I've been fortunate enough to teach English in a variety of places including Cologne, Germany, New York, New York, and Tuscany (various locations) in Italy. Each of these experiences were special in their own way. I'd like to give a quick overview of what I learned in these various settings. Of course, my experiences are not necessarily typical of the whole country. However, I think they provide insight into what English teachers might expect in these locations. This quick overview of past teaching experiences is meant to encourage others to share their own stories so that other teachers visiting the site might gather insight as they look into various teaching opportunities at home and abroad.
Germany
Teaching in Germany was wonderfully regular. I had a full year's contract, health insurance and paid vacation time. It was certainly the most employee friendly nation I worked in as a teacher. The pay wasn't fantastic, but it was certainly enough to make a basic living on a thirty-hour teaching week. Students expected extremely detailed grammar knowledge and explanations. My colleagues were friendly and helpful and the general atmosphere was very professional. Nowadays, it's very difficult to get permission to teach in Germany if you are not a European Union citizen. This sort of regulation is taken VERY seriously in Germany.
New York
Teaching in New York was my most rewarding teaching experience by far. This was due to the fact that I was helping recent immigrants adjust to living in the United States. Classes were intensive - generally nine hours a week. The emphasis was on getting up to speed quickly and focusing on pragmatic English used on a daily basis to either get a job or function in an English speaking society. This was truly teaching English as a Second Language.
Italy
Teaching in Italy was most irregular. The contract was for nine months and teaching during the summer was extremely limited. It was extremely difficult to get by on a teacher's salary. Nonetheless, teaching in Italy was a lot of fun. Students responded well to communicative tasks, and generally were a joy to teach. Colleagues were friendly and helpful, but often overbooked in their efforts to scrape enough hours together to pay the bills. As in Germany, it's very difficult to get permission to teach in Germany if you are not a European Union citizen. Unlike Germany, there are often some inventive ways to get around this regulation...
I hope this provides a little insight into teaching in these various locations. Please provide your own story so that we can all learn from each other.
The User Response link below is for teaching experiences in Asia. Please use these links for other teaching experiences by region:
Teaching English in Europe
Teaching English in Asia
Teaching English in North America
Teaching English in South America
Teaching English in Australia and New Zealand
Teaching English in Africa
