Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Europe

Denerick

I'm just wondering what the opportunities are for somebody interested in teaching English as a foreign language in countries like Germany, Italy, France or Denmark.

Not to be awkward but I'm really not interested in the whole Spain/Czech thing, which is where most people seem to go 'tefling' for some reason. (I want a good central location where I can go sightseeing on occasion)

Is it a matter of showing up in a city and dishing CVs around or are there better ways to go around it?

Many of the websites I've checked seem to be shills trying to get their margin out of you for what I would deem to be a dubious and unreliable service, so I'd like to hear from peoples experiences.

See Ye

Like everything it's a question of supply and demand...
Denmark - very little demand.

Many parts of Italy & France high supply, who wouldn't want to live there for a while ? Work conditions & pay vary wildly, largely depends on the size of the place you work. Places with low supply are more isolated.

Germany - depends where you head but although "supply" tends to be lower than the Latin countries "demand" tends to be for professional qualified EFL teachers.

If you're looking for somewhere as a base for travel you could also consider Poland - unqualified teachers have a better chance of finding work and it's certainly central.

If you can get your hands on a copy of "Teaching English Abroad" by Susan Griffith that'll give you an idea of wages, addresses etc.

laurenpedro123

See Ye - that's good to know - especially re France as eventually I'd like to move across there (I'm doing a French degree and hope to do something like Celt afterwards. I also have a year's teaching experience but would try to do more in advance).

Are there any specific educational routes / institutes and also regions in France where demand is especially high and is the work seasonal/casual or is it possible to secure a permanent full time position in this area ?

Many thanks for any guidance you can give.

See Ye

Hi there laurenpedro123 - if you want to work within the French national education system as anything more than a classroom assistant you need to do one of their qualifications (& essentially become a French civil servant).

(Remember - This is my experience not fact writ in stone.)

Private language schools as anywhere fall into two camps - those that require you to have a CELTA or equivalent and those that don't. Certainly in places like Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Paris you'll stand a better chance of getting a good job if you have a qualification. However if you move to Saint-Nowhere-des-champs you'll have less competition and your nationality will often suffice, even somewhere quite large for France like Rennes, schools wouldn't be that demanding about qualifications. In smaller places Google the local chambre de commerce, find out of they are affiliated with a school then research that school.

Work can be seasonal - demand rising and falling with the academic year so a lot of schools prefer to offer part time contracts, guaranteeing you a number of hours over a year rather than full time same salary every month contracts. I have a friend down in Chambéry who works part time with two different schools; one in Rennes who does telephone lessons for one organisation, teaches at a higher education one day a week and at the job centre another day a week. This means juggling your work schedules and being good at budgeting. Here in Paris most people I know are on full time contracts.

Outside the Paris region your own life may be more relaxed and typically "French" but you may find there's less to do and that it's tiring initially sorting your work life out.
In Paris there's always plenty to do but it's big city stress/energy.

#15

Denerick - it can be a bit tricky trying to find such work in countries like Germany. The national education systems in Northern Europe generally teach English to a high standard.

You could try to be a bit creative if you find it difficult to get work in a language school.

Maybe try for a position teaching business English, or as a language assistant in state schools or universities.

See Ye

#15 wrote: »

Denerick - it can be a bit tricky trying to find such work in countries like Germany. The national education systems in Northern Europe generally teach English to a high standard.

You could try to be a bit creative if you find it difficult to get work in a language school.

Maybe try for a position teaching business English, or as a language assistant in state schools or universities.

In my experience schools offering Business English are just as, if not more, likely to want teachers with a recognised qualification.

#15

See Ye wrote: »

In my experience schools offering Business English are just as, if not more, likely to want teachers with a recognised qualification.

Didn't mean to say otherwise. I can see that it looked a bit unclear:o

I meant that there might not be much of a market for teaching English to young people as the public school system generally does a good job of that.

laurenpedro123

Many thanks See Ye - much appreciated and definitely food for thought. Options for working in France are a little more open than I previously thought so that's positive. Thanks a million.

population

OP, do you have a CELTA? If not I would highly recommend that you get one as it has made the difference for me on several occasions when it has come down to who gets a particular role, me or the chap with no qualifications. Costs a bit but worth it