# can I just show up to Poland or Czech Republic and try to teach ENG?



## arctic_circle_decimal (Dec 19, 2018)

I used to be an eng teacher in china, but I can't make it back right now because of restrictions. Does anyone know what kind of restrictions there are in EU...and does anyone know how the market is right now for native speakers tryna teach ENG?

I'm wondering if it would be possible to simply get on a flight to Poland or czech republic, get into a hostel and start wandering the streets looking for teaching opportunities and fresh breads...but mostly teaching opportunities. Any kind of insight would be appreciated. I dont need to be in a great country, and I dont care how much money I make. I see there are a ton of language schools in all the major cities in EU, but its hard to reach them and its hard to tell if they are defunct or still going strong. My goal would be to start off teaching ENG but start to network and look for a regular job, if possible. By reg job I mean making bread or something really simple. Or maybe I become friends w/ someone who runs a bar or some business and they decide to put me on because I'm desperate for the citizenship and the attention...but mostly the attention. And then maybe I end up staying enough years in one of these countries and before you know it i'm applying for citizenship. Ideally I should go to a country that isnt super difficult to become a citizen. I would even go to Slovakia or somewhere super random. I dont even care. I just want to live in a circumstance that is unusual and surreal. Thats why I went to china...but I dont see a long term future in china. 

I've only ever used one website before to land a teaching job in china...that was daves esl cafe, and I'm not seeing a whole lot of new listings. Really wondering if I can get on a flight and figure it all out from the streets. Maybe someone could suggest the perfect country. Right now I'm thinking poland, czech rep, maybe hungary. Oh and idk if its now the start of ww3 or whatever. I guess that will be a factor too. I generally do not pay any attention to politics or the latest wars, or the latest viruses...its all the same thing to me.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Are you independently wealthy? 

The EU has given Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war the right to live and work. You need a work permit, they don't. Your chances of getting a legal low or unskilled job at the moment is pretty much zero. Cheap accommodation is also in short supply. I'm not sure about the demand for English teachers.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

As Sunshine said, you are going to need a work permit for any EU country if you're planning on working there. And generally speaking, to get a work permit you usually need to have the job first so that the employer-to-be can apply for work authorization so that you can get the proper sort of visa (i.e. one that allows you to work).

The EU has always had something of a glut of English teachers - from back in the day when the UK was part of the EU - and in some areas British English is the preferred "norm" for teaching purposes. In many countries you'll need to have a certificate of some kind in TEFL, TESOL or some other program for teaching English as a second or foreign language. Just because you're a native speaker doesn't mean you are qualified to teach the language (at least according to most countries in Europe these days).


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

arctic_circle_decimal said:


> What kind of question is that...am I independently wealthy. Do you need to be independently wealthy to stay at a hostel for a month or 2 at the most while you knock on the doors of language schools?


You should pay more attention to foreign affairs if you are seriously considering moving to Europe.

Considering all the countries you've mentioned are currently overflowing with people fleeing the war, I don't understand why you think that you'll be able to find cheap accommodation.

Furthermore, learning English is not currently a priority in Eastern Europe; I suspect that many freelance English teachers will have their hours further reduced. 

Last but not least, many countries do not allow foreign tourists to apply for work visas in the country.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I'd have to say that MOST (if not all) countries will not allow you to just show up on a tourist visa and then look for work. The bulk of the penalties for hiring a foreigner not authorized to work fall onto the employer, so most places no respectable employer will even talk to a foreigner who presents him- or her-self without a visa or residence permit with work privileges. Besides, a "tourist visa" in Europe is the 90 day stamp in the passport Schengen visa. To stay longer than 90 days, you need a long-stay visa which gives you residence in the country (and, if applicable, whatever work privileges you are entitled to). 

If you show up on a "tourist" visa and manage to find work, you will have to return to the US to apply for the appropriate long-stay visa.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

arctic_circle_decimal said:


> I used to be an eng teacher in china, but I can't make it back right now because of restrictions. Does anyone know what kind of restrictions there are in EU...and does anyone know how the market is right now for native speakers tryna teach ENG?
> 
> I'm wondering if it would be possible to simply get on a flight to Poland or czech republic, get into a hostel and start wandering the streets looking for teaching opportunities and fresh breads...but mostly teaching opportunities. Any kind of insight would be appreciated. I dont need to be in a great country, and I dont care how much money I make. I see there are a ton of language schools in all the major cities in EU, but its hard to reach them and its hard to tell if they are defunct or still going strong. My goal would be to start off teaching ENG but start to network and look for a regular job, if possible. By reg job I mean making bread or something really simple. Or maybe I become friends w/ someone who runs a bar or some business and they decide to put me on because I'm desperate for the citizenship and the attention...but mostly the attention. And then maybe I end up staying enough years in one of these countries and before you know it i'm applying for citizenship. Ideally I should go to a country that isnt super difficult to become a citizen. I would even go to Slovakia or somewhere super random. I dont even care. I just want to live in a circumstance that is unusual and surreal. Thats why I went to china...but I dont see a long term future in china.
> 
> I've only ever used one website before to land a teaching job in china...that was daves esl cafe, and I'm not seeing a whole lot of new listings. Really wondering if I can get on a flight and figure it all out from the streets. Maybe someone could suggest the perfect country. Right now I'm thinking poland, czech rep, maybe hungary. Oh and idk if its now the start of ww3 or whatever. I guess that will be a factor too. I generally do not pay any attention to politics or the latest wars, or the latest viruses...its all the same thing to me.


It used to be that Americans could just waltz into the local immigration authority in Germany, state they want to teach English and left with a freelancer visa.

I hear this is now a lot harder to get:






Residence permit for a freelance employment - Issuance - Services - Dienstleistungen - Service Berlin - Berlin.de


Finden Sie Dienstleistungen, Standorte Behörden, Öffnungszeiten und vieles mehr!




service.berlin.de





Regarding the English language teaching job market, at least in Germany, the industry was hit hard by the pandemic. In-house business English courses have been deferred, classes have moved online, etc.

My daughter was applying for English teaching summer jobs last year - they loved her, loved the internships she had done before, loved that she didn't need a work permit (she is German but bilingual and prefers English). Yet, the only jobs available were residential summer camp jobs, where teachers were also camp counselors. Now, that's great for somebody still in the last years of high school, but what will someone who needs a year-round income do?

In general, non-skilled or low-skilled jobs tend to not be eligible for visa-sponsorship, at least not long-term.

How old are you and how willing are you to learn the local language?


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

ALKB said:


> It used to be that Americans could just waltz into the local immigration authority in Germany, state they want to teach English and left with a freelancer visa.
> 
> I hear this is now a lot harder to get:
> 
> ...


Although I can easily understand why she'd prefer English, would she be willing to teach German? Although there are still too many English teachers, there are not enough German teachers to go around.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

arctic_circle_decimal said:


> Germany is not on my list. I do like the german literature...or I did at one point in the past. (the sorrows of young werther). I need to be in a country where there is at least a stones throw chance of citizenship down the line. I'm in my early 30s now so I'm thinking bout the future somewhat. I don't think I would have a chance in germany...sounds too rigorous of an exam.
> 
> well you basically answered my question. I was trying to get a sense of the eng teaching job market. Well if its not gonna be thru english teaching I'll have to find another way to end up in a different country. I dont want to be here in the US because I feel like people have been hijacked by the auto industry. The auto industry even lobbied to create towns/cities where everyone required a car. Now people are divided by machines and financial pressure. I want to live somewhere that doesnt feel like a highway where I can go out at random and enjoy a stroll thru a garden. Maybe I wont get there in this life...trying to find out if I can deal w/ that or not. I really cant stand the auto industry and how people love their machines and property more than the substance of life itself...how everyone is busy being self promotional. if I dont get out of here I may end up meeting a similar fate to werther.


Okay, I just wanted to check whether you might be able to get an apprenticeship visa sometime down the road, alas, you have already aged out of that possibility.

Naturalization usually requires learning the local language to a functional level. I applaud you for your willingness to learn Hungarian or Czech! I am certainly glad I didn't have to learn German as a second language, though.

Otherwise... maybe an English-speaking country? Malta has lots of language schools and naturalization is relatively easy compared to some other countries. I am not sure whether Malta has an overabundance or a lack of TESOL teachers.

I used to live in the US for a while and empathize with your dissatisfaction regarding the car situation.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

*Sunshine* said:


> Although I can easily understand why she'd prefer English, would she be willing to teach German? Although there are still too many English teachers, there are not enough German teachers to go around.


I don't think she wants to teach as a career. She was a teaching assistant at the German Saturday school in Scotland, though. Right now holiday camp jobs are fine, she will do Abitur next year and has a really crazy school schedule that makes it impossible to hold down even the tiniest job while school is in session.


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## ARPC (Aug 30, 2021)

I find your grasp of written English to be rather limited, and worry that it would be difficult with this level of mastery to land a job teaching business or professional English. English teaching notwithstanding, it sounds like you want to go hang out in Romania, and push on into the Balkans from there once your Schengen 90 expires. Albania, Macedonia, Boz-Herz, etc, may suit your desires. Your impressions of Czech, Slovakia, and Poland (I would throw Bulgaria and Slovenia in there as well) seem outdated to me. Those countries are now effectively Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. This image you are describing of those countries is no longer accurate. Cheap, funky, extra judicial adventures are now to be found further east. But because of the recent full scale land war, sending millions of people into those places taking all available hostel beds and bar jobs, the situation could change and be way less cheap (and way more extrajudicial) this year. Maybe reread Shantaram again and wait for inspiration.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

ALKB said:


> I don't think she wants to teach as a career. She was a teaching assistant at the German Saturday school in Scotland, though. Right now holiday camp jobs are fine, she will do Abitur next year and has a really crazy school schedule that makes it impossible to hold down even the tiniest job while school is in session.


Sorry, I thought she was already in university. Teaching German freelance is theoretically a good part-time job for a German university student, however, it is not really feasible for someone still in _Gymnasium_.


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