Job Discussion Forums

matthew_k · Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Berlin

Jesus Christ (excuse me) but Jesus Christ,

Poorer people in Peru who have survived a recent earthquake in the Andes with 95% of the buildings gone complain a lot less than people on this forum. They also battle terrorist attacks and pressure from the government to give up their language. I know this because I worked with them. If you are not making enough money to keep you happy, why stay? You are living in Germany, and still, no? I wish there were more reasons as to why the teachers who teach here remain. The information is not at all helpful when it leaves a reader depressed and unmotivated having learned nothing from your negative experiences.

Anyway, I'd like to know if anyone would be willing to share their stories over the last year, 2007 only. How have things been this year in Germany with teaching and surviving? I am in Berlin, and as long as I have money to keep me here, I don't care. Survival stories is what I would find most useful or encouraging as a new arrival, not the nagging, or pitiful complaining ones. Sorry to sound "stark" but it's Germany, no?, and my advice to you is "Grow up."

neil1979 · Joined: 15 Nov 2003 Posts: 33

I think the general consensus is that Germany is not a very good place for teaching English largely due to bureaucracy and less than high wages for what is basically a dull job.

Against that, Berlin at least is a great city and that's what keeps me and I suppose most others here. It's also a cheap city, which means that even with relatively low wages you can still live here much better than on higher wages in a place like London where everything costs so much. That's a big plus which needs to be mentioned more. In other German cities I don't know what the situation is . . .

I presently teach about twenty hours a week, and that's generally enough to get by and even put a little aside most months . . . that's not too bad going and keeps me content.

As for why there's so much negative stuff on the forum? I guess because it's a TEFL forum, not a general 'life in Germany' forum, where presumably people would have more positive things to say. If you don't like it, save with the patronising messages and go to Toytown Germany instead - it's much more general and you'll find the tone more positive too!

matthew_k · Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Berlin

patronizing, hah! i see it more like questioning the morale of the people who are actually teaching english in this country. i disagree with your understanding of what this forum is intended only for. but that's just me.

neil1979 · Joined: 15 Nov 2003 Posts: 33

Well sure, I think it would be good to discuss a broad range of topics here, but I'm only going from what I see . . . the Germany forum seems to be one of the less popular ones on the site . . . I don't know about low morale, but the number of contributions are certainly low and it's difficult to get a straight answer on anything . . . maybe that's the influence of a German attitude, 'I'll look after my life, you look after yours'?

matthew_k · Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Berlin

yea, i think such an attitude may have influenced the feeling of my first post. i didn't intend to come across as patronizing, but i can understand that impression. like i said, it seems like it would be nicer to find more of those who are happy with their simple lives making it by like yourself responding to discussion along with the advice that it's going to be difficult but that adjustment is possible, so to speak. it's very appropriate to the forum.

japanman · Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 281 Location: England

What's worse, a person complaining or a person complaining about another person complaining?
You should see the Japan page for misery guts and then the China or Korea forums go to new realms of misery. Or maybe you can go so far out into misery that you end up doing full circle and coming back into glorious happiness.

puhutes · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 46

You might be right about German influence. The German's seemingly love to complain! They complain about everything (even when they have it good, they will find something to complain about). I come from Canada and happy as a pig in **** here... I don't know about the others here, but I've only posted positive posts here Smile

LG Jennifer

matthew_k · Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Berlin

it's funny when you get precisely the responses you expected, but wished otherwise. i think as an educator, it is perhaps a duty to attempt more positive thinking even if it is your nature to complain. i think it's also ok to call anyone's attention to the the prevalence of such an attitude. like in the classroom, one person's negative attitude has the ability to effect the entire class. that appears to have happened here on this forum, and unfortunately at the expense, like in the classroom, of other people who have more positive inclinations, and may not expect such a luxurious lifestyle in germany. my father's attitude, as a native american, was "one copes." unfortunately that's not the attitude here, and the information is not often reliable for that very reason.

jasonconga · Joined: 01 Dec 2005 Posts: 36 Location: the black forest

well...

i have been a teacher in germany for 5 years. i currently have 6 jobs and work on average about 25 hours a week. My pay ranges from 23-35 euros/teaching hour. my one private lesson pay 25/teaching hour. i quit a job paying 29 worth 2000 a semester because of "student apathy".

It must be possible to get work in germany as a NON-EU and most likely NW germany is probably best because they are not as poor as the east and not as conservative as the south.

good luck and go for it is my feeling...

StralsundAmi · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 13 Location: Stralsund Germany

I wanted to share my success story as it does seem that alot of nay sayers share their experiences and not many who have had a good experience. I started out in Germany in 2004 having had some ESL teaching experience and a degree. Despite that it was hard to find enough work to keep busy and earn enough to live on. I decided to search for a new location and ended up in Stralsund on the Baltic Sea. I worked in a hotel for awhile as a bartender and also did reception (we get alot of scandnavians and so they need people who speak English fluently in this area) I finally found a full-time regular teaching job last year in Greifswald in a Gymnasium (high school). They gave me a two year contract for 27 hours a week which is the maximum a teacher can teach. It is considered a full time position as the other 13 hours are your planning time. I love it. I teach 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th 9th and 10th grades. I had to have all my degrees, etc officially translated and I had to submit them to the local Ministry of Education. After having observed several of my classes I have been recently granted a German teaching certificate valid for the 1st to 13th grades. I get a nice salary, health benefits and paid vacations for all the times the school is closed including 5 weeks in summer to begin shortly. Don�t give up. Try the regular schools. They also are very happy to have native English speakers. I have to teach British English but they understand that as an American the pronunciation will differ. I hope others will continue to follow their dreams. It can and has worked for me. Best of Luck.....