# efl teaching



## safi (Dec 7, 2009)

First time posting here so Hello 

I live in Greece and have taught English for several years. Is the system the same on Cyprus as it is on the mainland? There is always a demand for qualified efl teachers and all the better if they are native speakers. I worked in frotesteria initially but soon filled my diary with private lessons and now make a good living just with private lessons. Could I expect to do the same on Cyprus? Are there any expats on here who have opened their own school? I have my adeia didaskalias so I understand it would be possible for me to start up on my own legally on mainland but I am not sure if the same system operates on cyprus. Students here all aim for the Michigan Proficiency exam or the 'lower' at least, as they then get accreditation points on their job applications, ('moreia' in greek). 

Safi


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

safi said:


> First time posting here so Hello
> 
> I live in Greece and have taught English for several years. Is the system the same on Cyprus as it is on the mainland? There is always a demand for qualified efl teachers and all the better if they are native speakers. I worked in frotesteria initially but soon filled my diary with private lessons and now make a good living just with private lessons. Could I expect to do the same on Cyprus? Are there any expats on here who have opened their own school? I have my adeia didaskalias so I understand it would be possible for me to start up on my own legally on mainland but I am not sure if the same system operates on cyprus. Students here all aim for the Michigan Proficiency exam or the 'lower' at least, as they then get accreditation points on their job applications, ('moreia' in greek).
> 
> Safi




Hi Safi, welcome to the forum.
Kimonas is the person to answer your questions regarding teaching and I am sure he will be along sooner or later.

Veronica


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

Veronica said:


> Hi Safi, welcome to the forum.
> Kimonas is the person to answer your questions regarding teaching and I am sure he will be along sooner or later.
> 
> Veronica


Hello Safi,

This link has advice and reviews about the state of the ESL industry in Cyprus:
TEFL forums • View topic - TEFL jobs in Cyprus
but beware that the article was written in 2006 before the recession hit. Here it is not necessarily an advantage to be a native speaker as many of the teachers are professional subject teachers in morning schools who speak excellent english as they did their Masters and PhDs in the UK but also native Greek speakers so that they can explain matters effectively to complete beginners (and yes there are highly qualified teachers teaching english (Cyprus has the second most educated population on the planet after Canada - so it is not unusual to find shop keepers and bar tenders who have higher degrees). English is also widely spoken by the older generations as Cyprus was a crown colony until 1960 and english was widely spoken. Many teachers have afternoon jobs to supplement meagre morning teaching salaries (which are however, better than the average Cypriot salary). The demand is limited by the low population - the necessity to speak english for higher education is also lessened since the domestic University sector started (there are now six Universities in the south). Since the recession hit, parents are cutting back on afternoon lessons, so competition is fairly fierce for the remaining clients. I'm sure things will pick up as the money starts to flow again, but do be sure to set up any afternoon school above board, as the penanlties for illicit teaching are high.

Good luck!


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