Job Discussion Forums

[latte_girl85]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I lived in Italy a few years ago as an au-pair and want to go back next year to teach. I have my CELTA. I was in Ravenna before and enjoyed it but am looking at something more upbeat. Any suggestions (professionally)? Do schools prefer British accents? (I'm American.) Thanks!

[bejarano]

Are you legal?

If not, how much money are you coming with?

Other questions are..

Do you have a degree?

Do you have teaching experience?

[spiral78]

Schoold prefer British PASSPORTS.

[latte_girl85]

Hi thanks for answering. Yes, I would be going over with an Italian passport as I have dual citizenship. That is enough to start working I think. As to teaching experience... not much. While working as an au pair I taught the kids some English but no adults. I have a few years experience teaching ESL to young adults.

[latte_girl85]

Ooops forgot to mention the degree. Yes I have a BA in Italian studies.

[stillnosheep]

You should have no problems getting hired but be warned that EFL pay in Italy is appalling (appealing location close to UK and popular with Americans) although expenses can be low, especially in the South.

[latte_girl85]

Thanks stilnosheep. Unfortunately I've been hearing a lot about bad pay for teachers in Italy...

[Jetgirly]

When I worked in Turin, I made EUR 1000 net for 22.5 hours of teaching per week. That meant I took home about EUR 11 per hour. However, I was guaranteed that pay whether or not the school could find work for me. This meant that when contracts tapered off in June and July, I still earned the full EUR 1000 even though I was only working about thirteen or fourteen hours per week. Other schools in the city paid up to three times what I earned, but they offered NO guarantee of hours. In the end it all worked out to about the same amount, but I preferred the job security.

[latte_girl85]

Thanks Jetgirly,

What you're tleling me is not that bad actually... I have heard of shopkeepers who work full time and make just a little over �1000. Of course it's peanuts in the U.S. but I know salaries are lower in Italy. Salaries will be lower in the South, right? Thanks for your input!

[spiral78]

Latteegirl, I think you're aware of this, but it brings up a possibly useful point for others.

The difference in real income between an expat English teacher and an Italian shopkeeper will be greater than it sounds - because that Italian native won't be paying rent/housing costs at nearly the rate an expat will have to.

It's one of those fallacies of the business - "If I'm making as much/more than the locals, I should be able to buy a flat/car/whatever just like them." It doesn't work out like this, because most locals are living in flats that they own, and likely have for generations, or they are in rent-controlled state-owned places.

[latte_girl85]

Good point spiral. Do you think getting a place on an Italian passport would make things easier for me? When I was in Ravenna I was living with the family so I didn't have to worry about rent.

[spiral78]

Well, the passport might help a bit, but the thing is usually that the real locals aren't renting - they own something and have had for the long-term. This obviously makes a huge difference in real, spendable income after housing costs.

Unfortunately, expats (unless you can actually pass as Italian, language-wise, and you choose to hide your other citizenship) are very often seen as both better-off financially and as higher-risk tenants than locals. So, rent-wise, you tend to get burned.

Not just Italy, of course.

The remedy is just to be there long enough to become as much of a local as you can... but you can likely expect to be paying higher housing costs than the locals to begin.

[Jetgirly]

The VAST majority of students that I taught in Italy were young professionals between the ages of about twenty-five and thirty-five. I would say that only about 15% were single and renting. About 65% lived with their parents, and 20% lived with a partner in a dual-income home (either rented or bought). I had more than a handful of students who were married AND living with their parents! The people I taught worked for major international corporations in non-entry-level jobs, so they made a decent living. I'm sure they could have afforded to move out... but why would they? Italian culture definitely encourages holding out as long as possible before renting or buying your own property, so your income doesn't go nearly as far when you're living on your own. On top of rent you're also paying condo fees, utilities and set-up/installation fees for utilities and services. It all adds up quickly for foreigners.