Job Discussion Forums

LookingAbroad12 · Joined: 22 Jan 2012 Posts: 2 Location: NY, USA

Hello - I am just starting my search for opportunities to teach abroad and looking for some advice on what the best path for me is. I am currently in my last year of graduate school and will graduate with a Masters of Teaching in May 2012. My areas of expertise are biology and environmental sciences (I have a B.S. in Environmental Biology). I have a good deal of experience traveling abroad and am ready to make the leap - whats the next step?

Ideally I would like to teach in the Czech Republic, or eastern Europe.

1) I will have a masters degree in teaching, so can I skip the TEFL course?
2) Should I go with a recruitment agency? (Teach Anywhere) Or have any of you had success on your own?
3) Where do people teach primarily in IB, private or local public schools?
4) Do many of you teach subjects other than english, what are my chances of being able to teach science?

Thanks so much for your time and advice, at this stage any information would be helpful.

Enjoy the day,
Gwen

tttompatz · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:44 pm Post subject: Re: Looking to start in the fall

LookingAbroad12 · Joined: 22 Jan 2012 Posts: 2 Location: NY, USA

I will have a Master of Arts in Teaching at the end of the year.
The certification will be issued from New York State.
I am a US resident.
I will have one year experience teaching and another year substitute teaching.
My salary requirements would be enough to cover the cost of living, a few hundred a month for student loans and hopefully a bit extra to travel.

I'm really still questioning if this is all possible, and what the next best step for me is if I don't go the TEFL route.

Thanks!

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Search with "Europe" and "American" as keywords. Here's a good starting point.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=87877&highlight=europe+american

If you want to teach science abroad, you're going to have to know the local language well enough, or have the right qualifications to teach in an international school. I think you need one more year for the latter.

tttompatz · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:24 am Post subject: Re: Certification

EFLeducator · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:35 am Post subject: Re: Certification

tttompatz · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:46 am Post subject: Re: Certification

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Ok, on to the Central European/Czech Rep part of the equation. As I've been based in the area for 14 years now and have many friends and contacts in the region, I think I can be fairly specific.

US passport holders are eligible for legal work permits in the region, assuming that 'you' can find an employer who will help with the legal process.

MA Teaching means you can skip the certification course, as you say you will have had two years classroom experience.

There are no real recruitment agencies for this region, outside of a few dodgy ones offering TEFL course training and 'placement' afterwards (this consists of putting you in touch with school directors - you are still responsible for interview/demo lesson/contract negotiations/housing arrangements). There are no recruiters because there are lots of teachers around in the region, meaning that reputable employers don't have to take a chance on hiring someone sight-unseen. Most jobs are not found from abroad, and you can expect to incur start up expenses such as airfare and housing.

Most entry-level teachers work for private language schools, and mostly with businesspeople. There is some work in the kiddie regions, but it's less common than in Asia, for example.
State schools from 1-12/13 primarily employ local English teachers; there are a few small programmes that send native speaking teachers to high schools/gymnasiums, but it's a small niche and poorly paid.

BAD NEWS: university positions in this part of the world are generally paid at a very low scale - even working for a private language school as a CELTA-certified newbie can often bring in more money.

More bad news: to teach subjects other than English, you will usually need a good command of the native language OR to find a (very rare) opening in an international university where the language of instruction is English. This is not an impossibility, and I suggest you should look for such openings, but it's definitely not an area with wide-open doors.

More bad news: it's very difficult in this part of the world to make enough to live PLUS to pay off debt back home. Salaries really are enough to live on and enjoy the area, but travelling anywhere West or paying off debt is extremely difficult. This is outside of the more lucrative international universities or international high schools, which pay better in some cases (not all!).

I'd suggest that for this area your best bet is to search for international school and university positions - which, though very thin on the ground, do occasionally pop up. Otherwise, you are probably looking at coming over and doing it for the experience, on a financial shoestring because you might/might not make enough to pay off that debt at home.

As others have already made abundantly clear, it's easier in Asia.