Getting a job without experience

Discussion about TEFL jobs in Europe

Moderator: Joe

ray-2122
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 27 Jan 2015, 06:36
Status: New Teacher

Getting a job without experience

Unread post by ray-2122 »

Hi,

I am just about to finish my 120 hour tefl course with video and tutor support and was just wondering if anybody knows if it will be difficult to find a job without any teaching experience. I have a Bachelors Degree in business in which I graduated with Honours but have no practical teaching experience. I am ideally looking to go to Scandinavia but this isent set in stone I would would consider the rest of Europe and south America as possibilities.

Any help would be appreciated.
Briona
Top Contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by Briona »

Hi there,

You haven't said where you're from, but unless you have a passport from an EU member state (either through birth or ancestry), you will struggle to find legal work in Europe. This is because employers in the EU cannot just hire a non-EU citizen; they first have to prove there were no suitably qualified EU citizens who could do the job. As you might imagine, this is not a very likely proposition.

The market in Western Europe is very competitive. Most TEFLers in the region have a degree, which can be in anything, a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL (as opposed to an online TEFL certificate) and at least a year's experience. That said, assuming you have the legal right to work here, you should still be able to find a job somewhere with a degree and an online TEFL certificate. However, that job is most unlikely to be in Scandinavia. The education systems in the Scandinavian countries are exceptionally good and there is very little need for private language schools. For more information on working in Europe, have a look at my advice guide: http://toiberiaandbeyond.blogspot.com.e ... urope.html

South America is a whole other ball game, and you should have few problems landing a job, even without experience. However, as with Europe, jobs tend not to be found from abroad. You really need to be on the ground handing out CVs at an appropriate time, in other words, just before the start of the academic year or the second term/semester.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
ray-2122
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 27 Jan 2015, 06:36
Status: New Teacher

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by ray-2122 »

Hi Briona,

Thanks for replying and for the information, I am from Ireland so the working visa is not an issue for Europe. I have seen a few jobs advertised in Europe but most of them are in very rural places and while I am looking forward to the prospect of teaching I would also like the go somewhere that is not so isolated. I had a feeling Scandinavia would be a long shot but I was told by several people that many people in Finland take a lot of extra classes in order to improve their English but that they often don't advertise these job vacancies online. Do you know if this is true?
Briona
Top Contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by Briona »

Hi there,

In eight years of researching TEFL and five years of teaching, I have never come across a single TEFL job for Finland. Furthermore, having visited Helsinki, Turku and Porvoo, I didn't get the impression that there'd be much call for EFL teachers anyway. Regardless of age, most people I spoke to had a good level of English.

Re. the rest of Europe, I find it hard to believe that you have only come across jobs in rural locations! Just about every capital and major city in the region has a thriving EFL market. Having worked in a couple of smaller towns, I am now in Madrid which is anything but isolated!

By far the best job site for EFL jobs in Europe is http://www.tefl.com/. Now isn't the best time to be looking for work as the second term started four weeks ago, but it should give you an idea of what employers are looking for and where you might be able to work.

Hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, please ask.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
mpalke1
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: 03 Feb 2015, 07:11
Status: Prospective Teacher

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by mpalke1 »

Briona, I read your link to teaching in Europe and first of all I have to say thank you, that was very helpful! I am a U.S. citizen and will be getting my TEFL certification in the next few months and have a Bachelor's Degree. I have a couple questions about finding jobs in Europe (specifically Portugal and Spain). 1.) Is it possible to get a student/study visa in order to stay in an EU country for an extended period of time and also work as a teacher? 2.) I am still deciding on which TEFL/TESOL course to take. I'm leaning towards the combined course of 120 hours online and 20 hours of in class practical lessons. Is this option viewed as a respectable certificate by employers in Spain and Portugal? Thanks...sorry to change the subject
Briona
Top Contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by Briona »

Hi there,

First of all, to qualify for the student visa, you do actually need to be a genuine student. This means finding a recognised course, paying the fees upfront (you need proof of payment to get the visa) and attending the classes. The visa allows you to work for a maximum of 20hrs a week on top of your studies. However, I have a feeling that it would only be valid for a single academic year, at the end of which you'd have to return to the US and re-apply.

Most of the schools I've come across in both Spain and Portugal (and indeed right across Europe) are looking for face-to-face qualifications such as the CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL rather than online TEFL certificates. This is because these courses include a minimum of 6hrs of observed and assessed teaching practice. In other words, you've been assessed teaching real students and, if you've passed the course, have been deemed 'safe' to let into a classroom. The 'classroom' component of online/blended courses sees you 'teaching' your fellow trainees, which, in the eyes of an employer, means the qualification is not worth the paper it's written on.

If you are looking for a face-to-face qualification, you could do worse than consider TtMadrid (http://www.ttmadrid.com/) here in Spain. They are able to organise student visas, which would allow you to legally stay in the country for one year. They also appear to offer some kind of visa renewal facility (for a cost). For the record, I am not affiliated with them in any way. I've just met a few people who've taken their course and were happy with it.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
Humphries
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: 07 Mar 2015, 15:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by Humphries »

I've been teaching all over Europe, and never in a rural area :P
If you are good, you'll get work. Sometimes, the director of studies of the schools where I worked told me about their interview of potential teachers. Hilarious.
"What is the simple past?"
"Gee, man, don't know... but I suppose it must be simple." :lol:
Caitlin
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 02 Jun 2016, 10:25
Status: Other

Re: Getting a job without experience

Unread post by Caitlin »

Hi there,
www.teflhub.com has many positions on the site where very little or no experience is necessary so would be worth you checking out
Post Reply