Job Discussion Forums

[LivH]

Does anyone know anything about Harmony School in Trnava, Slovakia? I was planning to head to either Prague or Bratislava in January to look for work, but have also applied for an advertised job with them. On the one hand, given the recession etc, I'm very nervous about moving abroad without a job fixed up; but I'm also aware of many previous posts on here saying that European employers don't tend to recruit from abroad, so I wanted to see if anyone has heard of this school. Might it be the case that recruiting from overseas does still happen more outside the capital cities?


I'd also love to hear from anyone who has worked anywhere in Slovakia - it isn't mentioned nearly as much as the Czech Republic with regard to TEFL, and I'm wondering whether it might be a better bet than the CR. I'm British, with a degree and the CELTA but no teaching experience yet. Any advice much appreciated!

[Kofola]

Hi,

I know someone who worked for Harmony a few years ago. They basically enjoyed their time there, although there was a bit of a conflict of personality with the then director (don't know if it's still the same director). As a general language school to start your career in it's probably OK. They hold teacher training insets etc. Don't know any more than that, I'm afraid.

As for the need to be on the ground that is much banded about on this board, it doesn't particularly apply to Slovakia. All the jobs I've ever had here I got applying from abroad. It is true that there are some schools that advertise internally only, however, the wages are usually lower. I would go for one that offers accommodation in the package as wages are low here. Average salary in the Bratislava area is 600-700 euros gross (cost of studio flat tends to be around 300-400 euros). So better to go for a school with guaranteed hours, luncheon vouchers, paid accommodation etc. Outwith the Bratislava area accommodation costs are much lower and wages are slightly lower.

Schools that advertise abroad include: Akademia vzdelavania (countrywide), IH (Bratislava). They may have openings for January to cover teachers leaving at Xmas. However, I know for a fact that IH have had to reduce the no of teachers they had before, due to the economic crisis. (There are others as well but am less sure about the training they offer newbies).

I'd say the economic crisis has hit teaching less hard here compared to Prague. The company I work for is totally unaffected (in fact we're all putting in some serious overtime to keep up with demand (but we have a niche market). It has affected the general language schools to some extent (but then again, I've been approached by 3 diff companies over the last 6 months offering me work). Some areas outwith Bratislava (not Trnava) have been hit much harder by the crisis, so I imagine there has been a fall in demand there.

I've taught in various towns so feel free to ask for more information.

Hope it helps.

[spiral78]

I'm one of those who 'bandies' the notion that most jobs in Europe generally aren't found from abroad, but I readily agree that schools in less-travelled areas are often an exception to the general rule.

For what it's worth, I'll add that I have heard the market is still fairly stable in Slovakia - this is in line with Kofola's very useful post.

Another distinction between Bratislava and Prague is that Prague is a teacher training centre mecca - there are many newly-certified teachers hitting the streets on a regular basis. Not all of them opt to stay in the city, of course, but enough do to make the market much tighter there in general.

Personally, I think the idea of Slovakia is appealing. Nice people, landscapes....and January's usually a good time to land some work in general.

[LivH]

Thanks to both of you for your very helpful replies. Slovakia is sounding like a good option in many ways. Kofola - are you based in Bratislava or elsewhere? If you have lived in Bratislava, what do you think of it as a place to live and teach? I'm wondering whether city life (I know it's not a particularly big city) might make for an easier transition than going somewhere smaller. I'm not especially a big city person but I don't want to end up somewhere where there is nothing going on/not many young people.
Also, what would you say is the minimum salary needed to get by (ie somewhere to live, food, exploring the country a bit at weekends)? And what is the tax rate in Slovakia?
Thanks!

Livvy

[MsDooLittle]

You could try Plus Academia - private language school in the centre of town. (maybe plusacademia.sk). Nice place, good people, its was my first job eight years ago and a good place to start out. But I don't think they offer accommodation. They were always on the look out for teachers so you should ask.

Sometimes the Slovak Spectator (local English newspaper) advertises for English teachers. Or profesis.sk, popular jobsite. Or reality.sk for a place to live.

Or, the private high school Mercury Gymasium....I remember they offered accommodation with a good monthly wage....find them on google and send your CV...

Bratislava is a nice place to live. Safe, friendly, 1hr by train from Vienna, not much further to Budapest. So you have all the big cites so close by with the benefits of living in a small city.

I came for one year in January 2002 and I'm still here...

[Kofola]

I am living in Bratislava now. It's a nice city - small enough not to have that anonymity cities often have. In terms of culture there are always lots of things going on, so that's one advantage it has over other places. In some ways, though, I actually think it is easier to meet people (ie Slovaks) in smaller towns. People are more curious about you and tend to strike up conversations more. It probably depends what you're used to. Obviously, there is a much bigger ex pat community in Blava.

The tax rate is flat - 19% on everything.

It's hard to say what the minimum salary would be as it's very dependent on your lifestyle. A newbie salary would prob give you about 300-400 net. I spend less than that a month (after accommodation is taken off), but I get quite a few perks with my job. It has become a lot more expensive since adopting the euro (mostly because they went in on an exchange rate that relected a rather rosy view of the economy) and clothes for example are much much cheaper in Austria (sometimes almost half the price). Where it is cheaper is on travel, beer, coffee, fags, and lunch menus. Eating out in the evening is no longer cheap. And food is much of a muchness with the UK, if not a little dearer.

[LivH]

Thanks again, and thanks Ms DooLittle for the websites you suggest. I have decided to head to Bratislava in the new year, and was wondering if anyone can suggest when exactly would be the best time to come? I am thinking of arriving around the second week of January - would this be a sensible time to look for work on the spot (ie. when do schools start again)?

Livvy

[Kofola]

I start back on the 4th, but many begin on the 11th. They should know that week whether they have enough cover or not and whether enrolments are up or down.

Wish you luck.

[johnnyenglishteacher]

Just a thought - if you're looking for work in small-town Slovakia as well, cheap accommodation isn't particularly hard to find (same goes for cheap food), so I wouldn't worry too much about the costs of going there for a couple of weeks and travelling about looking for a job.

[Lord GaGa]

Can we have a Slovakia Forum please?

[Bennyben]

I find something that Lord GaGa and I agree on, the need for some forum on Slovakia, its a growing country, but to the other posters, finding work in small towns is not as easy as you imagine....I think its best you begin with one of the big 8.

[havo]

Just as a note to Ms DooLittle's suggestion: I know that Mercury ( www.sgm.sk ) has a good looking offer, having personal experience working there, but I would recommend against getting into a relationship with them. They are full of last-minute unannounced changes to what was agreed, the atmosphere isn't very pleasant (turnover rate of even native SVK teachers is atrocious, foreigners usually leave faster and the other teachers don't even bother to learn your name until you've really been there a while), administration is more in a war with the staff than on their side, and PAY IS 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 ***LATE***! Each time there's a different excuse, but it's so. I worked there for a while 7 years ago, and from what I've heard, things haven't changed for the better. If you're someone who can move out quickly (being in *their* flat is something they have over you), it can be a good starting point, but you have to keep focused on surviving. (Incidentally, I made a comment about the director having us work "like dogs," and was reprimanded and **given an essay to write** about what I meant (an adult, her students are rarely given such "tasks")...hence the "havo".) If you'd like more info, feel free to contact me.

Don't get me wrong, Bratislava's a great place and there are a lot of places for work, even now, but this is definitely just a springboard, if you watch out for the splinters.

[Doctor T]

Yes, where is the Slovakia forum?

Any of you veterans in the Slovak region heard of Edupoint school?