Opportunities for teaching English

[gchappers]

Hi everyone, I was just wondering if anyone knows what the opportunities are like for teaching English in Crete? I am about to complete the CELTA qualification and my partner and I are hoping to spend some time in Crete next year. Any advice most appreciated!
many thanks

[Kilkis]

I'm sure lots of people would love for you to teach them English. Good luck with getting them to pay you though. The seven language schools I knew personally, four in Crete and three in northern Greece, have all closed down. Students would attend for a term and then their parents wouldn't pay the bill. If you try to insist on payment after each lesson they go elsewhere. I am sure some schools are still going but I doubt if many are hiring. You might get some private teaching but it will take a long time to build up. Most of it comes from recommendations from students you have previously taught and who have passed and, of course, there aren't any when you first start here. If you like doing it I wouldn't give up on the idea of trying BUT I wouldn't rely on it as a source of income.

Warwick

[bobscott]

I'm sure lots of people would love for you to teach them English. Good luck with getting them to pay you though. The seven language schools I knew personally, four in Crete and three in northern Greece, have all closed down. Students would attend for a term and then their parents wouldn't pay the bill. If you try to insist on payment after each lesson they go elsewhere. I am sure some schools are still going but I doubt if many are hiring. You might get some private teaching but it will take a long time to build up. Most of it comes from recommendations from students you have previously taught and who have passed and, of course, there aren't any when you first start here. If you like doing it I wouldn't give up on the idea of trying BUT I wouldn't rely on it as a source of income.

Warwick

And watch out for the taxman!

[der]

I've been living here for ten years, and came with the intention of teaching English. I did a course similar to the CELTA one and I also have a BA. I have worked on and off in schools, but technically you need a teaching certificate to do this, which I didn't have, but some schools would hire you anyway. In the past Greek nationals only needed an English Proficiency certificate in one of the international exams, Cambridge or Michigan, for example,and could then get a teaching certificate. Non-nationals had to sit a proficiency exam in Greek in order to get the certificate. This was a "jobs for the boys" move by the industry here. A few years ago a group of Greek university graduates took a court case to change the way teaching certificates were awarded, as they felt all such teachers should have a degree first. The government hummed and hawed about it for years, and a few years ago froze all granting of these certificates until they made a decision on it all. As far as l know this is still the situation. In the meantime, many thousands of applications for these certificates sit on somebody's desk, waiting for a government decision. So unless a school would employ you without the cert this route would be difficult. As far as private lessons are concerned, it does take time to build up students, often by word of mouth. It is also very useful to try to learn Greek, especially for the private lessons, as many of the parents do not speak much, if any English. I am teaching privately these days, but it probably won't make you enough money on its own. You also need another source of income or savings backup.