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[plato986]

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[Nozka]

Man, that reminds me of myself about *cough cough* years ago!

Actually I'd say you've pretty well got it sussed. Having no debt and a small cushion is really key; you won't make a fortune doing tefl, but that's not the point, right?

As a non-English major (or even as one) you may want to poke your nose into a few basic grammar books, especially those designed for English learners. You might also consider asking if you could observe some ESL classes in your area - your college may have an intensive English program on campus. It would give you some idea of what the classroom is like.

Some posters around here may want to remind you that TEFL is a job, but I think the great majority of us got into it for the same reasons as you. Enjoy it. If you're not materialistic and won't regret not having a mortgage, a bunch of bills, and a garage full of junk 10 years down the road, you're on the right track.

By the way, I started my career in CZ, but since you have the opportunity to get to Spain as an American, I'd say go for it. A lot of Yanks will be jealous of you.

Good luck.

[denise]

It sounds like you're going about it the right way--having enough money saved up not only to cope until you get paid but also potentially to bail yourself out and fly home is crucial.

The only thing I would add is that it's not as easy as it may seem to pick up the language simply by being in the country. Some people do arrive with no knowledge of the language and end up nearly fluent (self-discipline, spending several years there, and/or dating or marrying a local seem to be the keys!). It is common for EFL teachers to study the language, make some local friends (who speak English), and know enough to get by. Since you're basically paid to speak English 40ish hours a week, though, studying Spanish or Czech is something that you really need to make a priority in your free time if you want to advance.

Good luck,
d

[plato986]

Thanks for the responses guys. If anyone else has any helpful advice...I'm still trying to deciding...prague or barcelona?

[DoubleDutch]

[Jetgirly]

I was in Barcelona in 04/05 and found the market was pretty saturated. Most teachers I met were either piecing together work at a few different schools or getting full-time work way outside the city centre (commuting more than an hour in each direction). The pay isn't typically great, either. It's a fantastic city, though, as I'm sure you know. Just ask yourself if you could get by on eleven euros an hour, fifteen hours a week... Your savings will only last so long.

[plato986]

[spiral78]

Prague's a good walking city, but going out so often (assuming that 'going out' means dining/drinking/movies/etc) won't be feasible on a teaching salary. Unless you mean going out to walk around!

You can expect to make enough to go out regularly, though, and lots of cultural stuff IS relatively cheap. Teachers in Prague can definitely enjoy the city.

Cost of living's not low relative to teaching salaries...

[Jetgirly]

I used to live in Torino, Italy and I think it's an amazingly underrated, surprisingly unknown city. I lived in Crocetta, a nice part of the city centre. I could walk to the school in twenty minutes or take transit in ten minutes. Within a five-minute walk were more than a dozen bars that served food, drinks and coffee (what we'd think of as cafes), more than a dozen small grocery stores, a handful each of fruit/vegetable shops and bakeries, two weekly open-air markets, major transit links including busses, trams and a major (national/international) train station, video rental booths, two world-famous gelaterias, internet cafes, several playgrounds, walking trails, parks, and a few nightclubs. If you're willing to walk for twenty or thirty minutes you've got the entire city centre within reach- historic cinemas, covered shopping centres, art galleries, museums, Savoy palaces, gyms, Europe's largest open-air market (food and clothes), a huge weekly antique market (once a month it is also Europe's largest antique market), traditional Piemontese restaurants, ethnic cuisine, pizzerias, health food shops, awesome nightclubs, etc. Most of my in-company classes were far outside the city center (including Veneria, Pino Torinese and Rivoli, which you could see on a map to get an idea of the distance), but after a while I actually really liked heading out there because it was SOOO far off the tourist track that I became well known as that Canadian girl who would come every Tuesday night and get a cappucino (horrors!) before her 6:00 pm class.

I didn't have a TV or internet the whole time I lived there, so I "went out" almost every night, just for something to do. Sometimes it would be clubbing, sometimes drinks and dinner, lots of times it was just a gelato run and sometimes we'd just go for an evening stroll. I put aside about 15% of my monthly income and used it to travel when the school was closed for holidays. If you don't need to save money AND you aren't looking for a job with opportunities for advancement, you can have a very high quality of life in Torino.

[plato986]

Jetgirly: That sounds awesome! That is what life is all about. I'll have to check out that for sure. Thank you so much for the information.

Spiral78: Basically I just want to be out and about. I go out a lot here and don't really pay much...I just grab a water and enjoy the socializing, so it's very cheap.

That is why I want to check out a different culture. I don't need to drink every night to do this!

[spiral78]

Water in a pub in Prague is literally more expensive than beer in many cases

You'll probably be ok there, if you choose Prague

[Justin Trullinger]

[Nozka]

If it's culture that you're after, may I suggest you get off the beaten path and open yourself up to places beyond Prague, Barcelona, etc. And that doesn't mean you have to go live in a village. I spent three years in Brno and loved every minute of it. At that time I could go out every night of the week and pretty much enjoy what I wanted (perhaps too much!) That may be harder to do now, but it's all relative to your needs.
Another thing is that I actually did learn the language there, which is something I rarely found true of expats I knew from Prague.
You seem turned on by Jetgirly's plug of Torino, so consider Brno as well.
Best,
Nozka

[plato986]

I chose those cities as I think they would be the most fun, just from second hand knowledge. I think what I will do is live in one of the larger cities for a year, and if I enjoy it...branch out once I'm in country.

I am also drawn to the architecture of Barcelona for some reason.

[DoubleDutch]