Job Discussion Forums

sukatrash · Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 11:54 pm Post subject: Non-Native English teachers?

Hiya,

I'm in a bit of quandrum. I really want to go to Greece and teach English. However, I'm not a native English speaker - Don't get me wrong, I have what it takes on the knowledge front, it's just that I have an accent (not a strong one, but it is there).
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree, and am working on a Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) - both obtained in New Zealand. I speak 3 languages - English and Polish fluently, and German at an intermediate level.
I need to find what my chances are of getting into a language school in Greece with my accent.

Can anyone help me???

need4travel · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 4 Location: Denver, CO, USA

Now- this is just my opinion, after having worked as a teacher in Greece for 5 months (and 5 more to go...).
If you get the CELTA, I can't see a reason you wouldn't be hired somewhere. Even my proficiency students still have definitive Greek accents, and if you've lived in New Zealand for a while (thereby having native fluency), your B.A. is from an English-speaking university, and you have the CELTA-- that should be qualification enough.
I would, however, recommend that you speak with some employers, and maybe even Anglo-Hellenic (the principle TEFL recruiting agency in Greece) before buying a plane ticket Wink