Job Discussion Forums

[CW34]

Hi:

So I am planning on taking a Celta Course in the late spring/early summer of 2017 and I'm curious which location in Europe would be best for an American newbie looking for his first TESL job(s). I have dual citizenship with Ireland. I am debating between Sevilla, Spain and Prague, CR. I know they are two very different cultures but both interest me for different reasons. Does anyone have an opinion on which would be best for a first time TESL teacher with out any experience?

Thank You,
Chris

[Knedliki]

I'd recommend finding a good school first regardless of the location. Somewhere that's going to support you and develop your skills.
There's a lot of sketchy private schools across Europe, looking for a newbie to exploit.

[SammytheSlug]

[spiral78]

OP, where are you taking your CELTA? Taking a course in the country where you want to start teaching can be a useful tactic to help you find a good school to work in later (and offers many other benefits). Training centers know the local schools and can help put you in contact with good ones. It's also helpful to have experience teaching the local students, and walking around with your CV in person is far more likely to get you a good job than any distance tactics in this region.

I'm not speaking of the occasional 'job placement' promises made by some training centres. You will of course be responsible for following through with normal job search procedures like taking around your CV, interviewing and possibly teaching a demo lesson, and negotiating schedules and contracts.

On another note, your proposed timing is bad for Western and Central Europe. Most job contracts run Sept/Oct through June and it's very difficult to find work over the summer. If you can afford to hang around without a paycheque, then you can enjoy the summer; otherwise, aim for a course in August so that you can start your job search immediately afterwards.