Job Discussion Forums

[expatinsf]

Hello can any teachers in Rome please let me know the best time to find work. I was there last month and went to a few schools and they told me to come back in September. I am planning to take a TEFL course for a month in Rome probably in September. Is there a certain date in September that the hiring begins? Would appreciate any feedback on teaching and living in Rome thanks

[ilaria]

Hi, expatinsf. I'm not in Rome but I can give you a little help with 'when hiring begins'. At this time of year (heading for May), schools start asking their teachers who wants to come back next year, and teachers start asking themselves if they really want to stay at this school! Really well-organised schools start interviewing candidates for September in late May or June. You'll see plenty of job ads on tefl.com etc around then. However, most schools are not well-organised, and they leave their recruitment till later.

After the Cambridge exams and the end of the state school/university terms (early to mid June), most language schools start winding down their activities and by mid July they will be more or less closed for the summer holidays. Don't go looking for a job in August, and don't email schools and expect a reply. Italy in August is shut.

The first and second weeks of September are good for job-hunting. By this time even the really disorganised schools will know which of their teachers are not returning. However, schools may continue to recruit into mid October if student demand is higher than expected or if they gain a big off-site contract at the last minute.

So, come in the first week of September, and hope to be hired within a couple of weeks, but have enough money to last a couple of months - it might possibly be a month or so before you find a decent job (it depends how hireable you are and what pay and conditions you expect from a school), and you won't be paid until you've worked your first month. If you don't have an EU passport, you'll have more difficulty finding work, and the work you do find will be illegal. But hey, no skin off my nose.

If you do your TEFL course in Rome in September, you'll be sorted. Course providers usually have good links with local employers and they can give you a lot of help and advice.

[SueH]

I'd second Ilaria's reply (although I'm at the other end of the country).

I think if you end up teaching in Rome with no other funds it may be nearer existing than living, but you may get lucky.

[expatinsf]

hello thank you both for your input. I do have an EU passport ( British) so hopefully everything will be fine . The school I'm taking the course with told me that September is a good time to go . Just wondering how long have you been living in Italy ? Do you just work in a school or do you also give private lessons? I did live in Spain a few years ago and did well just teaching privately. Any input on private lessons? I appreciate any advice ! thanks

[SueH]

aha, the sf ca address made us assume the worse! It'll make finding work a lot easier and you'll be legal.

I can't comment on private lessons really. It's all I do, but I'm semi-retired so I don't hustle much. It's getting quieter now, so bear in mind the seasonality of teaching here, even for privates. Rates vary but in spite of being retired I don't try and under-cut the market - solidarity brothers and sisters!

I'm sure you could survive on privates in Rome but you'd need Italian for all the marketing/admin and reassure the less confident students. You'd also need savings to tide you over whilst developing your clientele.

[expatinsf]

thanks you Sue H . I was thinking to do some private lessons just in case I needed to make some extra money.I'm learning Italian at the moment here in San Francisco. Would you mind if I asked you how long you have been living in Italy and teaching? I have been living here in the US for many years and am hoping to make this move later in the year. I have been to Rome 3 times and love it there. I will make sure to have enough money to keep me going for the first few months till I get on my feet. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Also do you think the TEFL certificate is good enough to get a decent job? I did teach in Spain for 4 years and did well there but I didn't have any certificate then , thanks

[SueH]

I'm a career changer following redundancy so have only been teaching since 2002; firstly just a summer school and then (very) part-time work. I've been here just over a year, but I grew up in Italy 40 years ago as an expat brat, so I can gabble away inaccurately.

Incidentally, I grew up in Rome, but thought it best not to go back there after all this time.

I'm not sure about the difference qualifications will make, although I have the CELTA and lots of commercial experience. Many Italians have them coming out of their ears, but it sometimes seems that here study is often just an alternative to unemployment. I'm sure a cert would help, as will your experience, but presentation/professionalism when meeting people helps.

[ilaria]

Expat in SF, you say you've done privates before in Spain, so I'm sure you already know the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of work. More than anything else, your success will depend on your personality. If you're the type to go knocking on doors, go for it. If you'd rather sit in your apartment counting your dwindling supply of euros than go out and market your skills, then trying to rely on private students for your main income in a new country is not for you.

Consider getting full-time or part-time work in a language school or in a company for your first nine months while you build up your network of friendships and contacts in Rome.

If you're looking at doing only or mainly private lessons, you'll need a partita IVA (VAT number) - also very helpful for getting part time work and short courses with schools and companies.

Italians love their qualifications, as Sue H noted... If you've not got a degree, the CELTA would be very helpful, but not the be-all-and-end-all. Most employers look for someone who is a native speaker, has EU working papers, has a professional appearance and attitude, has teaching experience (in-company business experience is particularly helpful, or real skills and experience with young children), has teaching qualifications and has a degree - in roughly that order. The more boxes you tick the better! Cynics would say that being young, female and blonde should be first on that list, though...

[expatinsf]

Thank you Ilaria for your input.I appreciate all the advice you are all giving me. I am planning to hopefully get a job in a school and if I need extra money then look into private. When I lived in Spain I taught at an academy then after being there for a year I knew enough people to go out on my own and do private lessons. At that time I made more money doing that as I constantly got referals from my students. At this time I cannot afford the Celta program but am doing a TEFL course offered in Rome . I have an outgoing , friendly yet professional personality so I think I will do fine . As I mentioned I did visit some schools on a recent trip to Rome and they seemed more interested in being mother tongue and having a British passport then having degrees, but this was just my experience in 3 schools out of 5 I went to . The other two wanted a degree but to be honest one of the directors was so snooty and obviously hated living in Italy I did't care to work there anyway. I will go out and look hard for work and hope to succeed !

[ilaria]

Ah, now I understand your question about 'do you think the TEFL certificate is good enough to get a decent job?'! OK, the CELTA or Trinity TESOL have brand recognition and when you see those names you are pretty much guaranteed a quality course. It's true that they can be expensive! Which TEFL course are you considering in Rome? As long as it is 100+ hours with minimum 6 hours of observed teaching practice with real students (not peer teaching), it should be considered CELTA-equivalent by employers.

[expatinsf]

HI Ilaria, the course I am taking is an intensive course that is for a month . Monday - Friday going from 9.30am till around 1.30pm lunch then back again till around 7or 8 depending if it is your turn to give a lesson to students so there is also some hands on teaching with the tutor observing. They have told me they are usually able to place teachers upon completion of the course. I imagine that this one is better than those online TEFL courses offered for $295 mine is costing around $ 1700 more or less. thanks

[ilaria]

Your course sounds fine - CELTA equivalent.

$1700... ouch. On the bright(ish) side, that's only about �850 at current exchange rates - the same as my CELTA cost in 2001.

You've obviously done your homework about working in Italy and in general it seems like you're on the right track! Good luck and let us know how the course goes and how you get on with the job search.

[expatinsf]

Hi Ilaria thanks for everything. I am going early september to do the course and will complete it by October 5th. The school says it will help to find work but of course I will look also . Did make some contacts while I was there last month . Will keep you updated !

[RonnieColeman]

Hi i was just browsing through this thread and would also like to thank Ilaria for the info provided!

[ilaria]

Prego.