Job Discussion Forums

brisket

I want to work in Europe. In a city.
The ideal would be to work in Spain or Germany, but I gather that as non-EU passport holder (New Zealander) Western Europe . I went to Poland briefly last year and liked it -- I'd jump at a job offer in Warsaw.

I'm 29 and about to finish a CELTA (pretty sure I'll pass). I have a BA in English and an MA (in Creative Writing, unfortunately). I'm healthy, sociable, tolerant etc. No drama queen issues with things 'not being like they are at home'. I don't need a huge wage because I'm single and frugal, but I do need enough that I can sock just a little aside. I'd like to live in a city big enough to have some interesting art etc going on.

I'd like a job starting this Oct/Nov.

Where should I concentrate my search? Is there anywhere west of Russia, Donetsk excepted, where a teaching newbie with a BA/CELTA combo has a good shot at jobs?

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject:

Forget the west of Russia! Come to the Motherland!

brisket · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 4:11 pm Post subject:

ahhh thanks SD.
Any other suggestions or advice?
How's the hiring situation in your neck of the woods?

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 4:19 pm Post subject:

You've missed the Sept peak, sadly, but hiring is basically year-round anyway. Next good time is New Year.

Visa process is a pain though - takes about 4 to 6 weeks. Should give you plenty of time for a Jan start.

Moscow has everything you could possible want in terms of art and culture. Mad mix of everything. Might have to whip our academies bask into Socialist Realist line.

Come to Russia! Join the Future!

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Non-EU citizen with BA and new CELTA (and CELTA earned outside of Europe means your practice teaching/students won't be very similar to those here), equals 'tough to find any job at all'. Seriously unlikely you'll get any offers from abroad; there are simply enough teachers here in Central Europe so that reputable schools don't need to take chances hiring anyone sight-unseen.

No, you can't get a work visa for Spain or the rest of Western Europe. Germany is a (difficult) option; you can read more about this on the Germany board here.

Focus on Central Europe (Poland, Czech Rep, Slovakia, etc.) where you can technically find legal work, though you're competing with UK teachers who don't need those tiresome visas and are therefore much more attractive to employers.

As Sasha notes, you are not in the peak hiring period. Most contracts are Sept-June, with a small hiring bump in January. You've only got 90 days to find a job and get paperwork underway (google Schengen zone if you're not already familiar), so you'll want to time this carefully. Pick one or two big cities, come over, and pound the pavements, CV in hand, looking polite and professional.
You could try this in Dec/Jan, but best bet is first of September.

Or go to Moscow; it's a super-intense city Cool

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Have you looked into possibility of citizenship through ancestry ? UK ? Ireland ?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Hmmm. Maybe I should do that; my ancestors were Scots:-)
Then I could vote on current issues Cool

brisket · Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 5:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks, guys.

Sadly, ancestry passport is not an option, as my ancestors all left Europe over a century ago.

I realise I'm not the most attractive hire, as a non-EU newbie. Hopefully I'm not the least attractive either.

As I said over in the Poland thread, I'm willing to fly over in three weeks on a tourist visa and approach employers in person -- if my chances of success, meaning employment and a work visa, are decent. So any opinions you have about the likelihood of success should I do this are very welcome.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 2:47 am Post subject:

Russia looks like an even better option now, then. Moscow always has some openings. Massive market, always something. How good or otherwise is another story, though...

Insubordination · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 394 Location: Sydney

You're 29 and from NZ, so you should *just* be eligible for a one year working holiday visa or similar. The cut-off date is usually 30 years of age. There are quite a lot of European countries on the list including Germany, Poland and Spain.

Obviously, look at the appropriate government website for the most up-to-date information, but here's an overview:

www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/