5 steps to finding awesome teaching jobs in Europe for English speakers
Oh, Europe! You’re a beauty. Glistening alpine lakes meet the glinting beaches of the French Riviera, the spiked Tatra mountains roll down to historic towns dating from centuries gone by, while Tuscany is filled with vineyards and Greece is all postcard-worthy coves and endless sun. Tempted? You’re going to want to get on the hunt for teaching jobs in Europe for English speakers, which is where these five handy steps come in…
Step 1: Do your 120-hour TEFL
Teaching jobs in Europe for English speakers almost always ask for applicants to have a full-fledged TEFL qualification in the bag. What’s more, most won’t even think about interviewing candidates that haven’t finished at least a 120-hour course. Anything less than that and your CV could well be on the fast flight from desktop to wastepaper bin. So, avoid those free-to-enrol 40-hour courses. They might sound like attractive prospects, but they aren’t a ticket to well-paid jobs in Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal.
Step 2: Write a targeted CV and cover letter
Generally speaking, teaching jobs in Europe for English speakers are a little more demanding on the requirements front when compared with their Asian counterparts. You’ll most likely need a BA degree here, not to mention that completed TEFL qualification. A bit of experience can go a long way too. That means you’ll need to be ready to flaunt what you’ve got during the application process, which is why a good CV and cover letter is a big, positive step to make. Be sure to tailor both to the particular school or institution you’re applying for. Do your research, mention their teaching methods, focus on skills that match their curriculum. All that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Step 3: Think about summer schools
There are several different types of teaching jobs in Europe for English speakers. From full-time positions in private business schools to university lecturing posts, a lot of them will have pretty high qualification standards. That might not be the best thing for start-out teachers, which is why summer camps and summer schools can be a gift. They can help you get hands-on experience working with English learners on the continent, all with good pay packets, short contract commitments, and – usually – fewer requirements. Oh, and they take place in some seriously gorgeous places, from the Italian Dolomites to the sierras of Spain.
Step 4: Choose your country wisely
Europe isn’t one place. It’s a whole color swatch of countries. You’ll be wowed by the mega diversity that goes from west to east, south to north. Seriously, you’d hardly believe that those glowing Greek islands are on the same continent as the ice-capped fells of Norway. You’d never think that Portugal’s wave-washed shorelines are on the same land mass as Poland’s rolling eastern forests. But they are. And that’s why it’s really important to decide wisely on your TEFL destination. We’d even recommend spending some time traveling the continent to get a feel for where you love the most before starting to blast off CVs.
Step 5: Start networking locally
So, you’ve settled on where you want to go. Now you just need to start listing all the TEFL teaching opportunities in that location that you think you have the experience and qualifications to score. Arguably the best way to keep your pulse on the jobs market is to get networking with expat and local communities. Most of the larger towns and cities in Europe have some sort of online group where folk share advertisements, jobs, flat rental classifieds – all sorts. Join up on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on NomadList, and on Couchsurfing to start e-meeting and mingling.
Have you successfully scored teaching jobs in Europe for English speakers in the past? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below. Alternatively, get over to our destinations page for more information on various places to teach around the continent.