Job Discussion Forums

[artemisia]

What career possibilities are available for native English speakers in Italy, in any field, with fixed stages of progression? In any country? Especially for those who most likely don't speak or write fluently in the local language?

Security, never mind progressional possibilities, in education in general is becoming harder to find these days. Fixed-term contracts are a reality in universities and even public schools in some (many?) countries now. As with general teaching, ways 'up' for TEFL teachers often mean into management jobs and that doesn't suit everyone.

In a world economic recession � crisis in some cases � the squeeze is going to be on funding. This is especially true as so many institutions in English speaking countries are surprisingly dependent on international student fees.... something to do with government cuts. International students are no longer travelling abroad to study in large numbers and so education is the first to feel the pain of that.

The better qualified you are, the more chances you have as an English language teacher, but that might mean having to pack up and go where the work is. A lot of people don�t have that possibility and are just made redundant. If the international language changed and we were suddenly truly out of work (and put into the position of needing to learn another language ourselves to get anywhere professionally), I wonder how many would look back mournfully at the �heyday� of TEFL.

[Teacher in Rome]

Well yes, but you asked in which countries someone with an MA and 8 years' experience would earn as much (or as little) as an entry-level (CELTA) qualification. I might be able to negotiate a bit higher than others, perhaps because I do speak and write Italian more or less fluently, but generally, the pay is already set. My years of experience count for very little.

Funding has been cut from schools and universities here, leading to reduced hours and pay cuts for ELT teachers. Plenty of Italian teachers are also out of work, or work on supply. Maybe the situation is better in other places in Europe, but I wouldn't advise anyone to come here for the money.