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originaluhtee
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 11
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 Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:44 pm Post subject: Actually SAVING money while working in Italy |
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Hello all,
I am considering going to teach English in Italy. What I'd like to know is whether there is any possibility of saving money doing this. I know that's subject to all sorts of individual circumstances, but here are my basic circumstances: I have perfectly fluent English, I am an Italian citizen, I speak rudimentary Italian, I have a BA from a highly selective American university, good recommendations, prior experience teaching EFL, a recognized TEFL qualification, and I'd be living a moderate lifestyle (ie, no heavy drinking, binge shopping, etc.). Would I be able to save money in a medium-sized city or a small town? If so, about how much?
Thanks for your help!!!
Best,
Diego |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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It all comes down to how much you earn vs how much your outgoings are.
A BA from a highly selective university doesn't matter much. More important is experience / qualifications and willingness to work as many hours as your school will give you. Most places will also allow you to take on private students, and you'll probably find that this will be your most lucrative avenue - as long as they don't cancel.
Have you had an offer from a school yet? If you've got a guarantee of a fixed number of hours per week / month in a relatively cheap town or city, you should be able to save some money. |
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John ELS
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Genoa, Italy
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Teacher in Rome wrote: |
A BA from a highly selective university doesn't matter much. More important is experience / qualifications and willingness to work as many hours as your school will give you. . |
Couldn't agree more here
| Teacher in Rome wrote: |
Most places will also allow you to take on private students . |
I'm afraid I have to disagree here. Most schools won't "allow" you to have privates but most teachers do it anyway. Most schools reluctantly tolerate it but there is always a conflict of interests in one way or an other.
| Teacher in Rome wrote: |
| and you'll probably find that this will be your most lucrative avenue - as long as they don't cancel. . |
You'll certainly get more per hour from privates for obvious reasons.
Can you save money? Probably not. But who cares? Just enjoy the Italian lifestyle while you're here. |
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Boy Wonder
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 453
Location: Clacton on sea
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| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:25 am Post subject: |
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Saving money!!!!!!!!!
They don't even pay you enough to live on there...
Unless you want to work like a navvy or live like a monk!
Just look at the kind of wages on offer on Tefl.com for the Italy jobs..an absolute joke.....700...800 euros a month.
You could get more than that in 2 weeks working in a shop in the UK...
I ended up having spent more than i was paid after a six month spell in Naples...disaster!!!
These schools rely in the main on naive, wide eyed 20 somethings who want to experience Italian life and until that changes people who actually want a reasonable wage there will just have to look elsewhere.
I did...!!
I get paid more in Thailand than i did in Italy......!!!
Now that is absurd!!!!!!!! |
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John ELS
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Genoa, Italy
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| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 11:11 am Post subject: |
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| Boy Wonder wrote: |
I get paid more in Thailand than i did in Italy......!!!
Now that is absurd!!!!!!!! |
Is it absurd to think that there are more EFL teachers in Italy than in Thailand? |
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Boy Wonder
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 453
Location: Clacton on sea
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:17 am Post subject: |
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Does the fact there are more TEFL teachers in other countries justify Italian TEFL salaries being so low?
In which case why aren't the wages in China/Poland/Turkey/Greece etc comparable ...because they are not!!
Italy is a developed Western European leading economy and paying TEFL teachers developing world salaries!!!
For the cost of living/getting by etc Italian wages are dreadful...
One school in Naples.....(Benedict School..hold your head up high).. even pays as little as 6.5 euros an hour....
Below minimum UK wage.....
Italy isnt that cheap...JohnEls.....to justify such crap money. |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 8:23 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Italy is a developed Western European leading economy and paying TEFL teachers developing world salaries!!! |
Italy's economy is one of the worst-performing in Europe - not to say that this excuses the appalling rates of pay in Benedict Schools.
But there are two points I'd like to make. Firstly, language schools in Italy have to be competitive. The fact that the economy is in the doldrums means that many companies are cutting back on training - and reducing their training spend. Language schools are competing in a shrinking market, and cutting costs in order to compete. In many cases, their profit margins are also pretty low.
The other point is that TEFL.com regularly post jobs for low-paying schools. This isn't the complete picture for Italy, though. Once in Italy, you're likely to find schools that pay more, though you'll also need to have decent qualifications and experience. |
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John ELS
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Genoa, Italy
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Boy Wonder wrote: |
One school in Naples.....(Benedict School..hold your head up high).. even pays as little as 6.5 euros an hour....
Below minimum UK wage.....
Italy isnt that cheap...JohnEls.....to justify such crap money. |
I'm just saying you CAN NOT compare job markets like that. You just can't. It's absurd. You can compare them and say, "Oh, they earn more there" (ok, interesting), but you can't say, "Oh, they earn more there so teachers in Italy should be earning at least that much".
The Benedict pays 6.5 an hour? First of all, that's Naples (the south), second, the Benedict is known for focussing on quantity not quality, so they hire whoever they can at the moment of need.
Read TinR's post, obviously someone who's been teaching in Italy for a while.
Anyway, back to the main topic of this thread. Can you save money teaching English in Italy? If you work through a school I seriously doubt it. But who cares. Just enjoy one of the most beautiful countries in the world. If your main goal is to earn and save money then you should choose another profession. If you choose to make Italy your home then you should work on your own. If you're good and you know how to sell yourself then you can start saving. |
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Boy Wonder
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 453
Location: Clacton on sea
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:11 am Post subject: |
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Look the likelihood is that you will NOT save any money while working in Italy.
On average the answer to the thread is a resounding NO.
I talked to people who had been in the country for 5-6 years or more and they hadn't saved anything and had nothing to show for their efforts in the bank.
These were people who had arrived to work at Language schools, taken privates and then set up their own Freelancing business or Language schools.
Italy is a great place to experience the culture/way of life for a while but in terms of saving anything long term..you can forget it. |
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John ELS
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Genoa, Italy
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:07 pm Post subject: . |
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Totally agree.
But saving also depends on how much you spend. I spend much much more money now than I did ten years ago. |
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John ELS
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Genoa, Italy
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Boy Wonder wrote: |
These were people who had arrived to work at Language schools, taken privates and then set up their own Freelancing business or Language schools.
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It also depends on how you manage your business. |
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Elizabeth Worthington
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 15
Location: London
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| Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject: Saving Money! |
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| Boy Wonder wrote: |
Italy is a great place to experience the culture/way of life for a while but in terms of saving anything long term..you can forget it. |
Since the Euro things have become very expensive especially in the North. Forget any thoughts of ever saving anything. |
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