Tefl in Greece

Teaching English
in Greece

The employment situation can be quite uncertain for newcomers to Greece and
therefore many people choose to try teaching English as a foreign language, on a full
or part-time basis. It can bring in a good income whether it is your preferred career
choice, or you wish to do it short-term until another career choice pans out.

Qualifications and Experience

There are many language schools or frontistiria in Athens and all over Greece, to
which you could apply for work. In order to get a job in one of these schools, it is still
not strictly necessary to have a formal teaching qualification such as TEFL (Teaching
English as a Foreign Language). Often all that is required is a university degree (in
any subject) from a UK or US university. That said, if you are uncertain about your
ability to teach English and want to ensure that you start off in this line of work with the
necessary skills, a course would be useful. It would provide you with some teaching
theory, knowledge of English grammar (let's face it, many of us have never formally
studied English grammar in any great depth, even though we speak and write English
everyday) and give you some valuable experience of teaching in a classroom, since
this is included in most courses. When applying for jobs, you will find vacancies that
specify that previous teaching experience is required and others for which no
experience is necessary. It does not matter if you do not speak a lot of Greek. Native
English speakers are often valued for other reasons such as having what is seen as a
"proper" accent. Many people also swear by the approach of not speaking your
students' language, so that they hear only English being spoken for the duration of the
lesson. You will find ways to make yourself understood. It can even be
counter-productive if your students know that you speak their language well, because
they may be too easily tempted to speak to you in Greek when they find it hard going.

Finding work

Teaching English as a foreign language jobs are widely advertised in newspapers and
on the Internet all year round and most often from August to October. As well as
applying before in Greece, you can also go to door-to-door around the frontistiria with
your CV, again in the August to October period. If you are visiting them in person, it is
not recommended that you spend time doing this any earlier than August because the
schools often do not consider their recruitment needs much before the beginning of
the academic year.

Pay and working conditions

Pay and conditions offered by language schools will vary enormously, so it is important
to check these out in detail first before accepting a contract. If time is on your side, it
may be worth speaking to several schools rather than taking the first job you are
offered. Also, if you work in a frontistirio it is quite likely that you will be working mainly
in the afternoons and evenings, since this is when children and adults are free to take
their lessons.

Making some extra money

Many people who teach English as a foreign language in a school, also do private
English on the side and this can become a lucrative activity in itself. Working in a
language school for a few months is a good way to meet students and advertise the
fact that you do private English lessons, on a one-to-one basis. It can be difficult to get
the first few, but then through word of mouth, you will get more if you do a good job -
that great social network of mums and dads on the school run can work wonders! The
University of Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) exam
system seems to be the most widely known and respected in Greece, many people who
want to be taught privately are preparing to sit a Cambridge exam or some other type
of test. It is worth familiarising yourself with the system - there is an enormous amount
of free information on the Internet, including lesson plans, tips, exam practice etc. The
exams which are most commonly sat by students are the "First Certificate in English"
(which many people still refer to by its old name: "Lower"), "Certificate of Proficiency in
English"; (known as "Proficiency"), and "Certificate in Advanced English"; (commonly
referred to as "Advanced"). More information is available from the Cambridge ESOL
web site (www.cambridgeesol.org).

What private students will want from you varies a great deal. Some may just want a
conversation class, others may just be starting on the Cambridge examinations path
and there will be some who are already at a very high level and may need detailed
coaching on specific grammar points or on vocabulary for a particular purpose e.g.
business English. And given these differences, the amount of preparation required on
your part and the fee per hour you are able to charge will probably vary too. To finish -
a word on advertising. Obviously you can spend money to advertise in newspaper ads,
but what seems to work well is local advertising, for which you need to use your
imagination. You could place a card in local shops and even a small notice in the back
window of your car so that people read it at every traffic light! Just beware of getting
calls on your mobile phone while you're driving - not good! Word of mouth should also
start to work in your favour once you have your first couple of lessons and if you do a
good job.