Job Discussion Forums

cks · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 144

So I have recently visited family in the States and became addicted to House Hunters International and was intrigued with a particular episode involving a New Yorker who just signed a huge contract teaching English at a private school in Rome. She appeared to have no experience living overseas for she was complaining and asking the real estate agents if she can get take out and 24 hour services. Check this episode out online because it seemed like a total lie.

1. They gave her a $4500 per month stipend for housing Shocked

2. They hired an AMERICAN with no overseas experience.

3. She was looking for flats in the center of Rome and complained that if she could not find something under $4500 she would have to pay from her salary, what type of salary could she have had?

4. These fringe benefits were for teaching 1st grade.

5. She was hired from abroad.

6. In the end, she opted for the flat close to the Vatican at $6500 per month (if I remember correctly). How is this possible teaching ESL in Rome even for a prestigious private school?

7. Lets just assume she had amazing credentials- why would they still hire someone from abroad who is American and appeared to have no experience living or teaching overseas. And the salary and stipend for the flat- WTF?!!!!!

Has anyone else seen this? Please watch it online and tell me that it must be a total hoax!!!! If not- why are there no signs of non EU citizens with such fringe benefits teaching in Rome here on Dave's Wink

Are they in hiding??!!!

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

I haven't seen the programme, but maybe she was teaching at an International School, rather than a language school.

She's going some if she can only find a flat near the Vatican for $6500. Believe me, you can get a decent flat for about a sixth of the price. I had a one-bed flat (with views of the Vatican) at a rent that (five years ago) just went up to under $1000. Did she have gold-plated taps or something?

cks · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 144

They were nice 2 bedrooms, but some of the flats shown were in the $7000 range. But don't you agree that everything seemed totally bogus? Would an international school hire an American from abroad and pay such salaries? Hulu will not let us foreigners watch their shows, but see if this link works for you from HGTV.

http://www.hgtv.com/video/apartment-hunting-in-rome2-video/index.html

I am dying for the teachers on this forum to see this! It seemed too outrageous. Do you have such benefits? And this gal was straight from NYC and clueless about Europe.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Total fantasy Cool

cks · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 144

And when I was in the States, I also saw the popular programs Ghost Hunters and Celebrity Ghost Stories, are you trying to tell me that those programs were utter fantasy too???!!! Laughing

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Better than the scary reality of drug adverts!!

cks · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 144

But that episode of House Hunters International really upset me. You should have seen this woman. I think that there are probably a few yahoos who watched this episode and thought "wow, I could teach English in Rome for a high salary too". I hate to see such a lie. I hope they put this episode on youtube, because I am ready to make some comments.

Caroline · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 29 Location: USA

I also saw that episode of House Hunters. I can't imagine where she was teaching or why she was paying so much for an apartment. I felt like there was no way she was making that kind of salary. Maybe her parents are footing the bill and she was embarrassed to admit that she's only making 1,000 euro a month!

cks · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 144

It is possible, but also the issue that they hired her from abroad, and hired an American. There are plenty of us non EU citizens who have been teaching for years and already abroad who would kill for such a chance. And she really did not have the "look" that I assume the Itallians are after for a teacher, if they actually went out of their way to hire someone from abroad who has never taught overseas before. I really hope this episode gets uploaded on youtube so that people can make some comments.

fregona · Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 18 Location: canada

Yeah, I saw the episode too. Here she was living in Rome, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and she just couldn't live with the wallpaper and the paint colour! Ridiculous. I'd kill to have one of those apartments and live there for a period of time.