# ESL Jobs?



## cowboyarcher (Feb 27, 2016)

Hello All, 

I keep hearing about the potential to work as an ESL instructor abroad. Is this something that is fairly achievable for a foreigner in Germany (Köln/Düsseldorf)? What is the typical schedule of such a job? 

I am a native English-speaker from the USA with a BS in Agriculture and MA in Church Ministry. 

I do not have an ESL teaching certificate, but would seriously consider acquiring one. The CELTA course from International House in Frankfurt looks particularly attractive. Any thoughts in regards to certificates in general, or the IHF course in particular? 

Thanks for any insights and God bless you all! 

Adam 


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

The answer to your question is a resounding "yes, but...." A big factor in all this is your US citizenship, because with that you will need a visa to work in Germany and basically that has to be obtained by your potential employer. One of the conditions for getting work authorization for a non-EU candidate is that the employer has been unable to find someone local (i.e. a German resident with no work restriction) or someone equally well qualified from within the EU. Frankly, there are loads of Brits in Europe who are eligible to work as ESL teachers with no immigration formalities. 

But check back after the referendum in the UK in June. If the UK votes to leave the EU, everything could change - how quickly, though, is anyone's guess.
Cheers,
Bev


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## cowboyarcher (Feb 27, 2016)

Thank you for the insight Bev! It sounds like finding an employer who can (or is willing) to work for my employment will be the chore. 

How much weight do these employers generally place on a certification? 

Is the work typically full time, or part time? 

Thanks again! 


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

cowboyarcher said:


> How much weight do these employers generally place on a certification?


Germans? You can't work in a shoe shop without completing a three-year training course. Certification is everything.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

cowboyarcher said:


> Thank you for the insight Bev! It sounds like finding an employer who can (or is willing) to work for my employment will be the chore.
> 
> How much weight do these employers generally place on a certification?
> 
> ...


An English friend of mine is an ESL teacher (in Italy at the moment), she has a CELTA qualification and said it was very good training and prepared her well. She also said online courses are pretty useless, employers want classroom-taught qualifications and if possible experience in actually teaching.

German employers are all about qualifications. Diplomas, Degrees, detailed written references of former employers, etc.

I don't think chances of getting sponsored for this kind of work are high, or rather, the sponsor won't get permission from the Federal Labour Department, as there are plenty of Irish and British nationals, as well as Americans, Canadians, etc. on spouse permit who have no restrictions regarding the job market. Teaching English is definitely not on the official white list of jobs.

Generally, with an ESL teaching qualification of some sort you could apply for a freelancer visa.

The downside of this is 

a) you would be restricted to only teaching English, don't know how your day job at the church would be viewed in this light

b) I don't think you can have dependents on this permit, I think you mentioned a spouse and children? You might want to ask about that at the German Embassy.


Isn't the church sponsoring you? Should they not take care of your visa? 

Have they actually ever sponsored somebody or is this all 'unofficial'? 

Do you have a sending agency that advises you regarding international taxes and visa and whatnot?

If you are actually coming to Germany to do missionary work, should you not be self-sufficient = bring enough money so you don't have to work?

I am loosely acquainted with a family from Texas who are trying for the husband to get sponsored by a UK employer so they can all move as his dependents (so the wife can work in church planting) or to get enough funds ($100k, the mind boggles) through a funding website to all move as missionaries. They have been at it for four years now without any sign of being able to move anytime soon.


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## cowboyarcher (Feb 27, 2016)

Thanks for your thoughts on ESL ALKB. 

It sounds like the CELTA is the way to go for many reasons and should prove very useful worldwide. I appreciate the info regarding the difficulty of finding employment that field though, given the preferential selection of employees from different countries. That, while not overly encouraging, is very valuable. 

As for all your other questions and suggestions, I'll start another thread detailing our plans more, so as not to take this one too far off topic. 


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

cowboyarcher said:


> Thanks for your thoughts on ESL ALKB.
> 
> It sounds like the CELTA is the way to go for many reasons and should prove very useful worldwide. I appreciate the info regarding the difficulty of finding employment that field though, given the preferential selection of employees from different countries. That, while not overly encouraging, is very valuable.
> 
> ...


CELTA and DELTA seem both well-regarded world-wide. My friend who is in Italy right now spent her first year of teaching in Vietnam right after obtaining the CELTA.

Another friend (American, BA in English literature, 10 years teaching ESOL, now in the process of getting an MA in ESOL) has been teaching in South Korea and Saudi Arabia without any problem of getting employment and work visas. On the other hand, when she tried to get a job in Hungary, she had no problem finding willing employers but she could not find a job that would have paid her enough to cover her living expenses = qualify her for a work visa.

Germany might be especially difficult in this regard as we still have plenty of Americans and Brits married to German nationals from the time when there was a huge army presence of both countries in Germany. Never mind international students staying on after their studies and the ever-increasing number of international couples meeting online. Guess what a lot of them are trying to do to get a foot into the door of the German job market? Yes. Teaching English.

Relocating a whole family without a family connection in Europe or a qualified job offer in a skill shortage occupation is not easy.


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