Job Discussion Forums

[Ladybug]

Hi all...

I am currently living in South Korea and am considering making a big change by maybe moving to Eastern Europe to teach English. I've had a couple years experience and like what I am doing, and would love a change of scenery and culture, but am kind of worried about the money issue and would like to know is it possible, to not really save any money, but to pay off student loans and credit card bills while there? Should I wait until I have the loans and bills under control before I try to come out there?
Also, are there any recruiters/websites I can go to to look for work in Eastern Europe, especially the Czech Republic?
I appreciate your help. If you ever want to make the move to Korea, and have questions, let me know and I'll help you out.

[denise]

I lived in Prague for two years (1999-2001), and at the end of my stay I had enough money to pay for my flight back. And a couple hundred bucks on top of that. (And I'm not in any way an extravagant spender.)

I loved Prague (and the rest of the country, too), and I would highly recommend it if you didn't have debts. I was debt-free when I went. You can live quite comfortably on the salaries there, but if you need to be sending back a few hundred bucks every month, it'll probably be very difficult. I knew someone who had to pack up and leave after a few months because his grace period on his student loans ended.

Maybe someone who's there now (or who was there more recently) can give an update of a decent salary? I was getting about 10,000 crowns net per month, with free housing, a travel pass, and some other goodies.

d

[Andare]

You'd be very lucky to be able to pay off student loans on a TEFL teacher's salary in the Czech Republic. Standard salaries outside of Prague are anywhere between 10-12,000 crowns per month, with maybe subsidised or free accommodation thrown in on top of that. Salaries in the capital are usually higher, but the cost of living means you're earning about the same as those of us 'out in the sticks' in real terms.

If you're going to stay for longer than a year, I'd really recommend going self-employed. I'm making over 20,000 a month outside of Prague, and I'm not doing that many hours either. There are some disadvantages to doing this but it pays as long as you do your homework before arriving.

www.expats.cz and www.tefl.com are always worth a look for jobs. A lot of schools also have their own websites. Try some variations on 'anglicky jazykova skola' on google.

[Mike_2003]

Greetings,

Is a BA a requirement for private language school work in the Czech Republic or just a preference? I have a CELTA, five years experience and plenty of good references...but no BA. I'm also an EU (British) citizen.

Cheers.

Mike

[denise]

There was one teacher at my school (yeah, I know--small sample size--not enough to make generalizations!!!) who didn't have a BA. Your other qualifications should help you.

d

[Andare]

You don't need a BA to work in the Czch Republic. You'd get a job easily with your experience and qualifications.