vincenzo

hey all

was wondering if anyone could give me a heads up on schools hiring
english teachers in southern italy ?

been applying but havnt had much luck.

thanks

v

duffer

Just keep sending your CV to as many schools as possible and uploading it on all the TEFL sites you can find on a Google search.

You won't get any response at this time - everyone is looking forward to their summer holidays. They'll contact you about a week before the term is due start! You don't even need to cross your fingers.

jdr

Do not forget capital letters and punctuation where needed on your CV, if you are trying for an English language teaching job. ;-) ;-)

duffer

He's looking for work in the south of Italy so it doesn't matter bout grammar end stuff der

vincenzo

Thanks for the reply guys...

lol @ no grammer needed in South Italy... Although i lived in Vicenza for
a couple of years and grammer wasnt needed there neither,
Infact schools in the North seem to just hire anyone! ( not that im saying im
just anyone but their are people with more qualifications and experience than me )

I also lived in Sicily for several years and i find they are much more fussy
with the selection process,

mmm..

anyway thanks again for the replies...

duffer

I don't know why that is. Maybe there are more teachers available in the south therefore the schools can be picky, conversely maybe there are more Italians that would like to learn English in the north with a shortage of teachers.

All I know is that when I arrived in Italy it was June and I didn't hear anything until September when I was offered several jobs all of which were starting within a week. No interviews.

indiebird

hmmmm, i am not a confident gal and this is what has stopped me, but do you reckon that it would be possible to walk into the private lang schools as a mother-tongue speaker with an online tefl course certificate and not get laughed at?? I have done a few private lessons but am looking for something more to do with both the kids going off to school come september... my facebook addiction is getting bad and I could do with earning a bit of my own money? and what kinda cv do they like? i.e. in english or italian (my italian is basic and rubbish!!)

duffer

A good CV is essential. I've always used an English version. For my header I've always used my name then followed by my contact details - mobile phone and e-mail are vital.

Then I follow that with a profile geared to the type of job I'm applying for.

Then it's followed by my skills - again with a specific criteria that these skills are what the employer is looking for, i.e. a CELTA or TEFL course, Diploma of Translation, etc.

After this section is my career history. Again, for every position I've held I modify the key tasks to suit the vacancy.

Here is an example of one of my earlier CV profile - it's quite old but I don't have access to any of my CVs here -

Profile

o Friendly character with a relaxed manner
o Flexible and adaptable and calm
o Ability to work confidently, unsupervised and as part of a team
o Able to lead, persuade, encourage and train others
o Excellent time management skills with experience to prioritise to tight deadlines
o Can communicate effectively, tactfully and efficiently with people of all levels and backgrounds
o Ability to analyse problems, find solutions and to implement them
o Excellent computer skills

Remember bringing up kids and teaching children require skills much like those listed above.

Good luck!

Lorna at Vicenza

I have to disagree with Duffer on this one as nobody in private language schools has ever asked me for a CV - in either language.

I think it's perfectly feasible to walk into one, leave them a copy of your certificate and another sheet of paper with your contact details on it.

There is a school near me that rings me every September asking me to take on some courses for them based just on the fact that I am mother-tongue and have experience. I don't have any teaching certificates at all. They ring every September and every September I turn them down as the courses on offer are all evening classes and I don't do evening courses anymore.

Some of the private language schools might be closed now though, unless they offer summer courses, so wait a bit or post them a cover letter with contact details and copy of certificate.

duffer

You probably don't need a CV yes but obviously being a man I'm more professional - Always send a CV with a covering letter. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

Lorna at Vicenza

I've got a good CV in Italian but I'd use it more for office type jobs rather than a teaching post .. unless I could prove that I'd been a lecturer in Padova University or something equally impressive...... otherwise it's just wasted in most places.

Italians are also notorious for never replying to CVs - not even to say "sorry - the position has been filled" or "sorry we are not recruiting at the moment".

indiebird

Thanks Duffer and Lorna for this info!! I don't think many English employers acknowledge CVs either unless they are going to offer you an interview. I think I will just knock up something that is a page that I can take along with copies of my certificates and hope my natural charm and the fact that I am a mother-tongue speaker will find me something. I must admit that I was hoping it wouldn't all be evenings as I would prefer to work during the day, but I guess I don't know til I go along..... I was thinking 1st week of September would be a good time to hit them and just see what happens....

duffer

Hit them hard. Hit them with a bat - it usually does the trick.

.Ariel.

It could be that the time year isn't perfect for getting feedback regarding job applications - summer hols are more important than anything else right now. But, I can definitely confirm that there are schools in the south that will hire anyone who can speak English. Keep trying.

vincenzo

Yeps........

I have just been offered a job in Reggio Calabria to start in September.
So there is hope out there lol

Ill be posting another thread looking for a flatmate down south,
so if anyone knows of anyone feel free to let me know )