Job Discussion Forums

[stefan0325]

Hi! I am 29 years old and grew up in Germany. I moved to the U.S. when I was 18 and have spent the last 11 years in the U.S. I do not have any teaching experience and spent 7 years in the Air Force (doing H.R.) and then transfered to the Reserves while I was in college. I now have a B.A. in International Studies with specializations in International Economics and Business; and Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy.

My two younger sisters, who still live in Germany, just recently had children (in the last few years) and I want to see them grow up. I would really like to teach English in Germany (Frankfurt/Rhein-Main Region) on a freelance basis without affiliation with a school (e.g. Berlitz). Because I am still in the Air Force Reserve I am required to fly back to the U.S. every quarter for two weeks. This would make it difficult to deal with a language school. I think I should be able to offer several 8-10 week courses on my own each quarter, leaving 2-4 weeks time to take care of my military obligations.

Here are my questions:

1. How hard is it to get into a CELTA/CertTESOL course quickly? I would like to be certified by August. I have e-mailed the IH Riga in Latvia last week and no answer. I know England offers a lot of courses, but it is too expensive and I would prefer to take it in a non-anglophone country.

2. What is a good way to find students when teaching on your own?

3. does anyone know of any language schools that do not require a commitment? I noticed that Berlitz almost always requires a 1-year commitment. I cannot agree to any such terms.

4. Is there anything else I need to take into consideration?

Thanks!

BTW I have U.S. and E.U. citizenship (and passports), I would imagine that this is a benefit.

[artemisia]

Your degree specialisation in business makes you an obvious candidate for teaching business English in companies and that's where a lot of the money is. September is generally when everything starts up again after the summer holidays but you're probably already aware of that. It's the best time to be there, though teachers may already have lined up work if you arrive at the beginning of Sept.

You're got an obvious advantage with language and if I were you, I'd start targeting companies in the Frankfurt region and approaching / writing to HR. Generally the way most people start, however, is through English language schools. You quite often need to do this to make the necessary local contacts. I suppose you'd be bound for a certain course length but not usually for a year.

Taking a couple of weeks off shouldn't be too much of a problem as a freelancer. I never had any issues with arranging time off and would usually just suspend my classes until I was back rather than have cover teaching. Longer than two or maybe three weeks on a fairly frequent basis could be an issue. I think it would seen as disruptive to students whether the work is through a language school, directly with a company or you have private students. Some courses do have end dates but quite often they're ongoing, or they used to be when I worked there.

Re: Celta etc. You usually do some kind of preliminary task before being accepted onto a course but you should be able to arrange something for July or whenever the next one is.
Why not do it Germany? You can through schools in Hamburg and Berlin; maybe elsewhere there. It goes without saying that holding a (presumably) German passport makes all of this so much easier for you.

[spiral78]

Just a bit to add to Artemesia's post:

You could also check CELTA courses also in Prague, if you don't find anything in Germany. The problem MAY be that the July/August courses are the most popular, as their students then finish just in time for the hiring season late August/early September. They may all be full, or just about!

I know a few teachers who do solely corporate work on a freelance basis (not affiliated with schools) in Germany. However, it took some time and local contacts and reputation to build up such contracts. I agree you may need some work through a language school (or two) to get started.