Teaching English as a Second Language in Europe

Go to some of the expat websites (and there are a ton of them out there) to get answers to your questions. ToyTown in Germany is a good one. You can apply for jobs before you come over here, but no one will pay for your move or help you get an apt. They will help you get a work permit and residency visa though. Especially firms like Berlitz. There are a lot of schools and daycares looking for teachers that are native English speakers too. The business has been booming since years, though it is having a bit of downturn with the recession of course. Don't know about that traveling thing though. If a company hires you, you will have a contract which you have to fulfill. Most of the good money is made if you will work weekends or evenings.
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/index.php

The certificate you need is called the CELTA, and you can either do an intense one month course or you can do a few days a month over a one year period. You don't say where you would want to do it, but in Europe they are offered by The British Council along with other language schools, though there is an application process. When I did mine there were people of all ages, including a man in his sixties. While you don't HAVE to have a teaching certificate, it makes finding a teaching job much easier and in large European cities where there are tons of English speaking foreigners most language schools won't consider you unless you are certified.

Don't most Euro employers require that the persons they hire be EU citizens?

It depends Paul n Sara. Of course it's easier to hire and EU citizen. But a lot of place are specifically looking for someone who speaks "American" English. Don't ask me why - with great British accents rights there. LOL

In the U.S., many community colleges offer ESL certificates which will allow you to qualify to teach English anywhere.

Many European countries want native speakers to teach English so they allow Americans and Canadians to do it.

June, are you a certified and experienced teacher? If so, you might check with your foreign service and military offices. In the US, the Armed Forces schools are constantly looking for qualified teachers. The drawback is that your first assignment may not be the most desirable.

Thanks for the great replies.

I am a nurse who works in a small college teaching student nurses. I think I am going to take an 8 day course offered where I work on TESL as my first step. The course will help me in my everyday job and hopefully give me some insight into short-term jobs in the future. June

Hi June
The EU gives a preference to citizens of other EU countries for hiring. The chances are remote that you would get hired legally in the EU. Depending on your parents place of birth if they were born in an EU country then you should look into your eligibility for an EU passport.

Attached is probably the best ESL site on the Web. You will likely find the answers to your questions here. Good luck

http://www.eslcafe.com/

June, just so you know... you mentioned you are a nurse. I don't know what your long term plans are, but the usual EU work restrictions are waived for hard-to-fill, high-demand skilled jobs... like nursing.

June,

If you want to work as a nurse, the military is always looking for nurses, both RNs and LPNs. I work at a large hospital in Germany, and I heard that they're hiring 69 nurses, many will be from the States, as they're arent' that many nurses locally who are married to military. E-mail me for more info.