To work in Germany as a TEFL teacher where should I go to get my certification? I am a recent graduate from college and I want to live in Germany with my spouse the best job available is to work as a TEFL teacher/tutor where's the best place to go to obtain one? I currently live in Los Angeles California.
Berlin - 2 Answers
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1 :
Unless you are an EU citizen you will have a hard time working as a teacher in Germany. Regulations of the EU say that non EU citizens only get a job if no EU citizen can do the job. Be aware UK and Ireland are EU countries and there are enough teachers here. That said most universities where you can study languages have the opportunity to get a TEFL certificate. Additionally at public schools tears in Germany are civil servants and to be a civil servant you need to be either a German citizen or a long term resident. So you could only work for a private school a school specialized on teaching languages like Berliz for example. Another way would be to work as a freelancer that would make it easier to get the visa but be aware of high taxes and it is not easy to run your own business in Germany especially if you are new to the country. Good luck
2 :
In general you'll need a degree (although there are still possibilities if you do not have this) and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate to get a visa and work. The degree can be in almost any subject as it is usually required for the visa only so you will find teachers with a degree in Engineering or Sociology. Having said this, to help get the job it's obviously better to be English or language related, for example a degree in English literature. The TEFL certificate can be taken either in-house or online at your own pace which is a much cheaper option (see http://icalweb.com). Working anywhere in Europe without a passport from a European member state is always going to be difficult. But not impossible. Generally speaking you need to be in the country itself to find work. You need to contact all the schools in the area and approach each one in turn, asking for work. The best time is at the start of the academic year when a school may have been left in the lurch and is desperate for a teacher. You may be lucky and pick something up but the chances are that you will be employed cash-in-hand and without any insurance or other safeguards. Or you may get several different jobs to make it full time. Or a few private lessons to help pay the bills. Only if you prove to your employer that you are a fine TEFL teacher and worth the effort will they start the process of getting you a work permit and legal status. That means you have to be a fine TEFL teacher! Turn up on time, do the work well, be nice to the students, etc and know your business. You'll also need the qualifications (generally a degree and a TEFL certificate) and look that part. As I said at the beginning. It's difficult but possible as can be seen by quite a few American, Canadian, Australian etc, teachers working in Europe legally after starting out illegally.
