Job Discussion Forums

[wanttoteach1]

So, let's start with my primary objectives to considering this path.

A1) I would like to move to Europe and live there.
A2) I would like to have an easy way outside of traditional job offers, which are difficult to attain, in order to gain the freedom to long-term stay in Europe, through a work visa or the like.
A3) I would like to leverage my deep and complete knowledge of the English language to help me do so.

Also, I do not really want to do this forever. I would like to use some English teaching for perhaps a year or more primarily for:

B1) Helping establish me to live in a country in Europe. France, ideally.
B2) Help insert me into the local community so that I am not so much a "tourist" per se, but rather more of a part of the community so I can assimilate and learn the cultures and traditions and make friends etc.
B3) So that I can have a powerful opportunity to learn the language, French ideally, without having to become fluent in it *first* (although I totally plan to learn a bit beforehand), and also as a way to have cultural immersion to help learn the language well.
B4) I would like to use this time and temporary career path to earn a bit while spending little to pay off my student loans as quickly as possible.

So, it seems that the easiest way to reach my objectives is to teach English. Hence, #A3.

So far, I am aware of the following factors:

C1) most if not all european countries require a bachelor's degree to teach english.
C2) some sort of TEFL certification is required, at a minimum of 120 hours.
C3) there is a good possibility of getting a work visa by acquiring a teaching english job.
C4) there may be high demand for teaching english in many european countries.
C5) many tefl courses offer job placement to help you find a job in your desired location.

Ok, so now you need to know the following factors regarding myself.

D1) I will have my bachelor's degree by next year. In business.
D2) I signed up for a TEFL course for 210 hours the other day, from LoveTEFL.
D3) I have no prior teaching experience.
D4) I only have self-employment work experience.
D5) I really want to move to Europe. My preferred country is: France. Secondary countries are: Germany, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Ireland.
D6) I know a small amount of Russian and am still learning, and plan on learning French as well.
D7) My nationality is American, I am an American citizen, born and raised in the US.
D8] I have a US Passport.
D9) No legal troubles.
D10) No debt troubles besides quite a bit of student loans (around $30,000)
D11) Despite having no professional teaching experience or training, I am inherently a good teacher. Also I am an INFJ. One of the primary professions for INFJs is teaching. Ironically, years ago in college I remember saying "I'll never be a teacher" but here I am.
D12) I am over 25 (legally old enough to work is what is emphasized here, I am an adult).
D13) I am excellent at English. For example, I had a college reading level in 8th grade, and writing papers in college was always the easiest thing, it just comes naturally to me. I received an A on all my papers I ever wrote in college. Add to that that I wrote them all the day they were due, I just sat down and wrote 10 pages for 6-8 hours with no prior work or research regarding the papers, turned it in and got an A. Easy.

So, now that I have summarized who I am, where I am at, and what I know and have, maybe you can help me.

I do not know if LoveTEFL is worth it. I read on another website that a $200 course you get what you pay for. I learned about CELTA, it is at minimum $2000, which, I would be open to, hesitantly, if it would be required to reach my objectives.

I do not really want to get a Master's degree in teaching or English. Although I would like to get an MBA.

So then, I suppose my original questions would be:
a) Should I cancel LoveTEFL?
b) Should I go for a CELTA certified course?
c) How difficult will it be to find a TEFL job in my desired country(ies)?
d) Is it reasonably viable to consider teaching English in France as a path of my life?
e) Am I correct regarding my understandings above? Such as, finding an English teaching job to help obtain a work visa easily for long-term stay?
f) Will it be difficult to attain employment with only a degree and TEFL or CELTA and no prior teaching experience? (If so, what are your recommendations?)
g) Is it easier to obtain employment as an English teacher in Europe such as France or am I totally wrong regarding this being an easier path?
h) Any other recommendations, considerations, or suggestions you have for me?

[nomad soul]

I pulled out the key pieces of your post:

[scot47]

France ? Not much chance. Outwith the EU might be easier, but with an unrecognised cert, US nationality and Zero experience your chances are not good.

Have you thought about the Peace Corps ? They don't do France but there are other places !

[mitsui]

I would say try Spain since I have heard of Americans working there.

I worked in Poland so I would say try eastern Europe, or at least those countries outside (and east) of the EU.

The American I know who did work in Paris worked as a study abroad co-ordinator for American university students.

I knew an American with a French wife and he said he would have been able to teach legally in France.

Also, at summer camps in the UK, people from North America do get hired.

Russia is the easiest choice. I taught there. Poland is possible.

I know a British man who worked in Germany and all he could get was part time work teaching business English.

[santi84]

Your post is very long. Bottom line is that you don't have an EU passport, you have no qualifications, no experience in teaching, no credentials (LoveTEFL does not meet industry standard), and you don't really want to teach more than a year anyways. I recommend finding an alternate path. Maybe your self-employment or business connections can help.

I would recommend maybe spending some time volunteering in an ESL class at home. If you mention a specific personality type diagnosis, lit college paper grades, and genetic descent, you're going to prove that you have no idea what matters in an ESL class. It's not about that.

[Xie Lin]

There are many threads here posted by Americans wanting to work in Europe. It would be worth your time to browse through them. You will find that it is close to impossible for someone with your (lack of) qualifications to work legally in western Europe. Germany remains a possibility, but difficult; and you can also work legally in Russia. Currently, one of the easiest countries for a newbie American to get a start is probably the Czech Republic. Check out those three countries, as well as the General Europe Forum for threads on Americans finding work and what qualifications are needed.

Forget LoveTEFL. The very name will cause potential employers to cringe. You don't need a CELTA, but you do need a solid equivalent TEFL course. For example: there are half a dozen decent quality courses in the $1,100 to $1,400 range offered in Prague, courses that would be recognized and accepted by European employers. (120-hour on-site course with minimum of 6 observed hours teaching real EFL students.)

One possibility to look into is the Teaching Assistant Program in France. It requires a French language level of B1, I think. (Since you want to teach in France, no doubt you are already learning French.) This is the best, if not the only, possibility for teaching English in France for someone with minimal qualifications and a non-EU passport. And you still have time to gain some volunteer ESL experience to demonstrate the required "interest in education" and experience that will make you more competetive.

http://highereducation.frenchculture.org/teach-in-france

.

[spiral78]

[scot47]

Ability to prove Aryan descent is no longer required. The rules changed in 1945.

"D11) I am of primarily Belgium/French decent, as far as I am aware. I am a white, blonde caucasian. Would very well fit in with french, belgium, german, or russian people."

I missed that when first looking through your Press Release.

[Teacher in Rome]

[wanttoteach1]

Hi all, thank you all so much for your quick replies. It was very informative and has dispelled a lot of misconceptions that I have had due to not being able to talk to anyone who really knows anything.

LoveTEFL had repeatedly told me, despite my repeated inquiries into working in western europe namely France, that it was easy and there was a high demand for my US passport. However, it seems it was all nothing but a sales pitch.

I had been under the illusion that I could get a teaching job in Europe due to the high demand. However, it seems that perhaps the only places I might be able to land an ESL teaching job in Europe is eastern europe, and only perhaps, but more likely a poor asian country such as Thailand or Japan. However, I do not want to go to asia.

Perhaps I should plan out a different course of action.

What about Russia or Germany though, where in Russia or Germany would I need to go, and even then would it still be highly competitive, does it require a CELTA and not generic TEFL, does it require experience, etc.?

What should be my next courses of action? Thank you for the help so far.

[Teacher in Rome]

Oh, you edited out the bit where you said you were white, blonde and Caucasian descent?? I could have had some fun there...

But as for this:

[penguin2004]

Remember the UK and Ireland are really close to continental Europe and provide a ready supply of lots of native English speakers all ready to work in Western EU (especially wanting to work in France/Spain/Italy for obvious reasons). Employers won't employ someone without an EU passport if they can employ someone with.

I met a fair few Americans in Poland/Slovakia/Czech Republic. Ask on the forums for those countries, as Central EU may be your best bet (it's pretty nice, IMO, but the money for newbies is pretty low and you definitely won't be paying any loans off - for this, go to Asia).

CELTA, Trinity TESOL or equivalent are -the basic- qualification for any English-teaching job in EU. Don't waste money on some cheesy-sounding unknown qualification, please!

TLDR: You CAN get a job in EU, but maybe not in your ideal countries. You need a CELTA or equivalent first. You can DEFINITELY save more money in Asia, where simply being an English speaker makes you in demand.
======================

edit - whilst I was writing this you added above that you don't want to go to Asia. But it is SO MUCH easier for a newbie to make money in Asia than EU - take it from one who has done both. It is all about supply and demand.

Oh, and I doubt Japan would appreciate being called a 'poor Asian country'.

[penguin2004]

[wanttoteach1]

I should clarify that I did not intend to call Japan a poor country. I know that in fact Japan has one of the largest economies in the world, so don't worry

It seems in my carelessness about grammatical and punctuation accuracy when writing on forums, I failed to submit a comma between, "poor countries such as Thailand>> , << or [other asian countries such as] Japan."

;P

[rtm]