Job Discussion Forums

[emilyann]

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted before. I hope some of you will take the time to read my story and perhaps comment on my chances of teaching in Germany.

Well, I have a bit of a strange situation. I live in northern Holland, about 30 minutes from the German border. My boyfriend is German and working for the uni here. I have been here 2 years now and am still unemployed. I went to law school in the US and then did a master's in law here in Holland. For many reasons too numerous to go into here, working as a lawyer in Holland is probably not going to pan out. So I'm considering a career change.

I'm thinking about teaching English in Oldenburg, or Bremen. I figure I could commute 2-3 times a week frome here. I wouldn't have to pay rent in Germany, but I know the train is expensive. I do not expect to become rich this way, and I have the financial safety net of sharing a household with a financially stable person. My main goals are to get out of the house(I've seen all the BBC decorating shows at least twice now), do something with my life and start getting some work experience.

I know the job market is down in Germany - my partner reads sections from Der Spieghel to me every week. I do not have a teaching certificate but I could take the CELTA in Hamburg. I have experience tutoring college and law school students in writing. I lived in Germany for one year at age 16 and learned to speak the language fairly well, although I have forgotten much despite the biannual practice sessions with my partner's mama and papa.

Is the market already completely flooded in Germany, or is there perhaps room for someone like me? I've read the horror stories about tax and pension, but I'm not so bothered because they take just as much if not more here in Holland (long live social democracy!).

My other option is to go back to uni here in Holland to get my English teaching degree. I've been provisionally accepted, provided I pass the Dutch language exam, and such a program would take about 3 years, after which I could teach in the public schools here (I would have a B.Ed. then). But I would really rather work a bit first, to see if I really like that. I didn't do that with law, and that turned out to be a very big expensive mistake.

Does anyone have any comments about my chances or lack thereof, of finding employment in Germany? Does anyone else have the experience of being non-EU, living in one EU country and wanting to work in another? Oh, and for the record, marrying my German partner is not an option (that would be nice since it would get me German citizenship, but he's stubborn about the subject). And my boyfriend has a good job here, so moving is not an option either. Another FYI - there don't seem to be any private English schools in Holland like there are in, say, Germany, France and Spain.

Thanks for looking at my post,
Emily

[longtimeteach]

I've sent some comments via private message.

[daily chai]

There are some private schools in A'dam, but you'd be spending a mint on the commute even with a kortings card from NH. I suspect with your education teaching at a language school might not make you happy.

I should probably send my comments by PM too.

[daily chai]

Wait, another idea: what about looking up English Taught programs in Germany? You could teach law (or American, EU-NA) law... as well as teaching English. Then you've diversified; and you have a qual that other EU candidates might not hold. Run a search and see what you find.

HTH!

[dagi]

I live in Holland and did my B.A. in Ed. here (but for German). If you are a native speaker getting this degree will be a piece of cake, I could not believe how low the level was! It's a bit time consuming but certainly not difficult. Then as you have mentioned yourself already, try to do some short traineeship or "stage" at a Dutch school. The teacher shortage is not really a problem now, but it will be a real issue in 2-3 years when thousands of teachers will retire, so the job prospects are very good.
Just call a school in your neigbourhood and ask if you can come and look what it's like, I am sure you will find a school who wants to have a native-speaker as a trainee.
Make sure you like it before you start studying. I was sure I'd love it, but it turned out to be a hell of a job. When the class goes well it's actually very nice, but uuhhhh, don't get me started about the Dutch kids

[perdita]

My humble opinion is that commuting all the way to Bremen during the coming dark winter months is going to be more hassle than it potentially is worth. Teaching business English to bored tech workers for 12 euro per hour isn't as great as it might sound. You might be dying to curl up in a chair and watch some of those BBC decorating shows sooner than you think. Consider freelance work...translating documents or finding private students...and save yourself the commute.

[Sadie25]

[perdita]

It sure sounded great back when I did Schwarzarbeit shoveling schnitzel and cleaning houses!!!

[Sadie25]

Does anyone know how much these language schools charge companies for each 45 minute session? I'd love to know.