Job Discussion Forums

[keymistress]

First up, any Singaporeans on this board?

Q: If I am interested to teach all over the world (EU & Asia), will a CELTA be more "recognised" than say, a SIT TESOL?

Q: Anybody who's a non-EU, non-native, who can advise me on the chances of teaching English in the EU e.g. Italy?

Q: Where are the most highly paid countries for teaching English? Teaching adults or children? I heard that Hong Kong has one of the most highly paid when it comes to teaching English to children. I've got some "debts" to pay so I can't live on a salary that covers only my lodging and expenses, need to save about US$500 a month.

Q: Anybody tried getting a placement while taking CELTA/TESOL or before getting the certificate?

Thanks in advance!

[Glenlivet]

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:45 am Post subject: Non EU citizens in Italy.

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Below are some quotes from "Teaching English Abroad" by Susan Griffith (2009 edition, I recommend this book to anyone starting out, lots of good, useful information. ISBN 978-185458440-3). They outline the potential for non EU residents in Italy.

Quote:
At the other end of the spectrum, there is a host of schools which some might describe as cowboy operations, though these are decreasing in number. The CELTA is very widely recognised and respected in Italy (unlike in France, for instance). US qualifications are much less well known for the simple reason that work permits are virtually impossible for non-EU citizens to obtain.


Quote:
As mentioned above, non-EU citizens have very little chance of getting their papers in order unless they are dual nationals or receive a firm offer of a job while they are still in their home country, According to the Italian Embassy in Washington, language teachers from the US need a visa for lavoro subordinato. To qualify they must first obtain from their employer in Italy an authorisation to work issued by the Ministry of Labour or a Provincial Office of Labour (Servizio politiche del lavoro) plus an authorisation from the local Questura,The originals of these plus a passport and one photo must be sent to the applicant's nearest embassy or consulate. These procedures can take up to a year to complete and as Carla Valentine, an English teacher in Venice points out; 'no school director in his right mind is going to bother going through that process when there are plenty of British teachers here who can work without visa red tape' It is for this reason that so many Americans and other non-EU citizens work in Italy without work visas. However, there are two legal alternatives for US citizens. The first is to go to Italy as a student, which allows you to work for up to 20 hours a week (enough to live on). This is the route that Carla took:

"Getting a student visa is very easy. I paid $500 to enrol for a year at Instituto Venizia to learn Italian.
With a letter of enrolment from the school I was able to get a student visa from the Italian Consulate in Boston for one year (whether or not I attend class is irrelevant, although obviously I do)."
Quote:
The second option is to become an Independent contractor. This involves registering for the equivalent of VAT (Partita IVA) from the local town government To get this number, you simply need a codice fiscale (tax 10 number), which is available from the local town hall upon presentation of a passport. With this number it is possible to obtain the Partita IVA from the municipal authorities. With these numbers it seems that you can find work and get paid, even though technically without a permesso oi soggiorno you are still an illegal immigrant Australians and New Zealanders can take advantage of working holiday schemes, which allow a 12-month stay, although holders are not meant to work 'or more than three months.