Teaching ESL in Europe

You might have better luck finding something in Asia (Japan, Korea, etc.)

Dave's ESL Cafe is a good place to start: www.eslcafe.com/

I think Sasha is correct. My daughter looked into this and learned that UK or other citizens of EU nations get priority for these positions in Europe.

Thanks. Guess I am just daydreaming after yet another crummy day at work. :-) TGIF.

There is a "Pueblo Ingles" program that provides native English-speakers with a week free r7b in spain, in exchange for conversing with Spaniards who want to improve their Engllish: http://www.morethanenglish.com/anglos/index.asp but that's only a week.

Google TAPIF - the Teaching Asssistantship Program in France. I was an assistant in Burgundy in 2007-2008 and, although I didn't love the job itself, it did give the chance to live in Europe for 8 months. It was a great experience, pm if you have any questions about it. Another option is to become a lectrice at a French uni. You teach uni at a French university, and the contract lasts one year (and is renewable for a 2nd year). Good luck! Erica

Are you already a teacher? If you are, then it is easier. Some cities have a glut of ESL teachers and other cities are always looking for more. Berlin for example has way too many, Frankfurt always has tons of jobs. We have a lot of international schools, bi-lingual day care, and many businesses offer English classes to their employees. If you are interested in Germany I can send you a website that will give you a ton of info from others who do this. The pros and cons, how to get visas, etc.

Teaching for pay is almost exclusively for EU citizens. You can , however,get free hotel and meals for 6 days in Spain by merely agreeing to speak English to Spanish bizpeople for 15 hours a day.
The organization is Pueblo Ingles. We have gone twice and really enjoyed both times

In Spain check out www.vaughantown.com They have regularly scheduled programs between Spanish and Anglos - no pay of course, and some contract programs as well. You will find that you will need a visa whereever you decide to teach.

If you're already a teacher, another option would be teaching on a US military base in Europe. I'm sure there's a website out there to search for these positions, I don't know what it is, but I've known people to look for those positions before.

As has already been suggested, if you are currently a teacher, you can look into teaching at a military installation in Europe. The website for DoD schools in Europe is www.eu.dodea.edu. Your timing is probably pretty good for the 2011-12 school year. Remember, however, that DoD operates schools all over the world and that Europe is the most desirable location, so that teachers already within the system will be looking for transfers to Europe. Still, my wife managed it, going in cold. Good luck.

Both daughters' did this through a program with the French government which hires graduating French majors' to teach
American English in the French middle and secondary schools for 1 year. Doubt if this will help you, however, if there are people out there graduating with language majors who need work, they should check with the different embassies now. Oldest leveraged the experience into a job with Orange.

I know lots of Americans teaching English in Europe. Some schools advertise that they teach "American English" and try to only hire Americans. Regarding teaching in general, in addition to the military schools already mentioned, many major European cities have one or more "international schools" where expats from all over the world who are working in that city send their kids. My kids go to one such school and their classmates originate from over 50 countries. The language of instruction at these schools is English and they have normal staff turnover rates and are always looking for qualified native english speaker staff. I know lots of Americans who teach at these schools. They usually have EAL ("English as an additional Language") staff on board too. Our school uses the EAL label because so many of the kids gowing there already speak 2 or 3 languages. A job offer from such international schools generally gets you a visa. In fact, many cities have "American International Schools" that follow the U.S. cariculum. So, yes, there are teaching and English teaching jobs in Europe. Like any other job hunt it takes focus and persistance. As Jo correctly noted, some cities are better than others.

One of our daughters lives in Berlin and works at Berlitz language camps. She teaches English to German teenagers at various camps in Germany (all scenic) for quite good pay. She has a visa that allows her to stay; she's been there three years now. They require that she take German lessons, and she's now fluent and starting university. So, yes, you can do it. For many other openings a valid teaching certificate is required (state by state here, PGCE in England).