Job Discussion Forums

[willowc]

I just got back from an extended trip in Europe where I met a lot of ESL teachers, most of whom were working in EU countries without certifications. I am not saying that you should arrive unprepared, but if you do find yourself stuck in Europe and in need of a job you would be able to find work. The overwhelming advice was to get certified and come back ready to knock on doors and go through the phone directories. Also, there seems to be a misconception that it's difficult to find work in EU countries. As long as you speak English and are working in a field that requires native speakers of English (ie. teaching), you shouldn't have a problem. In fact, Germany loves American teachers.

I have not spent any time teaching in Europe, but this is what I learned from many, many conversations with ESL teachers in Europe. I do plan to return and teach, but I decided that right now is not the right time for me.

[spiral78]

I spent four months in Croatia, but not that close to Dubrovnik...though I visited. I was just north of Trogir, which is just north of Split.
I might be able to tell you one or two useful things, though....
Travel between towns is (was, probably still is) relatively slow and limited. To get out of my little burg, I had to hike 45 minutes to catch the one outward-bound bus at 7.45 am, which carried schoolkids and pensioners and anybody going to market. There was one inward-bound bus, at 17.30. That bus took over one hour to cover the same distance that I drove in less than 15 minutes once or twice in a rental car. But don't imagine that cycling will be the answer! The landscape (around Dubrovnik as well) is pretty hilly, verging on mountainous, and the roadways are narrow, winding, and congested with wildly speeding drivers. After transporting my bike (and I'm an intrepid cyclist) all the way from Prague, I ended up using it only once in the four months I lived there - I locked it away out of utter fear after that experience!!

My point is that if you are living in Dubrovnik and won't have a car, your viable job options are realistically limited to Dubrovnik. You will probably find some work there, but expect to be scraping by. And it's extremely doubtful that you'll find anything in advance, from abroad.

I have an MA (TESL/TEFL)- it's not a lack of qualifications, it's just the situation there on the ground....very little money floating around, though the people are absolutely lovely, and I must say I envy your living around Dubrovnik. I would jump at the chance to spend a year there myself, though I'd want to make sure I had a financial cushion and wouldn't be scrambling to support myself.

[mdk]

I spent a week or so in Dubrovnik last summer. I still get the shakes when I remember taking the bus back over to Montenegro and would be very reluctant to take any bus trip in the Balkans.

The way to get around outside of Dubrovnik is by ferry. Due to unfortunate history you won't find anything much going south, but there is lot's of traffic around the adriatic riviera.

I didn't look for work while I was there, but there were a lot of English speakers and a lot of tourists. My sense was that you could - with time - find some sort of employment, even if it wasn't teaching English and private lessons shouldn't be too hard to find, even if there weren't enough to pay the rent.

As to housing, there were the official hotels and then there were notices around about having a flat to rent. It's like any tourist town.

I also agree with spiral78 about cycling in the area. You would need a death wish.

[spiral78]

Something very strange has happened with this thread: it seems a new post (on a different topic) has been appended with two older posts on a different topic entirely!!

Anyway, the new poster is apparently trying to convince us that it's no problem to find work in Europe, whether you're an EU member citizen or not, and whether or not you have certification - based on her many, many conversations with ESL teachers in Europe.

Hmmm. Right.

[Nutmegger]