Job Discussion Forums

[Langdon_Alger]

Before I begin, I'd first like to apologize for asking things that may have been addressed in other posts. I've spent a few hours over the past couple of days reviewing this site, and as wonderfully informative as it is, I can no longer remember if some of these questions have already been addressed.

First of all, I'm a 30 year old American with a B.S. in Financial Economics. I am currently enrolled in an MSEd program at a local university (the program required 30 credits for a teaching license or 36 for a Masters, so I figured I'd go ahead, take 6 more credits, and get the Masters).

After spending the past two months reviewing facts and figures and hearing stories related to teaching overseas, I thought I'd really love to give it a try. I realize that my lack of EU citizenship means any thoughts of teaching in Western Europe are right out the window. But I was wondering, does anyone know if it's a reasonable expectation for an American to teach in Slovakia? Slovakia is my first choice (by far), but even after searching for information, I'm still not too sure how feasible it is for an American to (legally) teach there, as I'm seeing some conflicting information. My second and third choices would be Poland and Hungary. I have seen a program called CETP that places teachers in Hungary, and it looks interesting, but have also seen some mixed reviews.

I also know that many of the countries that comprise the former Yugoslavia are not in the Schengen zone. Does this fact make it easier for an American to teach in Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, etc? Are there really any companies hiring in these countries? (I have looked through the specific boards, and I can see some comments, but I can't tell if the commenters are American or European).

I'd also strongly consider Romania and Ukraine, but after that, I figure my options for Central and Eastern Europe are greatly limited.

If I cannot get a position in Europe, I'd love to try for Korea or Japan. I have an aunt who is originally from Seongnam and a cousin who is currently teaching in Daegu (she loves it there).

In terms of TEFL courses, it appears from this forum that the online courses are pretty much frowned upon by many employers since they don't give you any real face-to-face contact with students or much ability to evaluate your performance. I am thinking of signing up for the Bridge TEFL course, but am still unsure of its reputation. It looks like a CELTA course would be best, but I am just unable to commit the time or money to such a course right now. It looks like I'd have to stay in the U.S. to take the course and look for a job once I'm done. From reading over the forum, this idea is probably more suited for finding a job in China or Korea, but possibly not for Central/Eastern Europe.

I suppose all these factors taken together have added to my confusion. If you have made it this far, thank you for reading this post, and thank you for any information you may be able to provide (for the umpteenth time, as I'm sure many of these questions have been asked before).

[spiral78]

First, well-done that you've spent some time reading before posting. It's unfortunately a bit rare, and we too often find ourselves in the situation of bursting someone's bubbles.

Second, Americans absolutely still can get legal working visas for Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary (well, Hungary, I think, but am sure about the other two). The issue is finding an employer to give you a contract and help you through the visa process. I wouldn't consider placement services...this is simply a region where reputable employers (unless they are far from metro areas or are searching for people with specialist quals) don't hire sight-unseen.

With an MA in education, (AND a CELTA or equivalent - this bit's necessary) you will be at the higher end of the newbie level. You should be aware that wages will be subsistence level for a year or so, until you've had time to make local contacts, gain local language skills, and establish a local reputation. Too many teachers have come and gone in the region for anyone to take a new teacher seriously unless/until he/she has shown some commitment to the region (fair enough, I think).


You're obviously aware of Schengen zone rules. Here's a potential working scenario: come over and take a CELTA or equivalent course in July/August. Then, you will be here on the ground during peak hiring season - end August - mid September (most contracts are Sept/Oct thru June in this region). This gives you the best shot at getting legal papers filed before your 90 day tourist visa runs out. So long as papers are filed, you should be safe, even if it takes a bit longer to actually get a work visa in hand.

If it doesn't work, there's always Korea Lots more money and prestige, I hear!

[Justin Trullinger]

Spiral knows what she's talking about- I'd only add that you have nothing to lose by contacting employers NOW, and finding out their hiring procedures and times. They may not hire sight unseen, but better to know as much as you can about how and when they hire.

And ( )

[Langdon_Alger]

Thank you both for your replies; I really appreciate it.

Although it may cost a bit more, it seems that getting the CELTA overseas (perhaps Budapest) would be the best bet, as it would give me access to the region.

One other question I had (but forgot to address in my initial post) regards health. I was born with a heart defect that required four open-heart surgeries (between age 1 and age 18 ), but it was finally corrected when I was 18 years old. Since that last surgery, I have only had to visit the doctor for once a year checkups and have been given a clean bill of health during each visit. The doctors have told me that there is no reason to suspect any further problems should arise. I have never had any diseases and have otherwise been very healthy. Would my previous heart issue give me many problems in applying for employment overseas? I plan on keeping my current health insurance no matter where I go, but I just worry that a problem I had twelve years ago may negatively impact my ability to gain employment somewhere today.

Thanks again for your time and help!

[spiral78]

I really doubt this will impact your chances of employment. No need to mention it to potential employers, especially as you have a clean bill of health.

[coledavis]

Well done for reading other threads first; a welcome departure from the usual requests for help.

As Ukraine has economic problems the moment and is anyway easily entered by UK candidates, I think it may not be a good call. If you want to apply for jobs without CELTA, then I rather think China is a better one.

If you do decide that you have the time and the money to do CELTA, it does open up possibilities in other parts of the world, and also further career prospects later on. Where you do CELTA isn't crucial, I rather think.

If you do CELTA, it might be worth checking out Poland, as some schools prefer Americans.

Your heart condition, as it is no longer an issue, is immaterial and should not be put on your application (as employers may erroneously worry about it). However, an insurance claim in the event of heart problems may fail - as a preexisting condition - while the policy should be ok on any other health problems. (This is my opinion, but I do not claim professional expertise.)

[Glenski]

[Langdon_Alger]

Spiral78 -- Thanks for the advice regarding the health situation. It did have me a little worried, but I suppose a generic letter from my doctor stating I'm currently healthy and disease-free should help (most countries mandate TB, HEP B, and AIDS tests, right? I currently work in a hospital, so I've got the HEP B vaccine and get tested for TB yearly).

coledavis -- Thanks for the info regarding Ukraine. I'd seen news reports that Viktor Yanukovich won the recent Presidential election, so I wasn't sure how his election would affect the economy. I know he was on the opposite side of the Orange Revolution in 2004. If he's an oligarch, I'm sure all that graft and corruption will really get the economy going again...

Glenski -- Thanks for the info on Japan. If it's currently and oversaturated market, then I suppose my best bet would be to try for Korea or China, get a few years experience, hope the world economy begins to rebound (although that idea is becoming dubious as time passes and I wouldn't be surprised to see a "lost generation" on the world stage) and try for Japan later. My teaching goal is to start out small, teaching the basics of English grammar/conversation to a cultural group that is different than my own. I know that doesn't sound particularly detailed as a response, but to me teaching is a challenge and interacting with a different culture is also a challenge, so the thought of combining both of those elements seems very appealing to me. I eventually want to work myself up the ladder and teach business English. For now, though, I'll take what I can get. As a newbie, I'd like to start out in a larger city somewhere, so as to help mitigate the effects of culture shock.

[santi84]

Langdon Alger, are you a Simpsons nerd?

[Langdon_Alger]

Santi84 -- Haha. Yeah, I used to watch The Simpsons religiously when I was younger. Every now and then, someone picks up on the name; nice catch.

Kiels -- Thanks for the info! I'll check that out right now.

[Glenski]