Job Discussion Forums

[leretif9]

Hi,

I am a native English speaker with a U.S. passport, a BA (English) and a TEFL Cert from Oxford Seminars. And no previous ESL teaching experience...

I will be sixty when I am in Serbia, Bosnia, Romania and Bulgaria -- how likely does it seem that I will be able to find work adequate to pay rent on a one bedroom apartment in a working class area of a town with some intellectual/cultural life like Sofia or Belgrade?

I want out of the U.S. on a log-term basis!

Thanks.

[Rehcra]

From a quick look at their website, it seems that the Oxford Seminars course does not include observed teaching practice. If that's so, then a reputable school would not touch you, I'm afraid.

[leretif9]

Agreed, Oxford Seminars is pretty much worthless. However, "reputable schools" might be setting the bar a bit high -- what about other options that will allow me to buy groceries and pay the rent on time?

Thanks.

[spiral78]

Pay in none of the countries you mention is great even for highly qualified teachers. You'll be barely scraping by if you are lucky.

[General Disarray]

Belgrade isn't a cheap city;

A good friend of mine married a Serbian girl and lives in the north in a small town; the local language school paid him $8 an hour I think which was a good rate given the town, but he gave the job up saying it wasn't worth it considering the difference to online teaching, marking and lesson planning.

He makes more than enough for online teaching though to meet all expenses ($14 an hour roughly, so $1200-$1300 a month).

I lived in Budapest for 5 years; UK passport and a CELTA, I would only go back to that part of the world to teach English again with an online job as my main income and top up with private, language schools. The hours would dovetail nicely as well.

8 years ago; they paid 2600HUF an hour for English teachers, last time I heard which was last year; a friend of mine was getting paid 2700HUF an hour to teach English.

While rent has almost doubled.

[Blackbear]

[spiral78]

A CELTA or equivalent with the observed practicum would be better - having taught a content subject in the first language of the students isn't indicative of ability to teach a second language. The skill sets required overlap somewhat but not a great deal.

[Blackbear]