketchy Italian - it will come soon enough!

Keep an eye out for jobs on tefl.com as there are lots of postings for N Italy. Remember that you might have to do a few hours here and a few hours there at the outset, but things should improve in time. You could also do worse than put ads in listings sites as schools sometimes also look there for teachers.

Good luck!

[Baggio]

Hi Spiral, TIR,

Thanks for the advice. I don't know why I'm specifically cancelling out Rome, I've been to Rome a couple of times and never been enchanted with the city like with Florence say. But I also imagined living in the capital would be a lot more expensive?

Also wouldn't really be fussed on Milan, been there enough times and never taken to the city, but I imagine at such a low level I can't really be picky when it comes to jobs can I?

Also, I can't drive, would this be a disadvantage for a lot of jobs or just the ones in smaller cities?

What city/cities are the most realistic options TIR?

[Teacher in Rome]

Rome is relatively expensive to live in (and chaotic to boot) but not as expensive as Milan. Other expensive cities are places like Venice / Florence.

Having a car dramatically puts up your cost of living. Petrol, insurance (wildly expensive) and even the cost of transferring ownership make it viable only if it's a necessity. You don't need a car in the big cities, and would probably only need one if you worked for a language school which wanted to send you out to smaller places or satellite towns. (Or if you live in a rural area, like me.) But generally, language schools would provide a car for teachers to use if they're sending you out to the sticks. You'd just have to say you couldn't drive, and this would probably be a deal-breaker for those jobs which specifically ask you to have a drivers licence!

There are tons of language schools in the prosperous north. Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, etc. Medium size towns are likely to have at least one language school and you'd probably be busy enough (at least in school term months) not to have to travel for other work. Milan (and outlying towns) and Venice in particular have a lot of work. I'm not a great fan of Northern Italy, but there's probably a little less work in the centre and south. Having said that, I'm generally in the position of turning down work where I am (central Italy) and demand for English teaching (especially helping teens with homework / exam preparation / YL) is increasing. But it's not brilliantly paid...

I love the south, but it's not for everyone. I think you could safely say that it would be a lifestyle choice, but there are also largeish towns and cities with language schools. Expect lower pay, but cheaper rents and cost of living. If you decide on the south, go for a location near the sea! September is usually a fabulous month weather-wise and being close to a beach will keep you sane and help you remember why you moved to Italy in the first place. (Trust me on this - the south - and Italy - can drive you up the wall, but Italian beaches are great places to hang out!)

[Baggio]

Hi TIR,

Thanks again for the response.

You've put my mind at ease at least on the car issue.

I quite fancy living in the Emilia Rom region of Italy, never been to that area but heard great things about Bologna, Parma, Modena etc. To the best of your knowledge would there be many jobs in those cities?

I'm assuming teaching life would be split shifts, like in Spain? Some jobs that I seen advertised the hours were standard 9-5.

For first year in Italy what would be the most optimistic of monthly salaries for my partner and I? (an English teacher too) 1200 euro? 1300 euro?

[mingdynasty]

Why are you looking at low salaries like that if you have an MA TESOL?

[Teacher in Rome]

[Baggio]

How much € would I need realistically before going over to Italy in search of jobs? The MA has left me absolutely broke and I doubt I will have a vast amount of money behind me unless I get a big win at the bookies! Haha!

[spiral78]

If you are fortunate enough to land a job with a school starting in September, you will most likely be paid something in early October. Pay is most often doled out at the end of the month worked/beginning of the following month.

You can get private students to pay up front, but it takes some time to get private students in most cases:-)

You should also count on paying a fairly hefty deposit for accommodation up front (though of course you might get lucky and find something without serious up-front fees, but don't count on it).

2500-3000 is pretty safe, IMO, and you might be ok with less....TIR?