Job Discussion Forums

[Rebekah Roberts]

Hi there,
I have my MA in TESOL with a couple of years of community college teaching under my belt. I have not yet taught abroad but I have plenty of experience with international students from all over the world.

I would like to find a position in a college or university pretty much anywhere in Europe. Does anyone have experience in a uni. setting or could anyone give me some ideas about particular schools?
Thanks!

[spiral78]

Rebekah, where are you from? If you are North American without any EU country member citizenship, you will have a much harder time.

I am in a similar situation as you (MA TESL/TEFL, nearly 10 years of experience), except that I've taught in European universities. I'm from the States, but my spouse is an EU member citizen, so I have been able to work legally. I do have specific experience with university systems in Europe.

Here's the basic scoop: without the EU citizenship, you are largely out of the running for the 'older' EU member countries - though each country has it's own laws regarding this. The thing is that it's essentially impossible to find legal work in Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Greece.....and those are the countries that pay enough to make it worth your while.

North Americans can work legally in most of the 'new' EU member countries (Czech Rep, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, etc) BUT teaching jobs, whether in private language schools or state sponsored universities, do not pay enough to do more than get by in that country.

You might check the current thread on the 'France' forum. There is some intimation that uni positions might be open to North Americans in some cases - but I'm not convinced that this is the case in reality - and it's 100% that such positions would be extremely rare.

Further, a good command of the local language and local contacts are usually needed to land anything more professional than newbie level positions throughout Europe. Qualifications and experience are important, but they're only half the story.

Sorry to be discouraging - the main point here is that you can likely find something, but it will not be easy, and it's very unlikely that you can do it from the States, or without a significant commitment (2 years or more) to a location before you find a suitable niche. Your best approach is most likely to resign yourself to doing newbie work in some place that you like, while you build your local language skills and contacts. Hopefully somewhere you can work legally. Illegal work is one thing for a gap year, but it's not for professionals in our field.

[Noelle]

Hi Rebekah

I am not quite as experienced as you are but I also work with international students and will be awarded my MA in TESOL this year. I've come across many teachers in my grad course who have worked in Europe mostly illegally and they have had some pretty bad experiences. Without that EU passport, there really isn't much out there for American teachers regardless of how professional or experienced.

I think networking and building contacts will be key strategies if you really are set on finding a good job in a European country. I agree that taking those "newbie" jobs where no experience or real qualifications are needed would be a waste of your time as a professional.

Another possibility for you might be an American International School. You would be working with K - 12 kids rather than college students or adults but those types of positions come with some pretty nice benefits depending on the contract and the country. I've been told by some of my European students here in California that Germany and Switzerland have some good American Intl' Schools.
You may be required to have a state teaching credential to work with them, but if you meet the criteria, it could be a really good opportunity to live and work in Europe.

[JZer]