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PF
Joined: 18 Sep 2007
Posts: 11
Location: USA
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 Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 6:10 pm Post subject: Rookie advice |
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I'm 1/3 of the way through an on line TEFL course, and so far I'm finding the work interesting and rewarding. My tentative plans are to complete the course with the possibly of moving to Italy in 2008 to teach. Has anyone here taught in Italy before? What advice would you give to a rookie like myself? Thank you.
-PF |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:48 am Post subject: |
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Well, it's mostly bad news, I'm afraid.
Unless you have a second citizenship in an EU member country, US citizens can't work legally as English teachers in Italy. Marry an Italian citizen (or other EU member national), go over on a work-study program through a US university, or get a job in a US based company with branches in Italy, to be legal. Not teaching English.
Ditto Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, etc.
You can find legal work in most 'new' EU member countries (such as the Czech Rep or Poland).
But your certification is important:
Newbie teachers in Europe nearly all have on-site certification. The European standard is 100+ hours on-site, with at least 6 hours of supervised teaching practice with feedback from qualified teacher trainers. On-line certs don't offer supervised teaching practice, and employers are aware of the distinction.
You will need to probably do some volunteer teaching and get letters of recommendation from someone in charge of a program to offset your online cert. |
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bejarano
Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 67
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Well, it's mostly bad news, I'm afraid.
Unless you have a second citizenship in an EU member country, US citizens can't work legally as English teachers in Italy. Marry an Italian citizen (or other EU member national), go over on a work-study program through a US university, or get a job in a US based company with branches in Italy, to be legal. Not teaching English.
Ditto Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, etc.
You can find legal work in most 'new' EU member countries (such as the Czech Rep or Poland).
But your certification is important:
Newbie teachers in Europe nearly all have on-site certification. The European standard is 100+ hours on-site, with at least 6 hours of supervised teaching practice with feedback from qualified teacher trainers. On-line certs don't offer supervised teaching practice, and employers are aware of the distinction.
You will need to probably do some volunteer teaching and get letters of recommendation from someone in charge of a program to offset your online cert. |
Spiral, I bet you feel like banging your head against a brick wall! 
You can tell these muppets till you are blue in the face but it doesn't seem to make any difference, they must want to be exploited and work for peanuts, without any social security, in some of the most expensive countries on the planet.
Rather them than me though. All I say to illegal EFL teachers is don't come here whinging when your school fires you with zero notice because they have hired a South African whose a 100 Euros a month cheaper than you.
But I will give you some decent advice PF: Any school worth their salt will want a degree - your CELTA is worth more with a degree as anyone will tell you.
If you really want to work in Italy, go to South Korea first where you should find a legal teaching job easily enough, save money for a year and then you can go to Italy with your savings and work on the black without worrying about your wages or your legal status.
Working illegally anywhere in Europe without at least 15,000 dollars in savings as back up after your airfare and starting up costs is a bad idea.
People will tell you it can be done and cite themselves as examples but all they have been is damn lucky!
But it is up to you in the end!  |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:13 am Post subject: |
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| bejarano wrote: |
| spiral78 wrote: |
Well, it's mostly bad news, I'm afraid.
Unless you have a second citizenship in an EU member country, US citizens can't work legally as English teachers in Italy. Marry an Italian citizen (or other EU member national), go over on a work-study program through a US university, or get a job in a US based company with branches in Italy, to be legal. Not teaching English.
Ditto Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, etc.
You can find legal work in most 'new' EU member countries (such as the Czech Rep or Poland).
But your certification is important:
Newbie teachers in Europe nearly all have on-site certification. The European standard is 100+ hours on-site, with at least 6 hours of supervised teaching practice with feedback from qualified teacher trainers. On-line certs don't offer supervised teaching practice, and employers are aware of the distinction.
You will need to probably do some volunteer teaching and get letters of recommendation from someone in charge of a program to offset your online cert. |
Spiral, I bet you feel like banging your head against a brick wall!
You can tell these muppets till you are blue in the face but it doesn't seem to make any difference, they must want to be exploited and work for peanuts, without any social security, in some of the most expensive countries on the planet.
Rather them than me though. All I say to illegal EFL teachers is don't come here whinging when your school fires you with zero notice because they have hired a South African whose a 100 Euros a month cheaper than you.
But I will give you some decent advice PF: Any school worth their salt will want a degree - your CELTA is worth more with a degree as anyone will tell you.
If you really want to work in Italy, go to South Korea first where you should find a legal teaching job easily enough, save money for a year and then you can go to Italy with your savings and work on the black without worrying about your wages or your legal status.
Working illegally anywhere in Europe without at least 15,000 dollars in savings as back up after your airfare and starting up costs is a bad idea.
People will tell you it can be done and cite themselves as examples but all they have been is damn lucky!
But it is up to you in the end! |
Down wif da bloo'y stupid yanks!
In the meantime I patiently await my own EU pass whilst wasting away in this shithole called S.Korea... |
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bejarano
Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 67
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:31 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Down wif da bloo'y stupid yanks!
In the meantime I patiently await my own EU pass whilst wasting away in this *beep* called S.Korea... |
Down wif da bloo'y stupid illegal scab labour!
Doesn't matter where they come from, facts are legal salaries in the EFL teaching market in Europe are low as it is.
Does anybody honestly think it is a good idea to work illegally, without a social security network behind them, even for a year?
If you have a NA accent you can walk into any job in Asia.
All I will advise is to use that to your advantage - come to Europe with money!
Do you think some language academy boss hiring illegal American or Australians has any more or less scruples than a construction gang boss hiring illegal Morrocans?
The colour of your skin or the type of non EU passport you hold will not save you from exploitation. |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:39 am Post subject: |
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| bejarano wrote: |
| Quote: |
Down wif da bloo'y stupid yanks!
In the meantime I patiently await my own EU pass whilst wasting away in this *beep* called S.Korea... |
Down wif da bloo'y stupid illegal scab labour!
Doesn't matter where they come from, facts are legal salaries in the EFL teaching market in Europe are low as it is.
Does anybody honestly think it is a good idea to work illegally, without a social security network behind them, even for a year?
If you have a NA accent you can walk into any job in Asia.
All I will advise is to use that to your advantage - come to Europe with money!
Do you think some language academy boss hiring illegal American or Australians has any more or less scruples than a construction gang boss hiring illegal Morrocans?
The colour of your skin or the type of non EU passport you hold will not save you from exploitation. |
Mate, I know the deal, lived in Europe for 8 years before coming to this dump of a country. My Hungarian passport is being processed right now so in a few months I needn't worry about all that shite anymore. Hell I used to tell newbies here the same thing and it does get old after a while. Honestly I would only work EFL in Europe as a side job in the future. Why? No money, not like in Korea or even Japan. Na, going to try for an academic position and if that's doesn't work, well hello Nihon!
EFL salaries in Europe are crap and just aren't worth the effort, unless you are a 22 year old fresh out of uni bloke. Na...never again...man does it get old telling these yanks the deal with the EU... |
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bejarano
Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 67
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:03 am Post subject: |
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Mate, I know the deal, lived in Europe for 8 years before coming to this dump of a country. My Hungarian passport is being processed right now so in a few months I needn't worry about all that *beep* anymore. Hell I used to tell newbies here the same thing and it does get old after a while. Honestly I would only work EFL in Europe as a side job in the future. Why? No money, not like in Korea or even Japan. Na, going to try for an academic position and if that's doesn't work, well hello Nihon!
EFL salaries in Europe are crap and just aren't worth the effort, unless you are a 22 year old fresh out of uni bloke. Na...never again...man does it get old telling these yanks the deal with the EU... |
If you are of the Australian-Hungarian persuasion. Come to the UK and work for the job centre - flexitime mate! I'm after that flexitime deal once I'm done EFLing!
I'm sure you would find something in academia though - in the UK alone there is something like 400 unis (of varying qualities) and my cousin has started a PGCE in TEFL so I'm sure you could secure a decent gig in the UK with your experience. |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:58 am Post subject: |
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| bejarano wrote: |
| Quote: |
Mate, I know the deal, lived in Europe for 8 years before coming to this dump of a country. My Hungarian passport is being processed right now so in a few months I needn't worry about all that *beep* anymore. Hell I used to tell newbies here the same thing and it does get old after a while. Honestly I would only work EFL in Europe as a side job in the future. Why? No money, not like in Korea or even Japan. Na, going to try for an academic position and if that's doesn't work, well hello Nihon!
EFL salaries in Europe are crap and just aren't worth the effort, unless you are a 22 year old fresh out of uni bloke. Na...never again...man does it get old telling these yanks the deal with the EU... |
If you are of the Australian-Hungarian persuasion. Come to the UK and work for the job centre - flexitime mate! I'm after that flexitime deal once I'm done EFLing!
I'm sure you would find something in academia though - in the UK alone there is something like 400 unis (of varying qualities) and my cousin has started a PGCE in TEFL so I'm sure you could secure a decent gig in the UK with your experience. |
Actually I am a Yank; I just don't necessarily talk or write like one. I'm only here in S.Korea to save for my masters which I'm planning to do in the UK, likely in Linguistics (real, not 'applied TEFL'). Depending on what happens I may do a Phd. Call centre as part time would be ok; I am bilingual in German and English so that could help but I may just bust my arse and do the masters in one fell swoop. Gotta see how it all is financially.
The funny thing is I know many Yanks who just think they can work and move to country x and y on a whim, ignoring their own country's stringent visa requirements, thinking themselves exceptions elsewhere. Bloody, self-centred gits. They could just google, North America, EU work restrictions or something like that.
BTW, what's your grand plan after la vida loca en Espana?
Last edited by Deicide on Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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bejarano
Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 67
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:14 am Post subject: |
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| BTW, what's your grand plan after la vida loca en Espana? |
Good luck with your plans for an MA, if you want to study at a really good uni with a good linguistics department then I recommend the University of Wales - Swansea.
If you make an enquiry to the linguistics department - drop my name and I'm sure they will take you on! PM me if you fancy enquiring about it!
As for my future plans - don't shout at me... but I'm off to Changwon, South Korea in about 2 weeks time!  |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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Well, so much for poor old PF, the OP.
No hope for any real jobs teaching in Italy, and his/her thread's been hijacked on top of it!
Deicide, by the way, you might also want to consider the University of Birmingham, England. Another highly reputable MA program. |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 10:59 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Well, so much for poor old PF, the OP.
No hope for any real jobs teaching in Italy, and his/her thread's been hijacked on top of it!
Deicide, by the way, you might also want to consider the University of Birmingham, England. Another highly reputable MA program. |
Yup, for lame MA TESOL..............
I am doing theoretical linguistics (phonology, syntax, etc.)...I tell you it's get the hell out of EFL or die trying.... |
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