Teaching English in Europe

Question

Hi all I am new to the forum and need some advice on becoming an English teacher. I am 23, from Australia and have never had any teaching experience before. I have been travelling in Europe for the last year or so and am currently working in London. My mother has just finished a qualification in English teaching to foreigners and has inspired me to do the same with the hope of someday having a real job.

I am aware that the best place to get one of these qualifications and training is in Prague, as advised by other people who have done the same.

A few questions... How much money could I expect to be earning each...say month if teaching in Europe? My girlfriend lives in Upper Austria, so I would mainly hope to find work there although I know the market is small because it's not a big place and I would probably have to find work in Vienna. What other countries are good to work in around Europe? Would I definitely need a work visa or could I get by without one? And finally would it be very difficult for me to secure a working visa if I had to?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers, Danny.

Rafs · Accepted Answer

hi Danny

A qualification is a plus and you were given good advice. Prague is a good place in that is is cheap, but there are many other places available, like Berlin. First you must decide if you want a cheap qualification or a beneficial (in the worth to your own education). TEFL, CELTA and Trinity are the main market leaders. TEFL can be done on-line and for an instance qualification is a guess reasonable.
I would suggest any qualification you go for make sure that it has plenty of teaching (you running lessons) time. This will be invaluable to you later.
As for the visa, I can not give yoyu much advice other than it is diffifcult and you would be advised to expect paper work and red tape. I am a Brit, so as an EU member it is a lot easier.

Earning money per mth depends on where you are, and what status you get. Initially you may have more chance freelance because of your nationality. As a starter you can expect anything from 8 - 20 Euros an hour. So over a month this depends how much you work of course.

The wage needs to balance with the living conditions. Some places give a better wage but then it is expensive to live in the city. Try on forums to find out the local market.

In Germany my best start was the small ads board of the Uni. If this exists where you go then do that. Think about an internet presence, you can push it as a website for you in a business sense.

Also think about your background and if you can use this as a specialisation. So for example teaching IT/Science/Art/Music/Engineering in English. This may take some time, but invest some now and the reward may come later.

Another good start is to look at the International School system, as well as colleges/schools that offer Bachelors or Masters.

Expand you possibilites and the age group you want to teach and you may catch more offers.

Good Luck!

Teaching English in Europe

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬