Finding a job teaching English in Frankfurt

Hello everyone,

I just bought my one-way ticket for Frankfurt for January arrival and I need help on finding out how I can get a job teaching English so I don't get kicked out of the country! I have already submitted my application to Berlitz and they have offered me a job freelancing, but this will not fly with the Alien's Immigration Office, since Berlitz cannot offer me a contracted position and sponsor my visa. Are there any other language schools that you would recommend and what are my visa options? I heard that if you get 2 jobs freelancing at 2 language schools, then you can get a visa. Is this true?

I will be attending the Goethe Institute for the first 2 months, so I will have time to look for a job upon my arrival and I will have some basic command of German. Is my best bet just to head over to Frankfurt and then start looking for a job?

Well, my tip would be don't go to the Goethe Institute . Go to a reputable international language school that also has a significant volume of English language work instead.

Don't be direct about your desire to teach English but, if you adopt a positive manner and an apparent capacity to relate well to others and learn / articulate language basics, they could offer you work. At the very least you'll be able to meet other EL teachers, build contacts, see how the teaching works etc.

Hi everybody - I'm an Australian who just moved to Frankfurt. I'm here to support my boyfriend (he's currently employed in his dream job, working on a video game!) and I thought that I would try to find work teaching English. I don't speak German, nor do I have any formal teaching qualifications, but I was employed by the Australian government sports commission to tutor in English at the Australian Institute of Sport, and I also have about five years of private experience which includes tutoring non-English speakers. My tertiary education is a Bachelor of Arts degree, complete except for my honors year.

I was wondering if anybody with experience in this area could give me advice on how to go about getting a job? How necessary are TESOL, TEFL etc. qualifications for employment with language schools here? What have your experiences been like?

I'd really appreciate any help I can get. Thank you

Before I came to Germany I did a TEFL certificate. I got a job working at Inlingua Frankfurt and to be honest since most of the classes I taught were based on their materials and method I didn't need the TEFL certificate. However I did teach some advanced translation and special courses so it came in handy there.

But many of the people I worked with did not have TEFL certificates, some of them didn't even have degrees. I think there might have been a reflection on their hourly rate I am not sure. I had negotiated a special rate with them based on my background and the fact that I'd be teaching advanced courses and special German certificates.

There are many people teaching English without qualifications so I wouldn't have thought finding a freelance position would be too difficult.

My experience with it was ok but after about a year I realised that it was no way for me to build a career nor live in the German speaking world so I found myself a 9-5 office job which has led me to where I am now. But for your situation it sounds like a good option.

Thank you! That's really helpful, and a bit of a relief too. I was worried that I might not be able to begin teaching until I'd spent a few months doing a course. I'm still interested in advancing my qualifications, but it's good news that I'll be able to make a start without them. My long term goal is like yours, to get an office job - I hope English tutoring will tide me over until then. Many thanks!

just a suggestion, try joining ELTAF, the local English language teachers' association. they've just finished a pay survey that'll give you a fairly accurate assessment of the pay range and the corresponding qualifications member teachers have. it is as expected, the higher your qualifications, the higher your payrate will be, and should be.

an ongoing controversy among ELTAFers is the number of non-qualified teachers out there accepting work at below-standard pay-rates (i.e. below 20.-EUR/teaching hour), who in effect reduce the overall pay rates and make it harder for everyone to find work as a freelancer that will still pay the bills, AFTER paying all the various taxes and insurance, plus pension contributions (all of which any freelancer MUST pay).

So, be careful, be informed, and get a decent qualification that doesn't get you stuck working ONLY for the language schools that pay peanuts (and still offer no contract!).

Why do teachers get so upset about this? It's normal market forces. The freelance life "pays" in other ways, often for people who would have zero aspiration to have an employer or a full time contract.

If someone wants to earn 25,000 Eur without working full time, what's the problem? Have you any idea how low net pay is for many full time jobs here? You'd still net as much as a lot of people.

As for "qualifications": In my profession, I know great unqualified accountants and some useless qualified ones (often with "qualifications" not worth the paper they are written on). Some of them don't earn much - some through choice, some not. I'd be laughed at if I presumed to judge their earnings as "below standard" and suggested it's unfair on those that need to earn more. Our lives are all different.

The maths is presumably intended to frighten. Freelancers come in many forms not just full time English teachers (and many freelancers who do EL only do it as a sideline to better paid stuff). We have relatively low tax bills. We don't bother with pensions (but save elsewhere). There are choices over healthcare. My usual 15% (or less) is hardly onerous and, again, better than a full time employee would get).

Try FIS (Frankfurt International School). They are usually looking, and pay really well.