Job Discussion Forums

[iverin]

So, I'm a newbie to the Europe board and thought I'd post a new thread. I have two months English teaching experience from one of the four Big companies in Japan (only two months because of an elderly grandmother who sadly just passed recently) and I've been looking into going abroad again to teach English but I thought I'd look into some non-Asian countries.

How does someone go about getting a job in Europe? The job I had in Japan was widely advertised and the company recruited from an office in Toronto. It was fairly easy to get an interview and the whole visa process was taken care of by the company. I'm looking for something similar in Europe. I'm not picky as to where. I don't mind really cold weather (coming from a Canadian ) I'm not overly fond of really hot temperatures but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. I have a 4 year BA with Honours (combined English and Comparative Lit) as well as a year (once weekly) teacher assistant experience in a high school and 2 months full time experience teaching adults English in Japan.

Any advice would be appreciated

[naturegirl321]

I've had some job offers, found a couple through eslbase.com, tefl.com and here at dave's.

[spiral78]

How does someone go about getting a job in Europe? The job I had in Japan was widely advertised and the company recruited from an office in Toronto. It was fairly easy to get an interview and the whole visa process was taken care of by the company. I'm looking for something similar in Europe.

I have a 4 year BA with Honours (combined English and Comparative Lit) as well as a year (once weekly) teacher assistant experience in a high school and 2 months full time experience teaching adults English in Japan.


Trpelivost...

1) Most European jobs aren't found from abroad. The general scoop is that European employers want to see you standing in their offices, CV in hand, looking professional and responsible before they'll give you a hearing.

2)The school that hires you should help you with the visa process. However, please note that as a Canandian citizen (unless you also have citizenship in some EU member country) you are not eligible for visas in many Western European countries. You'll need to narrow your job search to those countries where you can work legally - mostly the 'new' EU member states such as the Czech Rep, Slovakia, and Poland. There are people on the board who advocate working illegally (Spain being a commn target for this) , but there are obviously risks.

3)You don't mention certification for teaching ESL. In Europe, the vast majority of newbies have certification from an on-site course provider. The course should be 100+ hours on site, and include supervised teaching practice with actual students. CELTA is the name brand, but there are some generic courses that meet the grade. Without this, you are just behind the pack in terms of the job market.

4) Your two months of teaching experience in Japan and teaching assistant experience at a high school (in Canada, I assume) won't replace the actual training course. The approaches and methods used in ESL in Japan are very different to those normally used in Europe, and teaching language to adults is obviously very different to teaching other subjects in high school.

I suggest that you narrow your search to countries where you are eligible for legal working permits.
Next, find a CELTA or equivalent training course provider in that country.
Then, come, take your course, and begin your job search from in country. You'll be far more likely to be successful.

Yes, you'll have start-up costs. That's the norm for this region, I'm afraid. You don't find the employers who will hire from abroad, pay for airfare, and set you up with housing - all sight-unseen.

[katers]

Hey there

Come to Poland! If you don't mind cold temperatures then you should be fine here.... lol....very cold indeed in the winter.

Re: finding a job - spiral is right in saying that you will be in a much better position if you have a CELTA (or equivalent) qualification. I'd recommend the CELTA course as the teaching practice you do on this course is with real students, not with fellow trainees pretending to be students. This is better for you as a teacher, and also employers know this and respect it more.

I don't know about the job market in countries other than Poland, but I came here (Krakow) last summer, did my CELTA course in July and August, and it was pretty easy to find a job at the end of August after I'd completed my course. In fact, I got 2 or 3 job offers from different schools, so there is plenty of work available here.

good luck and have fun!