![\"expats](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/teaching2.jpg\")
Rome presents a unique opportunity because it is a large international city in a country that has a history of poor English instruction in the school system compared to the rest of Europe.\u00a0 In general, their citizens are highly educated\u2014just not in languages.\u00a0 So when they graduate from university, they find themselves with an excellent education in their chosen field, but without the one absolutely necessary skill to compete in the international job market.\u00a0 English.\u00a0 Consequently the proliferation of English schools in the last decade or so has opened up a huge market for native speakers.<\/p>\n
Certifications<\/h2>\n
One of the first questions is usually, \u201cDo you really need<\/i> to get certified?\u201d\u00a0 My answer would be no, you don\u2019t need<\/i> to, but it sure helps give you a head start on the learning curve.\u00a0 The classic T.E.F.L. certification course is an intensive four-week, on-site program which combines classroom instruction with how-to-teach practical exercises.\u00a0 A good school will incorporate live teaching with real students as part of this training.\u00a0 Your instruction will include a review of English grammar, language acquisition theory, phonetics, lesson planning, and classroom techniques for different types of situations (adult vs. children; large class vs. small groups).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also a \u201cshortcut\u201d to T.E.F.L certification that\u2019s not a bad alternative for some.\u00a0 It is an online, self-paced course that still results in a genuine certificate after successful completion.\u00a0 I know, it sounds a bit shady, but really it\u2019s not.\u00a0 It\u2019s a perfectly legitimate option, especially for those who already feel comfortable teaching, or at least speaking in front of others.\u00a0 You\u2019ll still cover all of the topics that are discussed in the live course, but online and at your own speed.\u00a0 Obviously, you\u2019ll miss the opportunity to practice what you\u2019re learning in front of an actual classroom, but you\u2019ll still learn the most essential material for teaching English.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth mentioning that for most new English teachers, the grammar review is much more difficult than you\u2019d anticipate.\u00a0 As native speakers, we know our language intuitively and never really give notice to sentence structure or verb tenses.\u00a0 And even if we do understand the basics of grammar, few of us can actually explain them to another person\u2014especially when that person doesn’t speak our language very well (or at all) in the first place.\u00a0 Therefore, in my opinion, the grammar review is often the most valuable part of the T.E.F.L. certification process.\u00a0 It makes you much more confident when clarifying a subtle point to a student.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll notice that the average online course only costs about $200-300, whereas the full on-site course costs upwards of $1,400.\u00a0 That\u2019s a huge savings, obviously, and I\u2019m not sure that you get an additional $1,200 of value for the extra money.\u00a0 However, going through the classroom experience is fun.\u00a0 You make friends, learn from experienced teachers, and get a real \u201cfeel\u201d for what it\u2019s like to teach English in Italy.\u00a0 An added benefit is that you also start to make some contacts for job hunting (although finding a job is the least of the challenges).<\/p>\n
I’ve come across another option which strikes me as a great compromise.\u00a0 Check out the website Teaching English in Italy<\/a> and you can find out the whole scoop on this intensive weekend certification course in Florence.\u00a0 It\u2019s 20 hours of classroom time and you\u2019ll learn onsite from qualified instructors.\u00a0 They do it six times a year and the price is extremely reasonable at only 195 euros.\u00a0 The next available dates are November 29th – December 1st.\u00a0 Make a week out of it and spend some time in Florence, too!<\/p>\n Regardless of your level of training or experience as a teacher, it is a good idea to make a European C.V. for yourself.\u00a0 Include all of your job history, even if it doesn\u2019t relate to teaching.\u00a0 And Italian employers are big on titles and degrees, so put down anything that sounds impressive, even if it really isn\u2019t.\u00a0 If you have a university degree\u2014and I\u2019m talking about a four-year bachelor\u2019s degree\u2014you can call yourself Dottore<\/i> or Dottoressa<\/i> in Italy.\u00a0 Do not hesitate to do so, because it will send the message that you are a serious person.\u00a0 In any case, it\u2019s unlikely that they\u2019ll give your C.V. more than a cursory glance; the person who reads it may not even speak fluent English his\/herself and they\u2019ll mostly just use it for your contact information.\u00a0 Still, embellish it \u00a0as best as you can (without actually fibbing, of course) in order to \u201cfare una bella figura<\/i>,\u201d to make a good impression.<\/p>\n There are some differences between the European C.V. and the standard American r\u00e9sum\u00e9.\u00a0 First of all, it should contain a photo.\u00a0 Second, include your age and marital status and other personal information. \u00a0They can, and will, ask you these even though it would be considered politically incorrect in the States.\u00a0 Don\u2019t fight it; just put it on your C.V. from the get-go.\u00a0 That said, the style or format of you C.V. isn\u2019t that big of a deal and it will NOT make a difference in whether you get the job.\u00a0 Mostly it will be based on 1) if they like you; 2) if they happen to need teachers at the moment.<\/p>\n So here\u2019s the link to the European C.V. template.\u00a0 Just do it in English and don\u2019t bother having it translated into Italian.\u00a0 You\u2019re applying for a position as an English teacher, after all.<\/p>\n http:\/\/europass.cedefop.europa.eu\/en\/documents\/curriculum-vitae\/templates-instructions<\/a><\/p>\n Private Language Schools<\/b><\/p>\n This category, with all its sub-variations, offers the most opportunities and so we\u2019ll focus the bulk of our discussion on this option.\u00a0 There are literally dozens of private schools around the city, each constantly scrambling to fill up their classrooms, and then scrambling to find teachers to do the job.\u00a0 Needless to say, some companies are better to work for than others.\u00a0 In a country where “relaxed” business practices are often the norm, language schools have a particularly bad reputation for being difficult to work for.\u00a0 The most common complaint is getting them to pay you on time and\/or for the full amount that they owe you.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been lucky; I\u2019ve only heard about this sort of thing second hand.\u00a0 But believe me, it exists.\u00a0 With the large number of schools out there, there are still plenty of really good schools to work for and you do NOT have to accept disrespectful treatment from anyone.<\/p>\n When working for a private school, they may either have you teach in the actual classroom on site, or they may send you out to work at the business place of a client.\u00a0 Often, you\u2019ll be asked to do a combination of the two.<\/p>\n Teaching in the actual classrooms is nice because you can go there and settle in for the day and your students will come to you.\u00a0 Also, you\u2019ll have the benefits of having the staff on hand to assist you when needed, as well as supplemental teaching materials and equipment at your disposal such as a copy machine.<\/p>\n The classes themselves will likely vary in both size and level.\u00a0 They can have up to 15 students or they can be one on one.\u00a0 In any case, you\u2019ll be paid an hourly wage for the number of hours that you teach\u2026NOT for the number of hours that you\u2019re at the school.\u00a0 In other words, if you\u2019re there from 9-5, but only teach four, one-hour classes, you\u2019ll be paid for four hours, not eight.\u00a0 This is an industry-wide standard, so you\u2019ll just have to accept it.<\/p>\n The good schools, however, will do their very best to compress your schedule as much as possible so that you don\u2019t have a lot of dead time.\u00a0 Still, you\u2019ll be \u201cat work\u201d for some hours that you won\u2019t get compensated for. It should also be mentioned that it is unlikely that you\u2019ll actually work 9-5 in this scenario.\u00a0 More likely you\u2019ll work 8-2 or 4-9 or something like that.\u00a0 In fact, you\u2019re schedule will probably vary depending on the day of the week.\u00a0 Some schools also have Saturday hours, which new teachers will be asked (maybe required) to teach.<\/p>\n A growing trend, however, is for the schools to \u201coutsource\u201d you directly to corporate clients.\u00a0 These can be government agencies, private banks, international corporations, or any other company that does business within the European community or abroad.\u00a0 A nice thing about this for the teacher is that it generally is<\/i> a consistent 9-5 schedule.\u00a0 Also, the students are very educated and motivated.\u00a0 The downside is that this may require some amount of travel time, since the lessons will not be at the school.\u00a0 As a compensation for this, most reputable schools will give you a travel allowance in addition to your hourly wage.<\/p>\n As I said, working for a private language school offers the most opportunities as well as the ability to get started immediately (if they hire you, you\u2019ll likely be asked to start right away).\u00a0 But it\u2019s not for everyone.<\/p>\n Giving Private Lessons<\/b><\/p>\n This might be a good route for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to work a little harder.\u00a0 If done efficiently, this is the most lucrative way to go.\u00a0 But you\u2019ll have to do everything yourself: find your own students, plan all the lessons, collect the money, schedule and confirm appointments, deal with tardiness\/absences, etc.\u00a0 If it sounds like a headache, well, it is.\u00a0 Also know that most individual private lessons will be after work (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.), Monday through Thursday, or on Saturday mornings.\u00a0 Make sure that you\u2019re O.K. with that schedule before you choose this option.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the upside?\u201d you may ask.\u00a0 The two major advantages are freedom and money\u2014freedom because you can pick and choose your students to your liking and money because you can charge twice as much as you\u2019d make at a school.\u00a0 But this is a bit deceiving because by working for yourself, you\u2019ll be putting in a good bit of time outside of the lessons, and so when you calculate your hourly wage, it doesn\u2019t really seem like you\u2019re making that much more money on a per hour basis.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the best way to search for a job?\u00a0 In the U.S., we\u2019re very much acclimated to the electronic job search these days.\u00a0 Emails with attachments are the standard.\u00a0 You can also use this approach in Italy, although don\u2019t expect the same degree of interaction.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a few websites to get started:<\/p>\n There are general job sites (http:\/\/www.careerbuilder.com, http:\/\/www.jobinrome.com\/<\/a>, http:\/\/rome.it.craigslist.it\/<\/a>), TEFL-specific sites (http:\/\/www.eslcafe.com\/joblist\/<\/a>), and sites specific to Rome.\u00a0 Many of the sites that I recommend for apartment hunting can also be used for job hunting.\u00a0 I’ve noticed that http:\/\/www.wantedinrome.com\/<\/a> is particularly good for English teaching jobs.\u00a0 Also check expat notice boards such as Expats Living in Rome on Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0 The general TEFL-specific sites are O.K., but you\u2019ll have to wade through the hundreds of jobs being offered in East Asia in order to find the handful that are offered in Rome.<\/p>\n A few more:<\/p>\n http:\/\/roma.bakeca.it\/docenti-formazion-risorsumane-0<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.simplyhired.it\/a\/jobs\/list\/l-roma<\/a><\/p>\n![\"tefl](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/tefl2-300x213.jpg\")
Making a European Standard C.V.<\/h2>\n
Types of Teaching Jobs Available<\/h2>\n
![\"Teaching](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bookcover3small.jpg\" "\\"Teaching")
How to Look for a Job<\/h2>\n