Job Discussion Forums

[Sashadroogie]

There are regular posts from newly-qualified teachers concerning the possibility of non-EU citizens getting teaching jobs in the EU. Let's make a sticky advising that it is virtually impossible to get visas to work in most of the Euro-zone legally. Please feel free to amend or correct as needed.


EU rules only allow for hiring a non-EU citizen in special circumstances, i.e. where no EU citizen is available or able to do the job. Very few EFL jobs are covered by this.

Being a native English speaker is not going to help you, unless you are an EU citizen from Britain or the Republic of Ireland.

Working on a tourist visa is always illegal. Any school or agency claiming otherwise is being disingenuous or simply mistaken.

Penalties for working illegally are stiff, and include deportation.

Having a EU spouse does not grant automatic rights to work in all countries in the EU.

Entry to the Schengen zone as a tourist, whether with or without a Schengen visa, allows for only 90 days in any six-month period. See link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area#Schengen_visa

[spiral78]

I strongly second the motion to make a sticky...

there are scams out there claiming to get visas for non-EU teachers for fees (even if the scamee paid, the companies cannot procure visas).

There are also people who imply or even state that it's ok to work illegally. I really object to this: Even in the very few EU countries where border guards don't really check passports, it only takes one accident involving hospital care or one brush with local police to get an illegal teacher caught.

These are issues we find ourselves addressing on a far-too-regular basis, unfortunately.

[naturegirl321]

I agree with the above posters that it IS hard and jobs are few and far between, yet there are a few, miniscule, infintisimal positions such as these

Berlitz, though I think you'll be scraping by
http://careerservices.berlitz.com/eligibility_check.asp

Finland
http://www.amscan.org/training_us_to_scan.html

France
http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?rubrique424&tout=ok

Spain
http://www.mepsyd.es/exterior/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml

[spiral78]

Berlitz doesn't hire non-EU teachers for its schools in Italy, France, Spain, etc UNLESS there are no EU candidates for the positions. Never happens.

I do want to qualify the over-general 'EU' thing, though.

Some of the new EU member countries (Czech Rep, Poland, Slovakia) DO still allow work permits for non-EU citizens. As of just now (August 2010) the teaching job market in these countries is very tight, and there are lots of UK candidates for the positions. Employers are unlikely to go thru the hassle and expense of getting a visa for a non-EU citizen if there are UK teachers around looking for jobs. That said, there ARE jobs going, and it's not impossible in these countries.

However, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece....just next to impossible in 99.99% of cases.

If you attend a university in one of these countries as a full-time student, you can usually get a permit to work part-time.

[elikap]

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience getting a student visa? Based on these posts and others that I've read, it seems like a work visa isn't an option. So is a student visa a way to work legally in the U.S.? Any idea how long they're good for? Or are they hard to get?

Thanks.

[spiral78]

You want to work on a student visa in the US? Wrong forum.

If you want to work on a student visa in the EU, it means you must be a student at a European univeristy. Your first step would be to enroll at a university (and you'll most likely need to be fluent in the local language, unless you can find a course of study in English}.

Once you've got your course of study lined up then you can apply for a visa to work part-time to support your study.

[Sashadroogie]

Aw! No stickification yet

[naturegirl321]

[scythiangold]

given the recent comments i see on some of these posts i can already assume the types of answers i will receive to my questions. still, i am not completely ready to throw in the towel yet (though i am already looking into vegetarian culinary schools).

i have been wanting to teach esl somewhere in europe. i am not too picky about the destination but it seems that whether it is part of the schengen zone or not i will face substantial difficulties as a citizen of the united states. russia and ukraine do not seem reliable about granting visas to foreigners. other former soviet republics seem plagued by instability and poor working conditions. balkan countries seem to have small job markets that are only open to those who have ethnicity from the target country. and schools in poland, the czech and slovak republics seem to be unlikely to bother with getting visas for non-EU passport holders and the job markets are also tight.

after spending months researching all possible considerations i have reached some conclusions. from the comments i've read, looking for work in the czech republic may not be feasible at this time or possibly ever. poland is probably also in the same boat. but i do not know as much about the slovak republic. comments indicate that the job market is not as tight in bratislava but i don't know what the visa situation will be like or whether the wages are still high enough to live on (frugally) anywhere in the region without taking on private students.

also, has anyone taken the tefl course with the boland school in brno? do they typically have winter courses? do they still guarantee visas to any of the eight students who enroll and complete the program or is this a thing of the past following the changes in schengen legislation passed in 2008? would having a visa put me on the same footing as a new teacher from the british isles when looking for work? does the boland school only make this offer for czech visas or also for slovak ones?

i am seeking to volunteer teach some esl lessons with an organization around the city i currently live to help determine if this is actually something i can do for an extended period of time. would taking on the opportunity to volunteer teach in georgia for six months give me any advantage over other new teachers?

i have $4000 in a savings account and can probably add another $2000 by the end of the year. i would really like to teach english abroad but i am often feeling that i should be putting this money to better use. thank you in advance for any insight you may be able to give.

[naturegirl321]

I did the course with the Boland school, but it was long ago, in Jan 2002. I choose it because it wasn't CELTA. I wanted to do something different I suppose. Katie, the owner, is great at answering emails and the course was small. There were only 3 of us, I'm sure some of that had to be due to the fact that it was the middle of winter. I know that they're not offering courses every month. Check their website for more info

[spiral78]

also, has anyone taken the tefl course with the boland school in brno?

Boland has a pretty good reputation overall.

do they still guarantee visas to any of the eight students who enroll and complete the program or is this a thing of the past following the changes in schengen legislation passed in 2008?

You do not get a visa while you are a trainee - you can only start the application process when you have a job contract. This has not changed - it was the same in the past.
You go for the course on your 90-day automatic Schengen status, so you're legal for the first three months - hopefully long enough to take the one-month course, get a job, and for your new employer to start the application process with you. Normally, so long as all paperwork has been filed by the end of your 90 days, you're fine.

Boland (used to/still does? I don't know) guarantee visa assistance to the graduates of its TELF course who go to work for Boland[/i] after earning the certification.


[i]would having a visa put me on the same footing as a new teacher from the british isles when looking for work? does the boland school only make this offer for czech visas or also for slovak ones?

Again, you won't have a visa from the training centre. So, no, you'll still be the non-EU citizen who will be more trouble to hire than a Brit.

Slovakia is a smaller job market than the Czech Rep, obviously, but it's also less popular with many expats. I think the answer to your situation is that it's possible that you can make it work out, but no-one should try to tell you that it is not a risk - you might go over, take a course, find a job and make it work out - or you might not find a job and have to go home. It's the unfortunate reality here today.

The money you state should be safe enough. The next thing to consider is timing: most contracts are September - June, so it's ideal to take a course in August and hit the streets just at the peak hiring season. Alternatively, you might have some luck in January, when there is usually a second (smaller) hiring wave.

Good luck!

[naturegirl321]

[Qaaolchoura]

Question:
I undertand that legally working in western and southern Europe are pretty much out for non-EU nationals (I swear, we need to find a way to get the US into the Schengen Area). But I've noticed that a fair number of schools in a TEFL.com, such as the Czech Republic and Poland will not have "EU national preferred" signs. (This was true when I first checked the site four years ago, although strikingly many Spanish postings four years ago didn't either, now they all do.) Does this mean that it is possible to get a work permit, that they forgot to check the box, or that they just want you to work there illegally?

Comment:
Incidentally, it is possible for Americans to teach in Europe legally. I know one girl who went there on some kind of cultural exchange program. She didn't really get paid though. It's like the program the Georgian government has--small pay and room and board--mercifully without the homestay, that she did for the experience.

~Q

[spiral78]

It's on a country-by-country basis. The 'new' EU member countries still nominally allow work visas for non-EU member citizens, but the job market's tight and UK teachers are given preference as they don't pose any paperwork hassle for an employer.

Read the current threads on the Czech Rep for details.

[Sashadroogie]

I think Spiral knows it is possible to work in Euroland legally.

However, cultural or student exchange programmes, while they do exist and allow for some part-time work, are not quite the same thing as working full-time in an EFL job. And it is full-time work in Spain or Italy that most US teachers are hoping for when they dream of coming over to Western Europe. They are not going to be successful except in the most, most.. well.. exceptional circumstances. The Eastern end is going the same way too and in a few years even Czechland etc will be off-limits totally...


Sorry.