Job Discussion Forums

[zeke0606]

Hi everyone --

Can anyone give me some fresh data on this school? The advert sounded OK and I wrote them and their email reply was OK too. Nothing stood out and told me to take this job.....

So, I am wondering, what assistance can you all give me?

You know - all the usual suspects - good salary after tax, multiple entry visa, management styles, schedules and last minute changes, is Kosice a nice town or a raging boom town/city?

Oh, I almost forgot, I have a BA in English and a MSc in TEFOL, a teaching license and a few years teaching experience - both at home and overseas.

Thanks for your time and effort!

Zeke

[john_n_carolina]

try and contact that lady who lives there now in Slovakia....a really nice person with an excellent blog.

i think it's:

...this is a "Frequently Asked Question" Guide to Slovakia

Margarete Hurn
Author
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia
www.fgslovakia.com

[naturegirl321]

I talked to the guy who owned the school about six months ago. Sounds decent and It-s outisde of the capital, so will immerse you more in the culture.

[newsygirl]

Hello.

I was in contact with N.T.E. Language School in Slovakia. Are you still having any luck with this school. Should I continue with the application process or is this another flaky TESOL/ESL school? What are your thoughts?

[naturegirl321]

My impression is that it-s a good school.

[zeke0606]

newsygirl -

I contacted the school about three weeks ago and they sent me a rather long 'nothing PR' letter. However, when I wrote back a couple of days after getting that letter asking for clarification of things that they wrote and what - other than a salary they offered - I never heard from them again!

Go figure!

[newsygirl]

Thank you zeke0606.

Like you, I also emailed them for clarification on their generic email and like you I also didn't recieve a response.
I don't know if it is a cultural thing (i.e. maybe prospective Slovak employers find it rude when you ask them questions or seem to not trust them), but I refuse to take a job blindly overseas and it annoys me when these schools don't take our questions seriously!!!
However, to play devils advocate, I just recieved an email from another school in Slovakia apologizing for not responding to my email sooner, because they were swamped with emails from other people trying to apply for a job. I had written to this school the same day that I had written to N.T.E., so perhaps maybe these Slovak schools are too consumed with emails to respond to us.
However, I'm reluctant to take any job that dosn't take my questions seriously, because it is a sign of how well/poor they will treat you when you begin your employment with them.

[zeke0606]

newsygirl -

I am with you 110% on that idea of how they respond to email questions is how they treat you once you are in their clutches. And maybe they are swamped with people applying for teaching there, but, I have had other schools - not in Eastern Europe - respond reigh away telling me that they are swamped with applications and will sort through them and contact the best of the lot. Some of those schools I heard from again and others I didn't. But the point is - they contacted me and tlod me what is happening at their end and did not leave me in the dark.

Maybe I'll try to return to the Middle East, at least before it all blows up!

zeke

[newsygirl]

Hi Zeke0606,
You are right. Many schools do reply to your response saying that they are swamped with inquiries and that they'll try to get back to you, while some schools don't.
Don't you find it annoying, however, schools that seem interested in you and send you a whole bunch of P.R. Stuff on their schools and send you one or two emails, after which you figure you may have a chance of being hired and/or want to learn more about the school, so you continue to send them emails, but suddenly they stop emailing and refuse to answer your questions? This has happened to me a few times and I'm sure it will continue to happen until I find something worthwhile.
Good luck with your job search in the Middle East. I was advised that Dubai is nice. I know it is hard for females to find work in the Middle East. Can you reccomend any "safe" Middle Eastern countries (i.e. a country that tolerates Westeners). I'm a practicing Christian and I was wondering if there was a Middle Eastern country that would allow me to walk into a Christian church safely?

[john_n_carolina]

...i would gather there are very few "safe" Christian churches in the Middle East.....or, at least one where you would "feel safe", and not looking at the entrance door everytime someone walks in.

[zeke0606]

newsygirl -

Annoying is not quite strong enough of a word for schools that play that PR game. Yes, it has happened to me and far too many times. However, I am 'older' and have been around and can usually spot one of the PR pushes and avoid any further contact.

Actually it not that hard for females to teach in the ME. You just have to find a very good sponsor company and understand you will usually have only females in class. The UAE is nice and very Western, Oman is nice too, but still in the dark ages - so to speak. And many females liked their tenure there, and KSA - the magic kingdom or the kingdom of darkness - is the highest paying and strictest on religious things and some females like and liked their tenure there.

As far as 'practicing' your Christian religion - you will not practice openly! PERIOD!! Some folks hold meetings in their home and it is done as the 1st century Christians did things - covertly! In all the ME Islam is the law of the land and that will not change. Since they are all kingdoms, the king makes the law and any other religion is banned - even talking about it, you can be deported! So you will not find a church anywhere at all. So, if you go to the ME you will have to walk the walk of faith and trust God.

[zeke0606]

johninmaine -

By the tone and wording that you use in that last post -- you are talking throught your hat! You sound like you have never ever set foot is any ME country.

Bad advice!

[spiral78]

He's obviously in Maine.

[john_n_carolina]

hi zeke, i said, "I would gather..", means i would conclude, deduce from observation.

apparently, even before your advice, i made a fairly reasonable deduction.

[zeke0606]

spiral78 -


And in the north of Baxter State Park too!