Jrgen
- 2008-08-09
Expenses for a CELTA courses are definitely higher in Germany than outside Euro monetary zone......
The regulations for non-EU nationals to acquire a work permit are very tight here ... not only in Germany.
Another thing is that you will mostly only be hired on a freelance basis... no hours to teach- no pay, vacation - no pay, your rent may be higher than what you earn as a freelancer, and you wont be able to afford paying your health insurance and other things. As a freelancer, schools in Germany would mostly expect you to cover your own travel expenses, and you cannot expect extra compensation for that. The hourly rate may be between 15 to 18 Euros, and this is hardly enough to cover your own living experiences here.
You would mostly work for private schools offering these crappy conditions.
I therefore would strongly advise against working for such schools in Germany, France and Italy.
On the positive side, I would advise that you try to find some employment at schools in Poland, the Czech Republic or the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). Living expenses are definitely much lower there, and schools normally give you full employment with all the social benefits due. You will most likely also be offered a flat paid for in part or in whole by the school.
To get a teaching job at a public school in Western Europe with full-time employment is from zero to nil in your case. The reason: You do not seem to have the necessary qualifications - a degree in a relevant subject (what have Social Science or Politics to do with English - nothing!)and a full teacher training; CELTA is not certainly not enough. You may land with that in a place like China.... salaries are low and there are many crappy schools over there. But conditions Europe and especially Germany are very different.
I do not intend to discourage you but just try to give you a somewhat realistic picture of what you may have to expect when coming here.
I'm looking for some professional advice here regarding a CELTA. Just as a little background on myself, I'm an American with two majors in political science and history, I'm very well travelled, and I have a deep appreciation of European cultures and languages. Recently, I've begun the application process for training in order to receive a CELTA. Preferably, I would like to take a CELTA course in Germany, and shortly afterwards, begin a job search there should everything succeed.
However, for those of you who have experience with CELTA/TEFL/TESOL, I do need some advice. Due to the various financial and personal costs it takes to be trained and to receive one of these certificates, would it be advisable to be trained abroad? Or would it be better to be trained in your home country? I know it sounds like a loaded question, but from your personal experiences, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I have another question, and again a fairly loaded one. For those of you who did receive a CELTA or another certificate, how long did it take to find a job? If you received your certificate abroad, did you stay abroad until you found a job? Or did you return to your home country, and then find a job later? I know it's fairly easy for British or Irish students to return home after receiving their certificates. However, I'm from California, and travel costs to and fro from Europe can be quite costly from this end of the world.