Job Discussion Forums

[FloridaTEFL]

Hi all...
I realize I would most likely need to be IN Czech Republic to find a job, but is a master's degree more likely to get me a better job there?

Its a master of education with a concentration in TESOL. I also have 2 years teaching experience in Korea and about 3 months volunteer ESL experience in an American public school. I have 2 or 3 good references as well.
I just don't know how far this will get me in CR, or what to expect for pay.
Any ideas?
Thanks...!

[spiral78]

I have an MA TESL/TEFL and am married to a Czech citizen, speak functional Czech, have 12 years of experience, and know the country (and Prague) well. It's still difficult to find a job at better-than-subsistence pay.

I wouldn't say that some few better paying jobs aren't there, but they are unlikely to pop up simply because of your academic qualification. Your most likely route into what better jobs are out there would be to go, take the best you can find, and build a local reputation and contacts.

By far the main market for English teaching is through private language schools catering to businesspeople. Yes, you'd likely be able to command their highest wage, but that's still essentially subsistence. This means that you can earn enough to live ok and enjoy the place, but not to save up anything substantial or to buy anything like a car or flat.

The university/public school system still employs primarily Czech citizens, and the pay is still as described above - little chance to actually get ahead on a teacher's salary. There are some openings every year, but not many, and the jobs do usually go to people with local contacts and reps.

One route to a better-paid situation is to work your way into a DOS job, or to work as a teacher trainer (I personally found that this can be a bit mind-numbing, teaching the same course 7-8 times per year to similar trainees, but many people with more patience than I do like it, and it can be quite rewarding, to launch newbies into the field successfully).

Again, these jobs will take some local contacts.

Essentially, I think you can certainly land reasonable work in the CR - but 'better' jobs is something you'd most likely have to pay some dues to get hold of. It may depend how committed you are to the region, and how much time you're willing to spend paying the dues:)

[FloridaTEFL]

Thank You for that VERY thorough response. It's not what I wanted to hear, but I'm glad to have someone to explain the real situation over there.
Can I ask something else? Can a person legally work a full time job AND a part time job, or is that a big no-no? I know it can be exhausting, but I'm willing to work hard during the week in order to enjoy the weekends or to save a bit of money. But maybe part time jobs are hard to come by?
Thanks again.

[spiral78]

Most teachers have one (or even more, these days) contracts with a regular school, and supplement their incomes with private students. That's a common way to increase one's income a bit.

The problem is obviously that to qualify for jobs in other fields, you will most commonly need to speak functional Czech. This can work in the long-term, but obviously takes a while.

[spiral78]

Sorry - just realised that both my posts today are a bit repetitive and less-than-coherent in a few respects: it's been a challenging day on all fronts - apologies!

[FloridaTEFL]

No apology needed! I was wondering if its possible to work at more than one school to earn supplemental income. Sounds like its doable. I'd rather have 2 school contracts than work with privates because private tutoring can be particularly unreliable at times.
Thank you!!

[spiral78]

Yes, it's legal. Just be sure that one of the schools will support you in getting a visa -

I mean, when you negotiate contracts, don't mention that you are really seeking two jobs. Go first for one solid contract (you should rate that, with your quals) that will get you health insurance, visa support, assistance securing housing, and which you will give your primary time to in return.

It's quite difficult to go out on the freelance limb, working for a couple of schools on a loose basis, and still get through the visa & other detail maze without the support of an employer, until you have local friends to support you, and the language skills you need.

Yes, privates are unreliable in the CR as everywhere (eg. if the weather conditions have been correct for rampant mushroom growth, some students cancel:) truth- not a wild example! There are many others, of course.

[spiral78]

Again, I could have been clearer upon a second reading:

it's a hassle for a school to get you a visa and provide the other practical support that you need. I think that a school will do this for you, because you are qualified beyond the standard for the region. However, if you make it open that you are also seeking other work, that employer will be far less likely to give you the support you need.

[FloridaTEFL]

[spiral78]

No, it won't be like Korea in that regard. As I mentioned, Prague's something of a training centre mecca, and it's a hirer's market - there is work, but there are always teachers around. They're not begging for more all the time here!

Further, it's simply a smaller job market than what I know about Korea.

With your quals, you'll have what choices there are - but it's all pretty much of a piece, as we've talked about.

By the way, you might want to be aware that your Korea experience, while it counts for something, may count less with a European employer than you might think. The issue is that the approaches and methods used in Korea and other Asian countries aren't a good fit in Europe, and the students are quite different in terms of their motivation for learning and their expectations from the classroom experience.

I am currently reviewing candidates for a position at the uni where I work. We are not interviewing candidates with only experience in Asia, frankly - it is too different in terms of teaching context, and we haven't the time or resources to bridge the gap for new teachers (and we have too many candidates with more appropriate quals for us)>