Job Discussion Forums

[jdenn]

I apologize as I know this forum is geared toward more general questions, but as there's no Hungary forum, I thought I'd try my luck. Plus, I've already posted in the General Europe and Czech forums.

Anyway, I'm a recent university graduate, and my girlfriend and I were planning to pack up and head to Budapest in November to get our certificates and hopefully jobs.
I was wondering if anyone had any practical advice. How easy is it for two Americans to find work in Budapest or Hungary in general? Is that an OK time of the year to go?

Since I'm so new to this process, I'm really kind of wondering what else I should be doing to prepare and what else I should know going into this. I'm guessing it's not as easy as signing up, packing up, and showing up, but I'm really stuck as to what other actions I can take at this point.

Secondly, we were looking at going through the Via Lingua program. I'm not sure how much the actual program matters, as I've read that they're external monitored and held to the same standards across the board. That said, does anyone have any positive or negative things to say about going through Via Lingua, or would my money better spent at the International House school?

Any advice, links, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[Chasgul]

Please answer the following questions:

Do you have work permits?
Do you have the right to reside in Hungary?
Do you speak Hungarian - if not then who will deal with the bureaucracy for you when you are there?
How long is the course you are planning to do and will you require a student visa to be allowed to stay after your tourist-stay period expires?
Which qualification are you intending to try for?

If you answer those questions then the people on the board will be better able to supply you with advice appropriate to your situation.

Thanks in advance

[jdenn]

My understanding of the program through Via Lingua is that they provide you with (some) placement for work, which includes helping to navigate the bureaucracy.
The course is only a month, and I can legally be in the country for three months.
I only intend to teach English at a school and through private lessons. I have a university degree, as does my partner.

I do not have a work permit, and that kind of was the general point of my question. Is it possible to be hired and get the paperwork, or do I try to get that documents before I go? I suppose the answer is obvious, but I am wondering if it's possible to get it before I go

[denise]

If you already had your TEFL certificate, you might find some schools who would hire you from abroad and get started on the paperwork for you. Since you'll be doing your course in Budapest, though, you will probably have to wait and get a job first, and then navigate the bureaucracy.

Make sure that you have, or have easy access to, the likely documents that they'll need: a copy (or originals) of your degree, birth certificate, etc. You should get them notarized and translated--the translation might be easier to do in Budapest. And there will be loose ends at home to tie up, also: do you have student loans or credit card bills? One easy way to deal with them is to pay them online. It's very easy to set up, but it's probably something that you have to do before you leave.

Good luck!

Oh, and just in case anyone is wondering: I freely admit that I do not know with any certainty what documents may be required. If you have more current or accurate information, please post it. (Nicely!)

d

[Henry_Cowell]

jdenn,

What is your citizenship and what passport(s) do you hold?

[jdenn]

oh man i swore i wrote that in. it's really the obviously needed information. i forgot to fill that in.

anyway, we're both american with american passports only.

[Chris_Crossley]

[jdenn]

neither of us are able to hold an EU passport. I realize if I were asking about Italy or France, then the answer would be obvious.

I guess I figure even though Hungary is now a part of the EU, there may still be some possibilities for non-EUs to teach there. I mean, if I were a Brit, I'd probably be looking to a place like Rome or Berlin over Budapest. So I was wondering if it is still possible for an American to find a job in Hungary without the EU passport?


Secondly, any advice on timing would help. I am becoming more nervous by the day that it is a really stupid thing to go in November. Would there be new jobs starting after the holidays (Feb or so)? I hate the idea of waiting another year until the fall semester as much as I hate the idea of being unemployed and wasting my time and money.


Thanks

[denise]

Don�t worry about timing. There are always vacancies. Yes, there are "better" times to go, but private language schools often have business classes that don�t follow an academic calendar (i.e., whenever they get a new client, there�s a new class starting), and there�s a pretty high turnover rate in this field. I got my first job in the Czech Republic in October, a month after the start of the academic year. There were other teachers hired almost monthly.

d

[matty101]

hello fellow newbie.meant to reply sooner but wasn't registered. I read with intrest your posting as I have already decided to attend the via lingua course in Budapest this coming november.I've spent the last few months looking at various courses and as far as I can tell there is either the CELTA ,which is mostly ,it seems ,done thru International House or a TEFL course. While many posting swear that the only cert. worthwhile is the CELTA I can't really see much of a difference.I think as long as you choose a TEFL course that is the 120 hours and at least 6-8 hours teacher pratice you should be okay.At least that is my humble opinion.
As far as via lingua is concerened I will tell you that they are externally moderated by the University of Birmingham in England.This means that they do not validate the course only moderate it.Apparently they moderate all the VL centers and in the email I recieved from the university they had nothing negative to say.That , in addition to the fact that I should like to start off my teaching career in that region and that I know someone who lives in Hungary all helped to my decision easier.
I have been in touch with the course director,Erika ,and have found her to be very helpful with any questions I have had.A concern of mine was the chance of finding a position at that time of year.I was told that shouldn't be a problem . As Denise metioned private schools operate all year and are not locked into a set schedule so I don't thnk that should be much of a problem.Especially if your okay with maybe working in Poland. The only stumbling block I can see is that to work legally you must apply for work visas in your country of orgin.I hope I am misunderstanding that fact as it seems you would have to go back to the states after getting a job offer then fly back again to where it is you'll be working. Maybe someone more familiar with this could enlighten us all.I would certainly appericate it.
I'm sure there are things I've forgotten or just breezed over.If so feel free to ask me and if I can help in anyway I should be glad to.By the way where in the states are you? I myself reside in that hurricane magnet commonly called Florida!! Best of luck and perhaps I'll see you in Buda.Cheers.

[NRM]

It would be interesting to hear what those who took the ViaLingua course have to say after finishing ...

I taught the course in one of the centres this year and had a THOROUGHLY good time. It was tough, but great.

After the course I am convinced that the good trainees were of the same quality of good CELTA trainees.

There is true that the CELTA is by far the most widely known course and that the certificate if UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE. In order to compete there are things the ViaLingua course must do better - and I am convinced it has succeeded in doing so!

Most schools accept CELTA (or equivalent) - The Via Lingua course IS equivalent - but some employers may need a little help understanding this.

Crunch as an employer:

- Choice between a STRONG PASS CELTA [almost grade B] graduate or a VIA LINGUA "Very Competent" [grade B] ... personally - the VIA LINGUA graduate. But that's because I know the courses!

- Choice between [/list]graduate CELTA "B" or VIA LINGUA "B" ... easy ... who's better looking?

[teacheringreece]

I think the whole thing about the CELTA and Trinity being "equivalent" and "recognised" comes down to the British Council. They're the organisation that recognises them as an initial qualification, and if you want to work for the Council or a British Council accredited school in the UK you have to have one of these two and a degree. Now I don't know much about the Via Lingua course but see no reason why it shouldn't be considered "equivalent" but any organisation that's not affected by British Council regulations. But people have to be aware that many organisations do follow the Council's lead on this matter.

[CPS1116]

I took the course at Via Lingua Crete and can highly recommend it. The issue with CELTA v. other lesser known courses comes down mostly to the schools that are employing the teachers- and, in my experience, they ask for CELTA or 'equivalent' simply because they now recognise that CELTA isn't the only certifying agency anymore. In my opinion, CELTA is like the KLEENEX of the TEFL world- it was the dominant force for so long that the brand name became synonymous with the result! Now, however, there are many other programs, some that have stricter standards and actually lead to higher qualifications- such as with the Via Lingua course. The courses require trainees to do more teaching practices (10 hours) and have more hours of input sessions (120 hours)- which lead to more experienced, well-rounded teachers. Also, CELTA is so famous because it's linked with Cambridge University. I believe a university affiliation is important for training courses- Via Lingua fits this requirement by its affiliation with the University of Birmingham, another top UK university in the TEFL world. Courses such as TEFL International and INTESOL don't have any university affiliations- in my opinion, this ranks them lower in the quality of the certificate gained.

I wouldn't hire a teacher strictly on where they got their certification, CELTA or otherwise, but a company such as Via Lingua ranks very high in my book- not only because it was the original place that I got certified, but because they produce consistently high quality teachers.