ITTP Prague TEFL: Friday Questions

This Friday's question is...

-Q: Hello,  I am strongly considering applying for your program, but am trying to decide on what dates might be best.  As far as jobs are concerned do nearly all positions start in August, or are there opportunities throughout the year?

-A: The school year in the Czech Republic (and the rest of Europe) begins in September. In Asia the new school year begins late February/early March.
In the Czech Republic though what you will find is that classes don't really get going full steam until early October. What this means is that the peak hiring period for the Czech Republic is from the end of August until mid September. This is the peak hiring season when graduates typically have a lot more choice regarding which school they wish to teach for and more choice as to what type of teaching they wish to do. The second peak hiring season is in January/early February. These two periods of the year are when you will find it easiest to find teaching positions and they coincide with taking the August, September, January course dates.
However (and this is a big however) there is work year round in the Czech Republic, and especially Prague, and this is due to the high volume of teachers coming through Prague - equaling a relatively high turnover of staff - and also due to the fact that language schools find new clients throughout the school year so the demand is pretty constant.
It is only in August and just before Christmas when things slow down a lot.
However, if taking the November course then you can definitely pick up either full time or part time work before the holidays and then go right into full time work from January. Likewise in August there is a lot of work still available - teaching kids at summer camps in the Czech countryside, teaching intensive courses, or teaching substitution classes for teachers who have decided to head off for the summer vacation.

Hope it helps!

Hezky den!/Lovely day!

Neville :-)
info@tefl-prague.com
http://www.tefl-prague.com
http://www.tefl-tesol-online.com
http://ittp-tefl-prague-tesol.blogspot.com