Job Discussion Forums

[karmich]

I would like to know why isn't there a thread for Holland? Is it that difficult to get in? I am planning on moving to Holland in June and would like to know how I get contacts for positions. I have searched the net, but the schools in Holland don't seem to advertize. If there is anyone out there currently in Holland please let me know how I can go about on securing a position somewhere. I know getting a job there will probably be an arduous process. I am currently in Poland and will it be easy to get a work permit from here?

thanks

[Frizzie Lizzie]

It's a vicious circle to become legal in Holland. Schools will want you to have a work permit, but when you go and apply for one, the authorities will ask to see a residence permit. Which, of course, you can't have unless you show the work permit...
The director of a language school in The Hague suggested that I could contact companies like Philips or HP and get a work permit "through" them, and only then would I be able to get a teaching job.
I tried all of the above, but was offered a good job somewhere else in the meantime, so gave up eventually.
As far as schools are concerned, you can do what I did, send your CV to their e-mail addresses you find on the internet and wait... Most of them replied, in my case, but the answer was invariably the same: "no vacancies at the moment".
Good luck!

[spiral78]

I lived in Maastricht for nearly four years, and worked legally in the Netherlands for three. But I'll tell you - it's not just tough, it's impossible.
At least, if you are not an EU member citizen.

I have an MA in TESL/TEFL (am American) married to an EU citizen. The university wanted me enough to file for an exception to the hiring laws in my case in Den Hague, but were told at the last minute not to bother, no exceptions are granted for English teachers. Finally, my spouse's large international company settled a contract with the government to cover non-EU spouses of its employees, and I was finally able to get a work permit.

The point is that even with legal residency, I still did not have the right to work!!

If you are an EU citizen, obviously it's a different story. There is work to be had, but in terms of private language schools, they are pretty limited and low-paid. If you can get into the public system, there are jobs (requiring serious credentials) but the word is that the students up through high-school level are horrendous - it's a very tough teaching atmosphere.

You should remember that Dutch people have a general working knowledge of English overall from school, and because they watch television in English very often. Your normally-educated Dutch guy on the street can get by on holiday or at work. The only Dutch people I found who really lacked the language were older. There's just not the demand for English in Holland that there is in many other European countries.

I actually appreciated this fact in many ways - I mean, sometimes we worry that English 'taking over the world' will lead to a loss of local cultures. But Dutch people, who are exposed to English on a daily basis from the time they are small, are still distinctly Dutch. It made me feel a bit better about my profession and the future of other countries as the languahttp://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/posting.php?mode=reply&t=34252ge spreads.

[dagi]

Spiral78 has pretty much summed it up.
Currently the state school system does not suffer from teacher shortage anymore, but that is only temprarily. The situation will drastically change in roughly 3-4 years when a lot of teachers get retired. Then they will be in desperate need for new teachers.
If you do hold a degree like a B.A. in Ed. or even a M.A. in Ed. you could try to get it transfered to a Dutch degree and apply at schools.
Unfortunately though, English is one of the most popular subjects to study for teacher's training. If you could teach French or German your chances would be far better.