Job Discussion Forums

[lunette]

Hi, I'm new to the forums. I'm excited about teaching in Eastern Europe, and I could really use some feedback about my plans, especially a couple of questions I haven't found answers to yet.

I'm a 24 year old American woman. I've been a biology teaching assistant at my university for a year, and I love it. I'm planning to tutor ESL in the spring, graduate with a B.S. in biology in June, then get a CELTA either during June or September. (I'll be too busy mid-summer.) Then I'll look for jobs in Eastern Europe that start in the fall. I'm a high-culture fan--museums, theatre, etc.--so I'd prefer to be in a city (or at least a university town). Prague is my top choice right now because of its reputation as a great city and because I want to volunteer in the National Technical Musem.

My specific questions:

1. Timing. I understand most jobs start in September, October, and January. If I don't get certified until mid-September or later, am I going to miss all the fall jobs? If I do miss them, is the January market pretty hot?

2. Where, geographically, to get the CELTA. Is there a big difference between, say, International House in Portland, OR and International House Akcent Prague--besides that the later is $1000 cheaper?! Is it better to get certified and find a job before I get on the plane, or to scope out the local job market while training in Europe?

Thanks for any advice or comments.

[denise]

A lot of private language schools will hire almost year-round, to cover business English classes that can start at any time and teacher turn-over (there's quite a high turn-over rate in this field). I got my TEFL certificate in Prague in September of '99 and was working in October.

You'll have much better luck finding a job once you're there than trying to find one from here. And personally, I would recommend getting the TEFL/CELTA certificate over there, as it would be easier to scout out schools and learn your way around the city.

The biggest potential problem might be getting a visa after the CR joins the European Union in May.

d