The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia

Because people are often curious about what is necessary for teaching in “Eastern Europe”, I thought I’d share my knowledge and own experience with teaching in Slovakia.

As I started to organize my thoughts, I realized that there are many components that should to be mentioned:

• what kind of certification is needed to teach
• how does one go about finding a job
• is it possible to secure a position if you are still in your home country and haven’t left for Slovakia yet
• what is a “typical” salary in Bratislava and other parts of the county, and how does this compare with the cost of living
• what is the difference in salaries between public and private schools
• work visas and long-term stay visas: how to get them and how long is the process
• how does Slovakia’s membership into the Schengen Zone effect people who come to Slovakia with tourist visas hoping to find work while there.
  
  

I realize now that I can’t fit all of this information in one article so I will group some of them in separate blogs and I’ll begin with certification for teaching and where to look for jobs.

For me, teaching was the clearest choice as a steady source of work in Slovakia. To prepare ahead of time, I got my certification to teach English as a second language (ESL) or sometimes also called English as a foreign language (EFL) from my local university where I lived in California. I studied in a year-long program but there are other institutions that provide certification. I met several English teachers in Slovakia and Czechia who attended a program in Prague that provides certification and training to teach ESL. I always thought that sounded like a nice idea if someone wanted to get the experience and training abroad.

Some schools will consider someone who does not have TEFL certification if the applicant can prove that he/she has relevant experience. This could mean that a person who has volunteered at a local school at home where English classes were being taught to non-English speaking people has an advantage if that person knows about lesson planning, and how to teach basic English grammar¹.

So, with certification and/or experience in hand, where does one look for teaching jobs in Slovakia? Obviously, the Internet is going to be key. The Slovak Spectator, the only English-language newspaper in Slovakia, produces something called “Green Pages” which is a resource guide on the Internet that contains contact information for companies and organizations in Slovakia. They have a list of language schools, many of which have web and email addresses. Check out some of the websites to see if any are looking for teachers, or send resumes with a cover letter.

Additionally, check out some of the forums that discuss teaching abroad, particularly for Slovakia and its neighboring countries. In my opinion, one of the most useful is the job forum on ESL Café. People post all kinds of questions and concerns about making a living from teaching and what life is like in destination countries. Usually posts get several replies with useful information. Expat Blogs is another source of information written by expats all over the world.

Another Web site is Profesia. They are a job search engine and probably the largest in Slovakia. Importantly, the website has an English version. Do a search for “English teacher” or “Učiteľ/ka AJ”

Is it possible to secure a position if you are still in your home country and haven’t left for Slovakia yet? Yes it’s possible. But consider, a school would have to take a big leap of faith that you are worth it even though they haven’t met you. Some schools would rather hire locally. Also consider that if you are a non-EU citizen and your paperwork to work legally is going to be a huge investment of time for both you and the employer (and an investment of money on your part), then this is a risk for the applicant too.

That being said, I secured my first teaching job in Slovakia while still living in California, and all worked out well. I’m not saying the job was idyllic and I wouldn’t have had concerns if I visited the school ahead of time in person first, but for a one-year commitment it was basically fine. The main thing is to find a potential employer who will consider applicants from abroad. Many private schools in Slovakia are experienced with this.

Timing in applying for jobs is important and if you are not under time constraints to find a position, the better off you are to find something you’d potentially like. In my experience, schools usually like to have a teacher (or teachers) arranged for the coming school year secured with at least a commitment from the applicant by May. If a private language school is considering applicants from abroad, that means they begin searching for suitable applicants around March and April. Once a commitment is made, the person then has the next few months to collect the paperwork for work and living visas (more on that later) before arriving at the school in August. K-12 schools usually begin the academic year the first Monday in September. Universities use a different schedule.

In the next blog I’ll talk about typical teaching salaries and living costs, and the difference between salaries in public schools, for example, universities, versus private language schools.

¹ Some of the most common English teaching books used in Slovakia are the Oxford University Press Headway series, and also Cambridge University Press Murphy basic grammar.

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