Teaching English abroad

I am contemplating doing a TEFL course, and then obtaining work as an English teacher abroad, either Czech Republic, Hungary or Slovakia.

If anyone has ever done English teaching abroad, especially in any of these countries,

Is it a difficult job?
Is the language barrier difficult?
Are the wages typically fair?

And any other advice?? I want to make the right decision, as the course costs near $1000, and to get a position I will have to enter a 9 month contract.

Any advice is appreciated!

Hi youngoznomad,

I had the same idea around 13 years' ago, with the idea of spending 2 years as an English teacher in Hungary before travelling round the world, but have stayed put in Hungary (though not teaching anymore - 3 years teaching was enough for me).

To answer your questions, in my opinion:
- No, it's not a difficult job, but then the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it....
- The "language barrier" is as difficult as you make it - I made a determined effort to learn Hungarian and it was worth it for me. It pretty much depends on how much you want to get to know the country/society/culture, how long you intend to stay, etc., but I'd say this depends on you and your attitude...
- As for wages, it depends what you're used to, but you should be prepared to expect a considerably lower salary than in the UK for example (where I arrived from).

As for advice, the main thing is to enjoy the experience and learn as you go along. I did a one-month TEFL as well, it was a big help, but it doesn't suddenly make you into a great teacher. Also there are (were?) plenty of opportunities to do private lessons in your own home, or wherever, including swap lessons (i.e. you teach English, they teach you the local language).

Good luck!

Use the search function at the top of this page. TEFL gets done to death here every week. You and 10,000 others.

terribly sorry, sir.

sometimes its always good for a SPECIFIC response.

how about post if you are answering a question, if you are whingeing or having a crack at someone, which I have noticed you do a bit on here, maybe take a deep breath, close your browser and try something else bud.

but as you didn't ask a specific question how can you get a specific response? Reading through some of the previously posted queries about TEFL would have given you loads of information and links to other sites for further information, people don't like repeatedly posting the same replies to the same general question, when by using search most of your question would have been answered!

There are loads of forums specifically for TEFL, they might be more help fro your queries.
Try:
eslHQ

Dave's ESL cafe
just two out of hundreds.

I wonder if any of these wannabe TEFL teachers ever consider 2 things.

1. Judging by the number of queries here on the TT it is pretty safe to presume that there are far more wannabes than there are TEFL jobs.
2. Most of the wannabes, wanna as a way to earn money to travel. NOT as a way to contribute to someone's education. In other words, their concern for the student is often non-existent. I know I wouldn't want many of them trying to teach my kids anything.

This apparently widespread assumption that simply because you can speak a language, you are able to teach, really annoys me. It's all about the 'ME' and without consideration for whether you would be a good teacher or not.

Can you work legally in those countries? When I worked in Italy I needed the help of the police, and before they were willing to help me they checked ALL of my immigration documents, including my work permit, proof that I had registered my address with the police and my employment contract. If you're planning on working illegally, you had better be prepared to accept a lot of risk, in terms of not only safety but job security. I worked (legally) with some Americans who were working illegally, and they were fired with zero notice when my school took on some in-company work with local government agencies. It was more lucrative for the school to fire the Americans and re-hire new teachers than to lose the government contract.

Unless there is a specific reason why you want to work in one of those three countries, I would suggest also investigating teaching possibilities in Poland. I know that English teachers are very much in demand there right now, and therefore you might have an easier time finding a job and could potentially receive a higher wage. Unfortunately, I don't have any specifics on wages, but it could be worth investigating.

Demand for English teachers far outstrips supply nearly everywhere.

Then perhaps it is just my perception based simply on the lack of numbers of those who post here asking about doing it and then return to report on their success or failure.

Then again, as most of them are only concerned with the 'Me' as I mentioned above, why would they return to provide feedback for others.

What do you think NOMAD? Do 9 out of 10 wannabes find work but just aren't telling us?

so what, teachers do their jobs for their love of teaching children, not for the pay cheque?? come on mate get real. People obviously see teaching a language as a transferable skill/job, so why not do it in another country for a new experience?

Plus, I was intending on completing a 100 hour course before embarking on my journey. So even if I may fall into your highly generalised and negative "wannabe" category, I would at least be making a concerted effort to be a decent teacher. Maybe peruse through response #1 and you may be confronted with a success story. I think if you base all the ways of the world solely on what is written on here you may be getting a slightly skewed perspective on what is really happening.

Well hopefully most teachers get into teaching because they have an interest in doing so. Not just for a pay cheque. Can that be said of MOST of those who see TEFL as a way to fund travel?

You may consider a 100 hour TEFL course as 'making a concerted effort to be a decent teacher'. I wonder how teachers who have first got a degree and then done an additional 2 years teaching course before being certified to teach (as is required in my country) would feel about your 'concerted effort'?

As for #1, it isn't a success story unless you want to perceive it that way. " I did a one-month TEFL as well, it was a big help, but it doesn't suddenly make you into a great teacher."

It all reminds me of the old saying, "A weok ago I cudn't spill Injurneer but now I are one."

I am a teacher with said four-year degree and then two-year teacher training course, and I really, truly think the CELTA is an EXTREMELY valuable tool. Throughout my B.Ed program (after my B.A.) I would share knowledge and skills that I had gained during the CELTA, and my professors and partner teachers were always very impressed. The vast majority of the skills you develop during the CELTA will transfer to teaching in the K-12 or university system, in ANY subject (not just foreign/second languages). As well, the kind of feedback that I got during the CELTA was, in many ways, superior to the feedback I got during my B.Ed program because of the whole peer observation and feedback element, which can't really occur in B.Ed programs for a variety of reasons (mainly, scheduling and FOIP). I think that someone who takes the CELTA IS making "a concerted effort to be a decent teacher", particularly in relation to the expected payoff.

Six years of university allows me to teach in the public school system, and gets me $51,500 annually (in my first year, capping at $78,000 after about twelve years in my district), medical care, dental care, life insurance, a good pension plan, job security, very regular professional development, a mentoring program, my own classroom in one building, four and a half contact hours per day, a budget for materials and resources, etc.

Four years of university and my CELTA allowed me to go to Italy and work in a private language school where I was paid EUR 11.11 for my first ninety contact hours per month (22.5 per week) and EUR 10.85 for every additional hour of mandatory overtime that I worked, twelve hours per week of unpaid travel time to and from in-company classes, split shifts resulting in some thirteen-hour days, no benefits, no job security, minimal resources and minimal support. The payoff at private language schools simply isn't worth more of an investment than the CELTA.

I bow to superior experience Jetgirly. However I still believe that the majority of TEFL wannabes have very little if any interest in the students at all.

Even if that's true, I think it's hard to get in a classroom, see how much your students want to learn, and not be motivated to do your very best to help them. It's human nature, or at least it has been the nature of probably 90% of the teachers I have worked with.

Hi - I'm a couple of years behind Jetgirly, in EFL with a plan to move into mainstream (state) ed. I got into it for the holidays and quickly realised that I don't want a job that's not in a classroom. I work in an accredited school that has a very good reputation. I guess a couple of years ago I would have been told off here too...

Just one thing - make sure your course is accredited by a well-respected body. If you're UK-based that means the CELTA or RSA and no-one else. Maybe every three or four months someone tells me about this great course they did and I haven't got the heart to tell them that nobody'll be interested in their certificate.

Check requirements for your country - most need something like 100 hours instruction and 6 hours teaching on your course to recognise it. Of course, there's normally work around at min. wage (below if you count the unpaid prep time) if you speak English, but I guess you'll want something a bit better.

Hope this helps,

Rob