Job Discussion Forums

[Odium]

First of all, I apologize if this should be in the Newbie Forum.

Hey all, been reading the available posts, and haven't found too much information about Eastern (abet Czech Republic and Poland).

I'm currently a 21 year old. I just finished travelling on the cheap throughout Australia and South-East Asia for a full year, and I want to make Eastern Europe and Russia my next destination, again for a full year of travelling. I'm pretty experienced at getting around, and am used to living out of a pack and dealing with the everyday situations of travelling.

These places I wish to travel to (Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Lativa etc) are expensive in comparison to countries in South-East Asia. I was hoping to travel and teach English at the same time (perhaps on many, various working-holiday VISAs) in these countries to supplement my income. I'm not looking to make millions here, I just want a few bucks to live and grab a few beers y'know?

I currently have nothing but a high-school education, a resume full of many jobs not related to teaching, and a talent for BS.

I was considering an online TEFL because I work 9 hours a day doing construction, so driving and studying in a classroom is out of the question. Is that wise? I've been reading a lot of posts about online TEFL/CELTAs and I seem to be getting a negative feedback on them. Anyone have any further information about them? Or has taken one and has encountered any problems?

I wanted to make Ukraine my destination for teaching, as I have a knowledge of the Russian language (widely spoken in Ukraine) as well as family in Ukraine that can put me up for a bit. My father's side is Ukrainian and I've always wanted to travel to my roots.

Now, I know what all you old hacks are thinking (Ahhh Jesus, another stupid, moronic young kid trying to print off a fake TEFL and Degree and make the teaching profession a joke), but I'm not trying to do anything like that in the least. I would take the profession and my job very seriously, as I would want to be helping the country of my ancestry. Any job I've had I've taken seriously, and I was thinking that teaching English was the only way to make a half decent living in these countries. Believe me, if I could make the same money roofing in Ukraine as teaching English, I would!!

Does anyone have information to help? Am I completely over my head? Should I just forget teaching altogether and just make a few extra bucks at home? Am I going about this right? Please be frank, honest and through. I'm so new to this I'm as green as grass.

Thanks.

[spiral78]

Ok, I for one am definitely not going to slam you. I found your post relatively well-written, objective, and open-minded.

For what it's worth, I personally think you may have two problems with your plan - and they may not be insurmountable.

But first, it's not that easy to find short term work. Most normal contracts are for the full 10 months Sept or Oct thru end June. You might find someone to hire you for a half contract, but it's not common to find work for a month or two at alanguage school, and you won't be able to make the contacts you'd need to land private students in many places in such a short time.
Second, many employers these days do look for some kind of supervised teaching practice as a part of the certification course you take. That's the main drawback to online courses.

One course of action might be to work a bit longer, save up some more money, take an on-site course somewhere in Poland or the Czech Rep or another country you're interested in, and then start your travels from there with the contacts you'd make while on the course.

It might be more feasible to search for contracts that are at least six months, but in locations where you can travel on the weekends and holidays to the places that interest you. Travel within Central Europe is relatively inexpensive, and things are not so far away, so you could see a lot if you were based in a strategic location.
Good luck!