Teaching English in Europe or Asia
 

Our granddaughter and her husband are looking to teach English in Europe or Asia. They are college graduates and will be TEFL certified as they are currently in Germany finishing their certifications. Where does one start? They want to find positions before having to come back to the states. He has his degree in Japanese, she in French. Thank you.

They should join TESOL, a professional organization, which has an employment section.

Most TESOL listed positions reqiure at least a masters degree, not just completion of a course to be "certified".

So many students in Europe are taught English in school that I think their best bet is in Asia. They'll also likely find that their degrees are sufficient there, as Bedar suggests, they may not be in Europe.

I have several friends who have been employed in Asia. With 2 of them sharing expenses, the relatively low pay will go further than for an individual. Most jobs are now with commercial schools, from what I've seen, and there are websites devoted to such jobs, like this one:
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/lis...rkinasia.shtml
I'm sure your granddaughter is aware of them.

Thanks Bedar and MmePerdu
I will pass along the web sites. They both want to go back to school for their Masters,and will somehow, but of course, money is the problem.

One way to test the water safely while building experience is to teach online. It can also serve as a way to supplement income while living anywhere around the world. As mentioned above, the pay would be low at commercial schools unless they have a compelling product. I can describe how some of the online classes work if you are interested.

A friend of mine did this about 5 years ago in Poland. At that time the Central European countries (and this was a large business) were more open to people with just a certificate. Not sure about now. (And she had practically no Polish.)

However, the compensation was minimal on top of basic living expenses. It was more a way to become more than a tourist in the country rather than a way to make a living.

My in-laws have relatives who teach English abroad; one found work in a Hungarian kindergarten teaching English (and I don't think she had qualifications, much less Hungarian at the time), while the other has qualifications and has been using them to teach and cycle her way around the world, but spent many years teaching English in eastern Europe. I think it's not as tough in the east, because of a skills shortage there - or at least, that has been the case in the past. I also know someone who teaches English privately in Vienna but she has a legal background, got into Austria setting up a law office and stayed on doing sort of language consultancy work. She has a Canadian passport. Germany might be a tough place to get a visa, but you might have a better chance in Austria or even the Czech Republic.

Lavandula

Thanks so much Greg, nytraveler and lavandula. I will certainly send your replies to my granddaughter and I thank you for your concern and time.

Check out the book "The Venice Project". By Phillip Jones. Details the experience of Phil and his wife, moving to Venice to teach English. It is a very funny book.

Central Europe is certainly an option, though much less of one in Hungary now. When we lived in Slovakia, we met lots of young people teaching English.

Hungary recently passes a (in my view silly) law which will make it hard to teach English if you are not Hungarian.

If you want honest feedback from people that have gone abroad to teach English, go to 4chan /trv/. Threads on that topic pop up frequently.

I know of a few people who taught English in Japan as college graduates but this was quite some time ago. They had a terrific experience and basically made enough just to cover their expenses and have an adventure. I am sorry not to know any details or whether this opportunity still exists but it might be worth investigating.

With tight restriction on working visa for non-EEA citizens, most European countries will prove fruitless in search for a job for US citizens. There are loads of English teachers with UK and Irish passports, plus long-term residents (with equivalent of green card), those married to Europeans etc, who can work without a visa. A few remaining countries outside EU may be more promising, but pay is poor as is job security.
Asia is much more promising, though Japan has had a tough time for language teachers because of economic downturn.

Just heard good news, granddaughter and her husband both were offered teaching jobs in Ningbo, China. They are so excited!

Congrats. I hope they will have a good experience !

Thanks Bedar, they have figured out now how long it will take them to pay off current student loans and begin their Masters and PhD's.

How exciting... They might enjoy Peter Hessler's book, River Town which recounts his experience teaching English in China during his Peace Corps stint...

I hope they have a wonderful time (and that you get to visit!).

Thanks Julie, that's a 20+ hour flight, really don't know if I'm up to it! :-)

Just an update. The kids landed in Ningbo, China yesterday and will begin looking for an apt tomorrow. They are excited. Well, right now they are sleeping. :-)