Job Discussion Forums

[BloodyIrish]

Im currently teaching in the south of hungary huddling up against the winter and waiting for the spring. i think after enduring this cold i deserve to get a hot summer teaching in my favourite city, but something tells me that alone will not be enough to get me a job.

what are the prospects, in peoples experience, of getting a job for the summer in budapest? i will have a years experience of teaching TEFL, which is also a year spent in hungary, i speak moderate to terrible hungarian, depending on what i am saying, i have an MA not in TEFL, and no very significant TEFL qualifications.

whats the situation regarding apartments? i know state schools provide accommodation, but do private schools? would there be enough business in private lessons during the summer to pay for a small apartment in central budapest? (im not fussy about the area, or even necessarily that it be totally central, though that would be nice, nor that the apartment be all that great)

ANY advice from those lucky enough to be living up there would be appreciated.

[eo-nomine]

Hi,

Rents in Budapest vary greatly... I had a friend who lived in V�r�smarty utca (i.e. right next to Andr�ssy ut!) and paid around HUF70,000/EUR290 a month. The appartment was very cosy, with a nice living room and a huge mezanine. Another friend shared a place with students near Batthy�ni t�r and paid the ridiculous sum of HUF10,000/EUR40 a month for his rent. Granted, he was sharing with four other people, but the appartment was a gorgeous place of about 150 square meters. I paid around HUF35,000/EUR140 a month myself.

The price really depends on wether you're ready to share a place and the location. Buda in general is more expensive than Pest, except for certain areas like Andr�ssy/V�rosligeti fasor, De�k Ferenc t�r... Belv�ros on the whole is pretty expensive, compared to other places in Pest. I'd definitely recommend looking in Joszefv�ros and the area between R�koczi-Klauz�l t�r-Ersz�bet k�rut - lively areas, with the universities close by (Astoria et al - which could mean doing privates, although in summer it might be somewhat difficult), lots of bars, parties and such.

As far as privates are concerned, when I was in Budapest I could've lived off privates only - not especially well, granted - I think I could've made up to around HUF120,000 a month if I was really motivated, but I always hit just under the HUF100,000 mark, which is still around EUR400 (but then I had another regular job which paid another HUF90,000 a month, so I was fine). I've met a couple of other TEFLers who earned around HUF150,000 a month doing privates only, so yeah, it is possible (but I think those guys charged more per hour... as a rule of thumb, an hour was HUF2500, but some guys charged HUF3000 or more for an hour. Greedy fellers!)

The big problem here is that you are coming in summer - no exams are taken in summer, so less people are in URGENT need of English practice... which means less demand. I don't know how moderate or how terrible your Hungarian is, but you could always try to look for regular jobs. Do you speak any languages besides English? You could also try being a tour guide in Boodohpesht... or working at the Irish Cat... I kid, I kid.

By the way, where are you in Magyarosz�g?

[BloodyIrish]

tahts incredibly helpful, thanks. i dont want to live in buda anyway, i spend nearly all my time in budapest in pest, especially around astoria.

i assume the privates are gotten by advertising in university buildings, bars etc? or is it in newspapers?? im actually not above working in the irish crap pub, but i know that in becketts they require you to have english AND hungarian. dont really speak any other european languages...im nearly fluent in irish but that doesnt make for much on the jobs market in budapest. tour guide would be cool, but again, would require other languages. my hungarian is slowly getting better, im taking lessons at the moment, but its so hard maybe id be better just saving that money towards living in budapest for the summer.

i live in kaposv�r at the moment, which along with the winter is enough to deserve a few months in the big smoke (though i spend less and less time here as time goes by)

[eo-nomine]

Re privates: I was very lucky, as some students I'd met offered to put ads all around the place for me. But you really just need to walk in the uni buildings (if you hang out around Astoria, I imagine you know where they are!) and put them up on the boards! I had the ads put up on every board, just to maximise my chances of getting students. You can probably put some in bars and magazines too, I guess that would help (I didn't do it, though) - and maybe on some Hungarian websites? Perhaps you could find someone who's willing to guide you around those obscure all-magyar websites where you post ads... ?

Oh yeah, something I forgot to mention: do you know about the magazine Pestiesti? (Not to be confused with the Pestiest bar! ; ) ) There's lots of ads for flats to rent in there, and maybe ads for other things too - e.g. English lessons. I'm not 100% sure about the latter, but I guess you might want to have a look in it.

Re Irish bars & tour guide: you might be right, but I'd ask still... you never know! I did get hired for a regular job in Budapest, although I speak almost no Magyar!

Kaposv�r... I don't know much about this place. What is it like?

[BloodyIrish]

use pesti esti all the time for events and stuff, must check it out. (speaking of the bar, ive passed it a lot of times, but i never go in there, is it any good?)

ill ask in the irish bars, being irish is bound to help, makes the bars more authentic...i know a guy workin in spain who told me that.

dont go to kaposv�r. people are friendly but a more dead town is hard to imagine. my job is the best in the world and so is my rent free flat, but that aside, the town really isnt worth it. dont even visit.

[eo-nomine]

[BloodyIrish]

yeah ive passed it before, but at the weekend i stuck my head in the door, seemed like yuppie central and they wanted some outlandish amount of money for a beer...600 forints or so. that whole street is exactly the same as raday, steer clear unless youre an english stag party kind of thing. theres cool places near it though, but not on that street.