8 results for author: Christine Thompson
Whenever I meet up with people in my home country and they find out what I do, the usual comment is ‘Oh you live in xyz? That must be so interesting! I’d love to do something like that’ I just nod and smile, knowing full well they really don’t want to do any such thing. I am convinced, that like our forebears some of whom traveled to distant lands to seek their fortunes while other stayed and home to farm, fish, etc. there’s ‘them that do, and them that don’t. Most people just don’t, even if they believe they’d like to.
Those of us who do take the ‘TEFL plunge’ may kid ourselves that we’ll go to teach abroad for a year or ...
Although a number of graduates cite being attracted to TEFL teaching as a way to finance their international experience abroad, there is an increase in those who choose TEFL teaching to compliment an existing career in a completely different industry.
Countless actors, writers, musicians, sportspeople, politicians, graphic designers, film directors, sound and light engineers, craftspeople and graduate students also do a bit of teaching on the side, or else teach in order to make ends meet while accepting less steady or less lucrative work in another field, both inside and outside their home country.
Could this be the perfect combination of ...
Probably the fastest growing area in EFL today is the young learners’ teaching and publishing market, with ever increasing numbers of children learning English globally in primary, as well as, secondary schools world-wide. The large global demand for qualified teachers stems from the early language learning policies in place in forward-thinking educational regimes, like those in the Czech Republic and other EU countries. English language lessons, once an interesting extra-cirricular activity or an elective way to round out the primary school cirriculum, have become part and parcel with a very 21st century survival skill.
‘I love seeing that ...
Though quite bureaucratic, it is by no means impossible to get permission to work and stay legally in the Czech Republic. Depending on your country of origin, the process will differ slightly, but in order to teach here you will most likely need:
Firstly - a business license and
Secondly - permission to stay in the country in the form of a long-term stay visa
The process of acquiring these two things can be a bit complicated as you can’t really have one without the other. Listed here is a general outline of what you will need in order to apply for a long-term stay visa in the CZ. Some of this you can gather before you leave for the Czech ...
... or at the very least, help get you that teaching gig.
The tragedy of being a Director of Studies is that I have on more than several occasions, sat through a 40 minute interview, growing to like the candidate and beginning to think I would like to offer that teacher some work, only to find during the demo that sadly, this person couldn’t teach their way out of the proverbial paper bag.
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Fair enough, but that first impression is still the result of a combination of small events contributing to the overall whole. The math for the sum and its parts might just work out in your ...
You’ve decided to try your hand at teaching English abroad. Good on yah! Assuming you are already TEFL qualified, etc, you‘re pretty much set to go. If not, that‘s the next step. For those who are TEFLized though, visa and immigration restrictions are getting tighter, permission to work legally abroad isn’t as hassle-free as it once was. Getting yourself sorted with the least amount of heartache, really depends on researching well where you want to go.
TEFL Teaching Hot-spots
There’s South East Asia - where English teaching jobs are plentiful. Schools often organize someone to sort out the paperwork and salaries are competitive. Teaching ...
Great idea! Only, there are some questions you should probably ask yourself (and the experts) before taking a big step like this; questions ranging from the plainly practical to the mildly philosophical. Like: Where do I want to go? How much is it going to cost? What kind of paperwork and qualifications do I need? How will they feel about people from my country in this new place? Will I like it? Will I be safe there? Who’s going to feed the cat while I’m gone? Will my mom be worried about me? What if I get homesick, arrested, pregnant? Or all three? Hmm.
Oh where shall I go, what shall I do...?
As with any new venture, location is key. It’s ...
One thing that puzzled me when I first moved to Prague was that I noticed people would speak to me whenever they entered or left the lift. I come here from quite a large city and had been conditioned not to ‘talk to strangers’ without good reason. I therefore found it a bit unnerving that people repeatedly seemed to address me in the lift and then without waiting for a response, would immediately turn around to face the door. They proceeded to ignore me until we came to their floor where they would then say something else and leave. I had not studied any Czech at this point so I couldn’t understand why so many people made attempts to engage me ...
