Job Discussion Forums

[DrVanNostrand]

Hello all,

It's coming down to decision time and I need some help from the TEFL experts on the forum.

I've tossed around this idea of teaching abroad for a couple months now, both half-heartedly and with deep conviction. Usually when I get some crazy hair up my behind I lose interest within a day or two. But this desire to do something unique and life-altering has hardly wavered, leaving me with a huge decision to make: to TEFL or not to TEFL.

A few weeks ago, I came to the forum seeking financial and general knowledge of the occupation, most specifically in the Czech Republic.

Now I come seeking perspective.

My biggest fear, aside from radical change, is not being cut out for the TEFL profession. I have the credentials (BA and American teaching license) to land a job in the Czech Republic. I understand what it takes to teach children, how to manage a classroom, and the level of dedication needed to be a successful educator. I'm not just some backpacker with no job experience looking to make an easy buck abroad. So, I'm not overly concerned with the teaching aspect of the job, though I fully anticipate a challenge (couldn't be much harder than working at a Title 1 inner city middle school here in the States, though the concept is probably a little different).

That said - and what I'm getting at - what kind of person does it take to live and teach abroad?

How did some of you guys come to the decision to make the plunge?

Do you find it relatively easy to socialize and make friends assuming you put yourself in conducive social settings (big cities, schools with other TEFLers)?

What kind of people would you not recommend this line of work for?

I get the feeling that the challenge of TEFL'ing is two-fold:

1. Adjusting to teaching
2. Adjusting to life abroad

The teaching side I feel like I can handle. However, it's the life abroad thing that makes me really question whether or not this is a worthwhile option.

So, with all that said - hopefully it wasn't too general - what kind of person does it take to TEFL, and what kind of person would you recommend it to?

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

-Doc

[sweeney66]

It really helps to be easy-going, calm, patient, tolerant of ambiguity, and not attached to getting your own way. And able to spend time alone. IMHO.

[spiral78]

You're highly unlikely to land a job in a classroom teaching children. Not because you don't have the qualifications, but because they are very rare. You essentially need local contacts, reputation, and language skill to get these jobs - or serious levels of good luck and timing.

You will be far more likely to find yourself teaching businesspeople in their offices. This is the bulk of language teaching through private schools in the CR, as it is in most of Europe. It's conceptually a far cry from any Title 1 classroom in the States, as I know from personal experience.

I hope you're planning to take a basic certification course in Prague, assuming that the CR is your destination. This is really the best way to get started on both areas of your concern!! The local orientation and contacts are invaluable, not to mention real teaching practice in the context in which you'll be working.

Expect to be hanging out with other expats for your first year. Czechs are fairly introverted and the fact that you're a native English speaker doesn't carry much cache these days - there are 100,000 such people living in Prague alone, and have been for years now. When one ultimately does make Czech friends, however, they are very genuine. And expats can be quite interesting and accepting company.

Sweeny's right - tolerance of ambiguity and an ability to enjoy your own company is essential. People who need predictability or who are hung up on 'western' lifestyle accoutrements often aren't happy through such a move.

[Chris Westergaard]

Spiral I have to disagree with you on the teaching children. I would say about 1-2 of our grads per course find jobs teaching kids in preschools.

[spiral78]

Interesting. A change in the market over the past few years?

Still, preschoolers aren't the same animals to grade schoolers. Not at all.

[ITTP]

[spiral78]

I had no intention to imply that I think children are animals!!
I think 'those are different animals' used to compare two unlike things is a somewhat common usage. Maybe the metaphore's outdated?

Sorry. I'm sure your daughter's no animal in any way

Very interesting about the new market niche. I was corresponding with some poster about this phenomenon in Spain. I agree that it sounds very risky, to send uncredentialed teachers into classrooms with preschoolers!!

I have also taught high schoolers in the CR and really enjoyed that - but the pay only worked for me because I had no housing costs. It was quite low, relative to working with businesspeople. That was a few years ago, and I don't know how the pay scale may have changed since. But I expect those jobs are fairly rare.

[ITTP]

My daughter is wild though

Yes, the actual high school teaching jobs tend to be exclusively available outside of Prague and usually come as a package; free housing, meals included, etc.

Neville

ITTP Prague
Jungmannova 32
Prague 1

[spiral78]

Why are we posting at 5.40 am?
Sleepless in Central Europe...

(well, I'm currently in Nederlands, but same time)

[ITTP]

I always wake up this early.
Can manage just 4 or 5 hours of sleep.
Find I am at my best between 4:00-7:00am

Have a good day!

Neville

ITTP Prague
Jungmannova 32
Prague 1

[spiral78]

You're a proper Czech

I think lots of newbs are impressed with the fact that teaching often begins at 7 am in the CR. My first year I started at 7.00 five days per week. This worked for me, but lots of newbs seem to be geared for a nine-to-five and find the early mornings tough.

I thought it quite interesting that Moscow is generally asleep until 8 am and even the supermarkets don't open until 9.00, if my neighborhood was typical (and I think it was - way down southeast in the textile mill area of the city). Czechs would find this quite abnormal...

We had a holiday in Trebon last year, where the hotel breakfast began at 6 and ended at 8.00. I showed up at 8.05 once, and the waiter wanted to know why we'd slept so late. (well, because we were on holiday!!). But that place still had the salt in those unsanitary little bowls you dip from with your fingers, as well. Some modernization would have been useful.


I'm at my best by 7 am, but I've got 8 full-on contact hours today with Dutch uni students, and I WISH I could have slept in until my normal 6.30. I'm going to be wiped out by evening. Not that it's particularly relevant to anything going on here at Dave's - sorry to get personal. Perhaps I've done it because it's still just 6 am and my judgement's questionable?

[biffinbridge]

A few thoughts re the OP.

My first qualified teaching job was in the Czech Republic way back in 95 and I've since worked in Poland, the UK, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Libya (several times). A couple of the things you mentioned have provoked this response.

1. Nobody makes a 'quick buck' in TEFL, not even backpackers. In general you'll be working long hours for poor pay. You will have few employment rights. Be prepared to be paid late, have money taken from your salary, have unpaid work related travel and so on. It's always best to plan for the worst case scenario, so bring money with you to live for 3 months.

2. All sorts of people become teachers and you'll meet serious types, happy clappy Christian types, self-important types, boozehounds, sex tourists and so on....there are a lot of weirdos in EFL.

3. North Americans need to understand that life in Central Europe is no longer cheap unless you're prepared to live in a dump and eat hotdogs. Going out can cost as much as it does in the Uk, which is a lot more than it costs in the States or Canada.

[johnnyappleseed]

Hi, just to give a bit of perspective...

Biffinbridge is right about prices having increased here, especially when translated into dollars. Right also about not making tons of money, especially at first. Also excellent advice about bringing enough money to live on for several months.

But, while I can't say how much it costs to go out in the UK, having just visited the USA a month or two ago, I would say the price of going out is still cheaper than it is in the USA in absolute terms, if you drink beer--which of course is higher quality here than the most common and cheapest beers in America. Lunch "menus"(i.e. lunch specials) are still very cheap at most restarants.

. Adjusted for a lower wage it's about the same. While you wouldn't be able to go out to eat THAT often, if you are able to cook at home I can assure that even on a teacher's wage you can eat more than just hot dogs.

[Sigma]

[Aussie Chick]