Job Discussion Forums

[KarenAD]

Hello. I hope you can help me -- I'm planning on receiving my CELTA next month, and I want to begin teaching abroad next year. (I'm currently a Special Education Teacher in NYC.)

I have a problem which I haven't been able to receive much help in answering: I have a pre-existing medical condition which requires medication (oral and intravenous) for maintenance. Will I be able to find a job that provides such comprehensive medical insurance? Does socialized healthcare (in Europe) apply to teachers who are not citizens of the country?

Does anybody have any advice, experience, and/or suggestions for countries/regions in which I might have more luck receiving medical support?

Any advice or guidance will be very appreciated.

--Karen

[KarenAD]

also: I have a Masters degree (Teaching), and a Bachelors degree (Psychology).

[smithrn1983]

First you need to make sure that the medicine you need is available in the country you want to travel to. You might be able to get this information from that country's embassy, and if not, I'd try again here with the chemical name of the drug. Keep in mind it might have a different chemical name overseas (e.g. acetaminophen in the U.S. is called paracetamol in a number of other countries).

As for whether socialised medicine in Europe applies to people teaching there, the short answer is yes. Socialised medicine is actually a bit more complicated than the pundits this side of the pond make it seem, though not nearly as complicated as the system here.

In general if you work in a country with socialised medicine, you MUST have health insurance yourself, and everyone in the country must also be insured (i.e. no one is without insurance). You will usually have to decide between multiple policies based on your own medical needs, and each one comes with its own price tag. Foreigners occasionally have more choices than citizens of that country, but this is not always the case.

The best thing to do is decide which country you want to go to first, and then ask on that country's forum for more detailed information. Unless you can claim citizenship based on ancestry, your choices in Europe will be severely limited. Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Germany are probably the easiest countries to work in without an EU passport.

Hope that helped to clear things up a bit.

[spiral78]

First, smithrn is correct: as a US citizen, even with advanced degrees, you are essentially limited to the 'new' EU member countries, UNLESS you can find a (rare) international school opening OR find an employer willing to go through the considerable legal hoops to get you a special work permit. (Well, or marry a local swiftly!)

I worked on a specialist visa myself, but in addition to related MA, I also have specific qualifications needed at that particular university PLUS I had local contacts there who knew my work. It's really pretty rare to find such a situation - and therefore pretty rare to get a visa, even with the post grad quals. Basically, they just don't need to go through the visa hassles - there are tonnes of highly qualified UK nationals around to grab the job openings.

Also, you'll be a newbie in the language teaching field. Your previous teaching experience may give you an edge over total newbies to teaching, but as it's unrelated, it won't give you a tremendous leg up.

Second, on the health care front: the exact 'socialised' health care available varies from country to country. To get coverage, you will obviously need an employer willing to sponsor you. Employers DO incur costs for the health care of their employees, and you may also pay a premium on top of this yourself. My personal monthly payment in the Netherlands was 86 euro/monthly. In the Czech Rep I paid the equivalent of 50 euro/monthly. I can't remember Luxembourg's fee, but there was one. On top of this, you will likely still pay at least nominal fees for medication and treatment.
And yes - everyone is absolutely required to pay the fees.

I think if you are considering Europe, you will first need to investigate the countries in which you would be able to find work legally. Then, you'll need to consider what kind of work is available there - in most of the 'new' EU member countries the bulk of work is done in companies, to adults. You might be able to find a position in a state or private school with children (probably a better option for you) but these are significantly thinner on the ground in this region. Also, keep in mind that state schools in this region don't pay above subsistence level. A private or international school is by far the best option - if you can find one with an opening. Then, you'll need to target possible employers and ask about health care provided.

I don't think this will be an easy challenge, but if you're really dedicated to making it work, you can likely find something suitable in time.

[KarenAD]

thank you both, you've given me something to work with.

[artemisia]

OP:

[KarenAD]

Yeah, it won't be a problem getting a large supply of the medications. It's mainly the intravenous medicine that I'm concerned about -- in America, Igo to a hospital/doctor's office every two months or so for an infusion.
I'm going to have to research the medication's availability in different countries. It was first developed in Japan (and so it is available there). I first thought that that would be the best place/obvious choice to go, but I have since been told that Eastern European countries have more readily-available and comprehensive coverage for ESL teachers.

It looks like the best bet would be working at a university or international school, which would provide better coverage. And I will probably need to be in (or close to) a major city with good clinics.

I'll have to research this a lot.

Thanks.

[DosEquisX]

I'd like to know about this.

I mean, I plan to bring as much of my own prescription medication as possible with me but I would want to know if prescription medication mailed from overseas to a country like China would be rejected or returned to sender.

[cks]

Yes, as an American citizen you will still get the benefits of socialized health care abroad. I am completely covered and taken care of abroad, but have no such services in my own country-America! You might even be better off depending on which country you will teach in.

I count my blessings and am much less stressed knowing that if I get hit by a bus, pregnant, or become diagnosed with a serious illness, that I am covered 100% and do not have to worry about pre-existing conditions, ridiculous co-pays, or high premiums. Health care is one of many reasons that I have no desire to move back to the States.

[jr1965]

Karen,

One thing I haven�t seen mentioned yet is that in many European countries, you can also go the private route for healthcare. In Spain, for example, nationals & legal residents are covered under the socialized system. However, it�s possible for anyone to see a private doctor. Of course, you pay out of pocket for both the visit to the doctor and any necessary medication, but the cost (at least in Spain) is VERY reasonable, especially by US standards. I opted to go the �private route� twice while I was living in Madrid (I�m an American who is also a legal resident of Spain) and I had a very good experience.

[cks]

I did the private route in the Czech Rep until my work papers were sorted and then received all the fringe benefits of the socialized health care. My doc visits at an excellent private clinic were about $25 and I had an MRI for about $400, blood work averaged another $30ish. After I received my visa, everything was covered! Love it!

[MotherF]

Don't forget about your next door neighbor (to the south) which also has socialized medicine, which will cover pre-exsisting conditions.

[KarenAD]

Wow, great stuff! Thanks.
Is the the language barrier a great problem? How is this handled?

[Isla Guapa]

[cks]

Karen if the question was directed at me, the language barrier has never been a problem for me, but I know some Czech. The private clinics in Prague are staffed with English doctors, but do not go to the American Clinic or Canadian Medical Center, they will charge you American prices. I went to the Polyclinic on Narodni Trida.

When you get legal, just find a primary physician who speaks English, and there is a hospital in Prague that is primarily for foreigners. I do not know how the language barrier works in other countries. I know that these doctors have had to spend so much time in medical school learning their crafts and obviously language training will take a back seat. I have gone to docs with minimal English for basic things and had no problem.