Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dimnd]

Does anyone know how to go about teaching English in Germany? Have some friends there and would like to go. Both my gf and I are both interested in teaching anywhere in Germany.

Concrete suggestions, please.

[Katchafire]

Try this link ...

http://www.teachermexconnect.com/europe.html

G

[dimnd]

That is ludicrous. MexConnect charges a 39.00 fee to submit the resume and send your resume to places.

[Thiuda]

[Stones1962]

If you are an American or Canadian (and possibly Aussie and Kiwi, not exactly sure) it is quite easy.

Get a letter of intent to hire from an institute, or several places, and take it to the foreign police office...as well as a 1 year lease showing you have a place to live...if you know anyone in the city where you want to work this can be a cheap alternative...

In some cases you can have your work permit and residence permit by the end of the day....I did it in Munich and was in and out in 2 hours...that was in 2007

As per a treaty signed by Germany and the US (and the other 'good countries ) at the end of the war, we get some special treatment.

[LostinKSpace]

Teaching in germany is a blast, although it can be difficult to save money and you will not get free housing or an end of year bonus

I taught there for 2 years and really enjoyed it, for the first two years you pay a reduced tax rate as well. While many ESL schools prefer people from EU countries (it is just easier for visa purposes) I met many American and Australian people teaching there. Many schools require a recognized TEFL certificate i.e. Cambridge, Trinity, SIT and will not consider something that you did on the internet although I am sure it is still possible to teach there without these qualifications the opportunities for good jobs is not as high.

Good luck, Germany is a great country to live in Berlin is ace, as are Dusseldorf, and Koln.

[Thiuda]

[Depths of My Soul]

[English Matt]

Do you speak German? If you don't then I would forget about it as you will be a bottomfeeder in the TEFL industry over there. Almost all teaching jobs in Germany are freelance, the average pay is around EUR15 and hour. Once you factor in the high taxes and health insurance (required of all people who live in Germany and costing around EUR150 a month) you won't be taking much home. You only get paid for teaching hours, not for prep, in almost all cases you will have to work for more than one institute (in fact you need to be hired by two places for the work permit) and it will take a while to find enough work to live off.

In addition, you only have 3 months in country to find work, an apartment and legalise yourself with the authorities (i.e. get a work permit). How much savings do you have......most landlords will not rent to somebody who is unemployed unless you have substantial savings in hand. Even if you have an offer of freelance work in hand, most landlords will still be reluctant to rent to you. If you don't find work during those first three months then you will have to return home and will not be allowed back in the country for another 3 months.

A better idea (if you have the finances) would be to go as a language student: this will give you a year to get a handle on the language (which will open more employment opportunities to you) and to make the contacts you will need (private students, other teachers, etc) to make this work.

I am an EU citizen who speaks German and will be moving to Berlin in July. I have substantial savings and have discounted the idea of trying to make a living as a teacher......financially I would be better off working in a bar or as a tour guide.

If you are not an EU citizen and do not speak German then I see this as an expensive misadventure......even if, against all odds, you find work, you will be living in poverty.