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Any work for a 19-year-old?

 
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kingmalka



Joined: 09 Jun 2007
Posts: 133
Location: San Diego - Hong Kong

PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:31 am    Post subject: Any work for a 19-year-old? Reply with quote

To elaborate a little more, would there be any opportunities for a 19-year-old native English speaker with iT experience and a passion to teach to find work in Greece? I'm looking for a summer to summer "life experience" in a new country and culture; in essence, just something I'd really like to do before returning to school for another 4+ years.

Any personal experiencies and/or advice would be much appreciated!

- David

P.S. I have about $6,000 USD to invest in this adventure ... perhaps a little something to help get situated while looking for work? Could I get by on this?
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greece is hard for most people from non-EU countries, let alone if you don't have a degree or experience.
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Rooster_2006



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984

PostPosted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I completely understand where you're coming from -- I moved overseas when I was 19 -- I didn't want to get caught up in another four years of monotony, either (actually, I discovered that I didn't need to move back and do four years of monotony, because there are ample opportunities overseas so you can get your degree from overseas). Unfortunately, the EU is one of the most difficult places to do it, since you either need to have a gazillion degrees to get a visa sponsored, or you need to be an EU citizen because the workplace you're looking at won't sponsor a visa.

If you really want to do it, maybe there's a way, but from what I understand by reading your post:
1. You are 19 (I'm not ageist, but a lot of people are).
2. You don't have a degree.
3. You are not an EU citizen.
4. You are talking about working summers, not signing a one-year contract.

You may need to make some compromises to land a job. Maybe you can enroll in a school in Greece and subsidize it with teaching? Sometimes student visas allow limited working hours.

There are lots of countries where you COULD land a job, like China, Russia, etc. that only require a TEFL certificate. The EU is really tough, though.

Speaking of the TEFL certificate, seriously, get one. They only take about a month if you're diligent. I recommend CELTA if you're serious. It's expensive, but worth every penny, and especially respected in Europe -- it teaches you enough about English teaching that you hopefully won't get fired within the first week, and it shows employers in the first place that you have at least some clue of what you're doing. Put together a resume, too.

Maybe you have a convenient relative and can tap into a racist heritage visa. This is particularly useful for descendants of Asian countries (but also descendants of British grandmothers or grandfathers) -- often removes most restrictions on working in their "home" countries (that they may never have visited, but is of their "race"). This loophole would have allowed me to go to Germany and work up until a few years ago when it was eliminated because it was, well, racist and bigoted. However, it still exists for the UK, Korea, Japan, and possibly others as well. Check on Greece if you have Greek ancestors.

You should also check on Working Holiday to see if Greece is a member. If your home country is a member as well, this would allow you to teach English in some capacity for a year or so without too many legal encumbrances.

Finally, don't worry too much about being stuck in the four-year grind. You can stay overseas as long as you want -- there are associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhDs that can be earned entirely online. They may not be as prestigious as ones you can get in your own country, but living overseas is worth FAR more. If you're really a pro, you can earn money teaching English, learn the local language, and enter a top-tier school in the target country. In some cases, overseas countries give foreigners PREFERENTIAL treatment in school admissions (for example, Korea does this). I get so irritated when I try to convince my friends to come with me and teach English in China, and they all have these lame excuses like "oh, but I want to do a good graduate program so I can get a good government job, so I can't live in China and teach English for six months."

Anyways, good luck, and I sympathize with your dream. Start-up money is extremely important. I'd recommend putting together a little more, but you have a respectable amount. You see, it isn't just that you have to cover your living expenses -- the government of that country may want to see a huge wad of cash in order to issue you a visa. For example, Korea insists that I show them 3,000,000 won every term in my bank account after paying school tuition, just to show that I won't be a burden to them. Western countries often require a lot more.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where are you now Rooster? Korea?
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Rooster_2006



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984

PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

naturegirl321 wrote:
Where are you now Rooster? Korea?
Yes. Not exactly related to Greece, but the 19-year-old-wanting-to-live-abroad thing really called out to me.
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