Job Discussion Forums

[pulicev]

Hello out there! I guess I should start by saying that I'm very interested in pursuing a TEFL career in Europe with Italy as a starting point. I'm 30 years old and a native English speaker. I have a B.A. in English (literature and writing) and Italian from a respectable American university and speak Italian fluently. I also hold an Italian and US passport. I have no TEFL training or teaching experience, but plan to take an intensive CELTA course upon arriving in Italy. I hope to have about 3000 USD left over after the course to serve as a cushion while searching for work. Should any setbacks or problems arise, I have a network of family and friends in Rome and Milan who could help me out, but I'd rather rely on them for nothing more than good company and sound advice.

So given this scenario, what are my prospects for finding work in Italy? More importantly, with hard work and dedication can a teaching post turn into a solid and intellectually rewarding TEFL career? Will I always be struggling to get by or can some semblance of comfort be achieved? Are there opportunities for continuing education, graduate level studies, and career advancement and is Italy the right place for a long-term outlook? My hope is to make this more than an excuse to spend a couple of years abroad accruing experiences and tales to tell back home

If you were in my shoes, how would you go about this or would you go about it at all? Any advice, opinions, or answers would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to the world of TEFL and know next to nothing, so please pull no punches as it would do me little good in the long run...

Sincerely,

Pulicev

[SueH]

A quick unconsidered reply whilst I have a mid-morning cuppa, oh alright then, my breakfast tea...

I'd try and start with a little more cash if I were you, although you could fall straight into a (badly) paying job. Look at the job ads for an idea of wages.
I wouldn't be embarassed about getting help from your network - particularly with regard to accommodation at the beginning - because that would be your biggest drain of cash (you can always eat cheaply). Back-scratching is very common here, indeed the place runs on it, so you can always offer lessons in return etc.

In terms of career development I think you'd have to be very pro-active, but perhaps you need to get some classroom experience under your belt before worrying about that. It's good to have that aim but don't sweat it for now, OTOH avoid falling into the common TEFL rut.

Start building up your library of books and materials: you'll need some for your course and it'll help for when you start doing your own private teaching - which pays better.

[pulicev]

I'm grateful for any replies, unconsidered or otherwise!

I definitely agree that it would be useful to start with more funds in reserve. I realize this venture could go any number of ways and I certainly don't want to come back home after going the through the trouble of taking the course because I couldn't last through the job-search phase. I'd be comfortable with a figure of about 5000 USD. In any event, having more than that is unlikely...

As far as back-scratching, believe me, I'd be happy to accept any help I can get. I guess I feel like urgency can be a good motivator and it's hard to maintain a sense of urgency when you know you can beg your uncle for a spot on the couch should things get rough. It just seems like a good way to set myself up for failure.

You mention the need to be very pro-active to achieve career advancement and I wouldn't expect anything less. What I'm concerned about is spending 2-3 years working hard, learning a new skill, and then being forced to move on because opportunities are limited.

Could you explain more about the texts and materials you referred to? Will I need them for the CELTA course or for TEFL in general? I'm also not sure what you meany by private lessons...

Thanks for the help,

Pulicev

[SueH]

Course books, grammar reference books, phonetics and phonology, materials/ideas for teaching. If you do the course you'll probably get a reading list and further ideas.

Private lessons - i.e. teaching individuals/small groups that you organise as opposed to being employed as a teacher by a language school.

[pulicev]

I see. Is it necessary to supplement any work within a language instruction institution with private lessons? I would prefer to work in a school and maybe give private lessons on the side...

Also, do you have any ideas on the likelihood of finding work in a school in Perugia?

[clandestino]

Interesting post! I think you won't have any problem finding a job in Italy. If I were you, I'd look at the websites of a few networks and make a few phone calls. One website is the British school's website. They are a huge network of schools throughout Italy which are usually fairly well run and professional.

As far as the money side is concerned, just don't splash out too much and try to use your family's contacts as much as possible and I think you'll be fine. Also, make friends, lots of them! I know a teacher who saved about 500 Euro's a month from a 1000 Euro salary due to the large amount of Italian friends he had made! But that was in the South and Milanese aint as open.

Intellectually rewarding challenge..... Interesting question, I find TEFL intellectually rewarding although I think it is toughest in your first year of teaching. To keep it intellectually rewarding, I would make sure you go to a big school with lots of teachers and professional developement. There are a lot of 2 teacher schools in Italy and I don't think they are always the best place to start out in.