American desperate for job in Cologne or vicinity

I am desperate for some help in this matter. Anybody who can help me figure out the job situation is a saint. I´m currently living in Spain working as an English teacher, but my program ends on May 31st and I need to find a way to make money in Germany. My German is weak. I know this is a problem. Self-taught German programs only go so far. I assume that my only option is to give English classes, privately or with a company/language school. That´s fine with me. The problem is that I am not an EU-citizen and I don´t really understand how to obtain the work permit. Do I need a job offer first or the permit? I would guess the job, but lots of the adverts ask for "working papers".

I already have a place to live. My girlfriend lives in Düren (about 30 minutes from Cologne), so no problem there. I just need something stable or quasi-stable so that I can make ends meet.

IF ANYONE COULD HELP ME (ADVICE, CONNECTIONS, SOMEONE TO CALL, ETC), THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!

Any advice at all is something more than I have at this point.

Thanks

Seth

Have a look at this site. There's useful information about freelance teaching including getting a permit.

http://elt.yuku.com/

I think there is still a noticeboard in the English shop in Cologne where ELT teachers sometimes advertise for private students.

Marry her.

There are tons of language schools in Cologne and Aachen. Obviously, with Cologne being bigger and all, your chances are probably better there.

You can find a list of language schools in Aachen here. The listings are for German courses, but the majority of the schools offer English courses as well. I don't know of a similar list for Cologne, but I'm sure you can find plenty just by googling 'Englischkurs Köln', 'Sprachkurs Köln' or something along those lines. Good luck!