Job Discussion Forums

[not_too_shabby]

Hi,

I've been in Prague for more than one month working for a big school and my timetable has been quite hefty and not exactly matching the pay. The past week has been a nightmare (30 teaching hours) and chances are it will continue...
So I am thinking of applying for another school (preferably one which offers accommodation) but I need some info before I send off my cv.
If anyone has had positive experiences with a school and would recommend it, please let me know. I have 2 years experience (post Celta), excellent references from my previous school in Poland and I am also qualified to teach children and exam classes.

Any ideas are appreciated!

[Chris Westergaard]

Thirty teaching hours if you are not traveling is actually not that much teaching. I used to teach around 45 all while setting up a private business. I would say that to make it in the city you have to teach about that much if not a bit more. it roughly comes up to 3 90 minute lessons a day. If you start your day off at 9:00 that means you get done at around 3-4. Traveling is where it hurts you. If you are EU then you can apply ( and get hired) quite easily by a range of high paying employers. I would look at it this way. The average starting pay is about 220 per 45min. I tell my graduates to not even look at anything that pays less than that unless the times are blocked or the school offers a lot of other things.

You should be going for the 250-300 per 45min bracket if not more. Shop around and see what you get.

In terms of housing, why would you want the school to provide this for you. Wouldn't you rather find your own place than be assigned something? Either way, most schools in Prague to not handle this service.

I hope I've been of some help.

Chris

[not_too_shabby]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your answer. To me, 30 classes is a bit excessive and yes, I do have to travel around Prague quite a lot. My school is one of the most expensive (so I hear at least) and students tend to expect a lot, which means I need to spend a reasonable amount of time planning. I actually wouldn't mind teaching as much if there was less pressure and if I was paid better...
As for the accommodation... so far I've been used to the school providing a place to stay and not having to worry about it (and have been pleased with the arrangement). But I am not bothered about finding my own place if I have to.

I will look around and see. I am EU so hopefully it won't take me long to find a school with reasonable work conditions. I was just wondering which schools have a good reputation. It is not all about pay, its also about starting and finishing times, support etc.

Cheers!

[Aussie Chick]

For the first year, you have to expect to be treated as a 'junior", so you will get the crappy jobs that the more experienced teachers refuse to do.

As time goes by, you will get more experience under your belt, which will give you more flexibility in negotiating classes that are closer together and in blocks. But for now, swallow your pride and accept what's given to you.

[Chris Westergaard]

I would say that's pretty much a rule that the schools that charge the most pay the least. However, many of these schools are beginning to pay more based on quality of the teaching and student reviews. However, nothing makes a Czech more unhappy than giving a raise. I tell this to my grads all the time. If you want to be paid more, you are going to have demand/ask for it.

Here's a tip that works. Make an anonymous sheet for your students to evaluate you are ask the school to do it for you. If your scores are stellar, demand a raise for your next semester or quit.

Sometimes you do have to play hardball

[ITTP]

Hi not_too_shabby.

Full Time hours for teaching EFL are generally considered to be approx 24 hours.
However, when a school receives consistent positive feedback on a teacher then they often tend to try and load as many hours as possible into that teacher's schedule.
Like Chris, I was in the past teaching a huge amount of hours per week (40+) and I pride myself on the fact that 1 month I earnt in excess of 50,000 CZK from my teaching schedule and end of year teaching bonus.

However, had I been a 'newbie' then I would never have managed this.
As a new teacher you will find yourself devoting a lot more time to lesson planning.
After 5 or 6 years though you will find yourself drawing on experience and circulating lesson plans. This means that lesson planning no longer takes up any significant amount of time. Often I would be able to execute a well delivered lesson simply by flicking through a book on the tram on my way to class.

I guess it really depends on what your focus is concerning living in Prague.
Personally speaking, the moment I 'touched down' in Prague I was up and running. I knew what I wanted and that basically meant working long hours in school term time and then traveling the globe in holiday time.

I think Chris brought up a good point and that is that if you are being offered lots of hours by your school then it would be a good idea to approach them confidentially and request a pay rise.
Remember though that the Prague EFL scene is a bit of a mare for schools right now and competition between schools is at a premium so I wouldn't automatically assume that your school is taking the lion's share of your students fees. Still though, a school is built on reputation and having an excellent teacher on their books means that the school generates additional business so you should request for a realistic pay rise.

What is important is having the ability to say no.
If you feel that you are teaching too many lessons and your school approaches you for additional classes then just say no thank you.
Don't feel obliged to say yes to additional class offers.

Hope it helps.

Neville

ITTP
Jungmannova 32
Prague 1

[ITTP]

[Aussie Chick]

[Chris Westergaard]

It's called humor Neville.

I stand by the comment though. There are a lot of schools that pay the exact same amount to a teacher who is far better, more experienced and more qualified than a teacher that just started and it's a bit sad.

Now a raise can be as little as 10 CZK extra per hour. It's not the actual money that is important, but the idea that you are being rewarded extra for better work.

Owners of schools are not used to having teachers stay more than a year or two, thus they don't like to give raises too much. The market has changed and the city is far more expensive than when I first got here. However, salaries have not really increased all that much. Czech business owners have a tendency to want to hold onto their profits. Anyone that works in the industry or has lived in the country will agree with me.

This is why some of the most expensive language schools often pay their students the least out of any schools in the city.

While competition is fierce in the city, there are also mega language schools that hire roughly 400 teachers or more. These schools can afford to pay their star breadwinners more than their average teachers.

Schools like James Cooke are doing this already and are finally paying teachers enough to actually make staying an extra year in the city worth it.

If you want a career in TEFL or if you want to be paid more than the average teacher, it will be based on what YOU bring to the table and the steps YOU make to advance your career.

I mean Neville both you and I ended up starting our own businesses.


I personally realized after only being in the city for three months, that if I wanted to live here I would have to hussle a bit (not in dodgy way) and do my own thing. Every teacher that I know that is doing well in the city has a similar mentality. The ones that are passive, do not prosper as well.

[Arab Strap]

[Chris Westergaard]

Oops "teachers"