Job Discussion Forums

[AdamtheJohnson]

Hello all,

Been reading these threads for a while now, decided to post and get as much direct info as possible.

I've long fantasized about teaching abroad, ever since I entered college, really. I'm about to graduate in the spring with a BFA in photography and a minor in Creative Writing. I'm 23. I have no teaching experience.

I've traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica and most recently Germany.

I'm here now to begin my preliminary research into which country will be my first, where to get the CELTA cert, and how to go about the overall process.

Right now I'm trying to decide on a country and will begin a basic 'pro/con' list.

I haven't exactly narrowed it down but I do have some choices.

France (heard that, bureaucratically, that it's very difficult to find a position)
China (One of my favorite cultures and landscapes, but the regime certainly frightens me)
Spain (beautiful)
Japan (wonderful, though very expensive I've heard)
Brazil (again, beautiful)

I've also considered Korea initially as a means of saving financially. As well as Laos and Thailand.

I know I could potentially get an artist visa in addition to the more typical teaching visa.

I don't care alot about money as long as I'm doing alright. I don't necessarily need to save, though the first few years I may need to since I plan on going to grad school at some point, plus paying off the CELTA cert and the first few months in the new country, etc, may force me to put money near the top of my list initially.

I care about
Location/scenery
quality of life/happiness
money
Food
Safety
women

Yes, I DO care about the dating scene, though it's not top priority (and it never will be) to find a "steady" partner.

What scares me is I'm very liberal, I'm a fetish/erotic photographer and if a place is too conservative (Texas is very conservative and its been difficult) it will be difficult for me to continue being a photographer in this way. No models, censorship, etc.

I've put alot out here right away. I'm just looking for some generalized information, as much as you can, to help me with my research. As always, I'll be perusing the forums here and doing additional independent research, but anything is much appreciated.

Adam

[spiral78]

Where are you from?
If you're not a European citizen, you most likely won't be able to get legal work permits for Spain in any case...

On the certification question, the general answer is that it's ideal to get it in the country where you want to start working.

Training in-country offers you a great chance to get your feet wet in the country/culture
while you still have a support system � training centres usually arrange for your housing during the course, airport pickup, and local orientation. Your practice teaching students will really be representative of those you�ll be working with when you start. You can be sure that your certification will be recognized by local employers, and a training centre can give you invaluable contacts and advice regarding reputable local employers.

[spiral78]

Ah, I suppose (upon second reading) that you're from Texas. That means that most Western European countries will be near-impossible for you to get work permits for.

Teaching under the table was a relatively viable option in Spain in the past, but new laws make over-staying the 90 day limit pretty risky these days....

Also, for sure newbies don't make enough money to save up for anything significant (this is Europe-wide). May be best to focus on some of your other options, realistically speaking.

[AdamtheJohnson]

[spiral78]

Countries that are members of the European Union have hiring laws that more or less restrict them from hiring non-Europeans for most jobs.

The problem with English teaching is that there are millions of qualified British citizens - for whom there are obviously no hiring restrictions.

If you read through some earlier threads on this forum, you'll find in-detail discussion.

Each country has its own laws, but the general rule is that Western European countries are near-impossible to get work permits in.

However, the older threads (I'll bump some of them up for you) DON'T address the 2008 restriction that makes getting caught teaching illegally much more likely - non-European citizens can only remain in the Schengen zone for 90 days, then they have to be OUT for 90 days. Border police are busy these days, checking passport stamps.

I am a US citizen who has worked in Europe for the past 12 years now. I am married to a Czech and have permanent legal residency there. I also have legal work and residence permits for the Netherlands.
This year, I've had to show all the proofs of my legal status six times to date...travelling by plane, train - and, amazingly, even on a bus from Netherlands to Germany!

Things are getting tight here, in legal terms.

Some of the 'new' EU member countries, such as the Czech Rep and Poland still do issue work permits to non-Euro citizens, but the process is difficult, expensive, and time consuming.

[AdamtheJohnson]

[spiral78]

Probably. In legal terms, certainly.

[AdamtheJohnson]