Job Discussion Forums

[rpunkboy]

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[Kingbee]

Robby,

Don't bother with online TEFLs, they're a waste of time and money. Most language schools look down on TEFLs earned online and some won't accept them as legitimate. If you're thinking of teaching in Germany but want to get a recognized TEFL certificate for as little money as possible, do what I did, go to Prague for a month. The cost of TEFLs there are about equal to the Oxford Seminar you mentioned (I've never heard of a seminar offering TEFLs after only one week!!?? Seems fishy to me) but the cost of living in the Czech Republic is much cheaper than Germany. You can study for your TEFL, drink to your hearts content, and flirt with all the beautiful Czech girls you want for next to nothing:)

Good luck.

[rpunkboy]

The Oxford Seminar is a 60 hour intensive course. And they offer a money back guarntee if you don't get placement within six months. Not sure that I want to travel all the way to Prague without employment prospects in hand. Do you have any spefic schools there in mind?

Cheers,

Robby

[tw]

Beware of Oxford Seminars job placement service for its graduates! You are better off finding a job yourself. I activated my job placement service in May and the so-called coordinator never took the initiative to contact me other than to confirm that she had received my activation and later, the documents needed to process my case. I was told a recruiter had been working on my behalf to find me a job but I never heard from this recruiter, or any others that the coordinator later told me she had given my documents to. When I e-mailed her, she told me that because (1) I was not a university degree holder and (2) because of my Chinese background the recruiter was having a difficult time finding positions for me. She also used this excuse that because I had "insisted" on working in Dalian it made things more difficult. That was of course a lie because I had only said that my preferance was Dalian, but never did I say Dalian ONLY. As for the no-degree and Chinese-face problems, I received plenty of job offers from my own job search and even had to turn down a few contracts before deciding on well-paying job in a northeastern Chinese university.

The Oxford Seminars course is useful for anyone without any teaching experience. To me it was just spending some money to buy a piece of paper in order to increase my marketability.

[JZer]

[Kingbee]

Robby,

JZer is right. If you're looking for a teaching gig in Germany you'll have to be living in or near Germany to interview. Forget the idea of a recruiter and take charge of your own teaching career. Decide where in Germany you'd like to live/teach and target language schools in the area. I wanted to live in/near Hamburg and targeted schools in the area while getting my TEFL in Prague. Once I had the certificate I called every DOS in/near Hamburg I could find to schedule interviews.

Try sites like this one and also tefl.com, melta.de, etc. to find job postings. One piece of advice, don't work for large McDonalds-style language schools like Berlitz, Wall Street and Inlingua. They prey on new teachers and tend to pay very little.

As for Prague, try the Czech Republic forum or expats.cz for information about TEFL schools. I got my certificate at Next Level Language Institute in Prague. Good school, great trainers, resonable price. There are loads of TEFL schools in Prague so research before you make a decision.

[rpunkboy]

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I'll have to save a bundle before I pack up for Prague. Just curious. Was it hard finding a job in Hamburg? How long did it take you to get one?

Cheers,

Robby

[spiral78]

Punkboy, are you aware that Germany has tightened its EU hiring laws? If you are American (your O.P. says that you're living in Seattle), you will find it now difficult to impossible to get legal work in Germany regardless of your qualifications.

[rpunkboy]

I am aware of this. I found the folllowing information in regards to Germany's new employment law for non-EU workers:

Before taking on non-EU workers, German employers must search for workers at the Central Placement Agency and, after making tentative job offers, obtain certification from their local employment offices that EU workers are not available. This certification enables the foreigner to get a visa to enter Germany, and the visa plus the employment contract generates a residence permit.

The new law doesn't state that German employers can't hire a non-EU worker, only that EU-workers must be given preference, which means that
I 'll have to apply to dozens upon dozens of language schools in order to increase my chances of finding employment.

[JZer]

[Kingbee]

Robby,

It's not impossible to find work in Germany. It's difficult is to find work that pays a decent salary though.

I've been hearing the same voice of doom for two years regarding non-EU citizens. Yes, the German employer must give EU workers first preference and post the job with the local placement agency but so what? Have you ever considered that German employers may be looking for native English speakers from the U.S.?

Some clients ask specifically for American English because their employees deal with American companies. An English speaking EU citizen wouldn't qualify for such a job because he doesn't have the accent. It works both ways, many companies want only British English for the same reason.

And no, an American doesn't need a visa to enter Germany. You can enter and stay in Germany for 90 days with no more than just your passport. Once in Germany you first have to arrange a residence permit and apply for an income tax card ('Lohnsteuerkarte') if you are going to be employed by a company on a contract. If you're planning to work freelance, you need a tax number which you can get from your local tax office ('Finanzamt').

As a non-EU citizen you must then apply for a work permit ('Arbeitserlaubnis') at the labor office ('Arbeitsamt') in the area where your prospective employer is based. Check out www.expatica.com and educate yourself.

As for Hamburg, I found a job within two weeks of getting my TEFL in Prague.

-BK

[catisfly]

do you actually have to have a TEFL certificate to teach english in germany?? i was under the impression that a degree (not specifically in teaching) would be enough.

[spiral78]

A basic TEFL cert gives you some background in how languages are taught/learned. Yes, it's pretty standard equipment on a CV here. As previously noted, there are tons of TEFL training centres in the greater central European region. They turn out literally hundreds of certified newbies every month...if you expect to compete on the actual job market in the region, you do need to be certified.

[Deicide]

[freudling1000]

Nothing wrong with a TEFL cert online. I did a TEFL cert and grammar cert online and it was very challenging and rewarding. There was hundreds of pages of course materials with supplementary articles and assisgnments. It cost very little and was worth it.

I do, however, have experience and a BA, so that helps me I know. People shouldn't knock online TEFL certs. I am not saying they are better than, say, an Oxford seminar, but they can be good: distance learning. You can get a Masters or PHD by distance now (online) from very reputable Universities.

Online learning shows you are motivated to do the work and digest the material on your own. In the one I took, there were brutal multiple choice exams on grammar, where the total of these tests came to over 400 questions. The final was 100 multiple choice questions and was not easy. I got 93% but I had to work hard.

For a newbie, if you have the opportunity and money to do a seminar or something, this is better because you get observed. Something schools really like to hear when hiring you.