Job Discussion Forums

[shannonia]

Hey all,
I am hearing from a number of places that if you want to teach in Europe (my preferred destination is Eastern Europe) it's basically pointless to apply if you are not actually in the country. Being an Australian, I am kind of far away!! So can someone tell me what the deal is?

[Gordon]

I can't see why it would hurt to just apply at any job postings you see. The reason they may not hire you is because the salary might be so low (E. Eur) that they can't count on you actually showing up for the job. You might go somewhere more lucrative. You will also have to consider whether or not you qualify if you do not have an EU passport. That would be a bigger concern, IMO.

[tedkarma]

Gordon makes some good points. The visa issue perhaps being the most important.

Often schools have hired people from overseas before and have been burned when they never showed up. I am a bit familiar with this as in 93-94 I worked with a recuiter and as many as two out of three people who PROMISED they were on their way - never showed up. A school needs to do that only once or twice and they are much more likely to hire the devil they know that is standing right there in front of them.

Another issue is that they may have been burned in the past by hiring people they have never met personally. Poorly-groomed shabbily-dressed people smelling of booze tend to turn students off (I KNOW it's not fair! ).

If you have not worked overseas before and really want to be set up BEFORE you go - try somewhere like Korea. Though setting up before you arrive has some problems too, at least you are set. You can get a year of experience under your belt and a little money in your pocket - and then take a vacation where you want to work and sniff out the work scene. This is typically how I have changed countries (with the exeption of Saudi).