Teaching English in Slovakia (part 3)
In the previous two blogs about teaching English in Slovakia, I talked about the following:
- 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
In this last blog, I’d like to talk about:
- 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.
Before I begin with an explanation on visas, it’s important to have a clear definition of each type of visa.
- A tourist visa is for a limited period of leisure travel, no business activities allowed. US and Canadian citizens can stay in the EU for 90 days on a tourist visa. And though the word visa may give you the impression that it is a separate document, this isn’t the case. Most countries do not issue a tourist visa; it comes into effect when your passport is stamped.
- Both the long-term stay visa and the temporary residence permit serve the same purpose. The difference between them has to do with where they are issued. A visa is issued at a foreign embassy in your home country while a permit is issued within the foreign country when you are already there.
If you are planning to live and work in Slovakia, you will need to apply for both a long-term stay visa (to legally reside) and a work permit (to legally work). A work permit is not valid unless you have the long-term stay visa, so start collecting the necessary documents for the long-term stay visa first. To see a list of requirements, check out the Slovak Embassy Web site in your home country. (US requirements are here.)
It is possible to begin the visa process in your home country and finish the process in Slovakia, but there are some documents that you can only get in your home country. For example, when I was applying for my long-term stay visa, I needed to show that I had no criminal record in the US. That meant that I has to get fingerprinted at my local county sheriff’s office, and then submit my fingerprints to the FBI to get a confirmation letter stating that I had no criminal record. I don’t know how one would get around this requirement if someone was already living in Europe.
Note: A work permit is issued for a particular job. If you change jobs, you will need to apply for a new work permit.
The timing is important when you are collecting your documents. Some documents cannot be older than 30 days when they are submitted along with the application. The process to collect all the documents may take time, especially waiting for the confirmation of no criminal record, so plan accordingly. If you are unclear about a requirement, call the Slovak embassy in your home country. Don’t feel like you are imposing on them to answer your questions. That’s what they are paid to do.
I wanted to make some comments about the Schengen zone and working “black”. Before Slovakia joined the Schengen zone (Dec 2007), it was rather easy for foreigners to come to “Eastern Europe” on a traveler’s visa, and if they wanted to stay longer than 90 days, cross over the border and back to a Schengen zone country like Austria or Germany to get a new stamp in their passport, which would renew the traveler’s visa for another 90 days. Since this is no longer possible, it is much more difficult to stay in any Schengen zone country longer than 90 days without a long-term stay visa. Now, visa restrictions are tighter and employers are generally not interested in taking on anyone working “black”. Not only could the employee be deported if caught, but an employer also faces hefty fines.
All in all, moving and working to a foreign country takes a lot of thought and organization. Meeting all the requirements may be time consuming – and frustrating at times – but if someone is determined, it’s definitely do-able. I completed the application process for both the long-term stay visa and the work visa twice, from scratch, and completed renewal processes for both (a somewhat easier task) also twice. And it was all worth it living abroad for those years.
4 Comments on “Teaching English in Slovakia (part 3)”
I just returned from the foreign police station in Bratislava. I have been trying to obtain my residence permit for the fifth time. Be careful! Slovak police want all the i's dotted and all the t's crossed. If one date is older than 90 days on your documents then you need to get a new document. And there are many documents needed!!! It takes time to get all documents notarized. Sometimes they will tell you that you are missing document one, four and nine. When you return with document one, four and nine, they will tell you that document two is not good. I tell you now that Slovaks are a nice people (except for shop clerks) and Slovakia is a great place to visit, but don’t ever live here for a longer period of time. One of my old bosses is an attorney in Bratislava. He told me that it is harder to be legal in Slovakia than it is to be illegal. I have lived nine years in Bratislava, four legal and five not. I never had any problems being illegal. I am trying my best to get all documents together. I want to be legal but it sure is a pain in the ass. Those five years were relaxing. Being legal:cost money, takes leg work, causes frustration, and takes up a lot of my time. All it does is let the police know where you are and that you are not a criminal or health risk to Slovakia. Come for a visit but don’t plan on staying!
April 22nd, 2009 at 08:48 AM
I have a couple of questions: 1) How does an Oxford Seminars cert stack up in Slovakia? It is 60 hours with a practicum and an instructor observed English lesson. I have my evaluation in writing showing I was the "top student" during the course. (Mine was about 30 minuets to some kids who were in between kindergarten and first grade)People over in Dave's ESL Cafe are amazingly pessimistic, even rude, about that part of my background, and I realize 60 hours with only about 30 min of teaching time is only moderately better than nothing at all. 2) If I was a tutor in a preschool class for 1 year, but not teaching English, what does that mean for my "teaching experience". I worked with Americorp's Jumpstart program. I have 300 hours documented time spent teaching a child who was paired with me the whole year in a larger class of about 12 other kids (who were also paired with tutors), assisting professional preschool teachers with their classrooms, and doing volunteer work/training. You can find Jumpstart online at jstart.org. 3) I noticed the Slovakian Embassy is in DC. That one covers Missouri, which is where I am currently located. Would having a local notary notarize a copy of my diploma, transcript, Oxford Certification, and birth certificate suffice? What can I do if it doesn't? 4) At this point in the year (August 2, 2009) is it still more than just "possible" to find a teaching job for the year, or am I more likely to have to wait till next year? I just finished my bachelors of science in international business, too. Thanks for your advice and help! This has been the best lead so far! All the best!
August 2nd, 2009 at 09:59 PM
Hi Jim, I would say that according to the information you provided, you have plenty of relevant teaching experience. I don't know anything about the Oxford certificate, but the title sure sounds impressive... . Regarding the embassy/notary question, wait for the organization/school/whatever to tell you what they want. I never needed my diploma or transcripts notarized when applying for work. For the visa, it's possible to mail your documents to the Slovak embassy (along with an acceptable Slovak translation), and they will notarize it and mail it back to you. I've done this once and had no problems. And about question 4, since it's August, a traditional school will have done their hiring already (usually done March through May). However, there are plenty of private language schools that hire pretty much year round. You just have to try and see. Good luck!
August 3rd, 2009 at 05:33 AM
The issue with the Schengen zone isn't that ther are no borders to cross to restart the 90 days (you can go to a non-member like Ukraine, Croatia or even the UK if you want), the problem is that the 90 day rule is now 90 days out of the past six months, so going abroad for an hour doesn't restart the 90 days. You need to have the money to holiday for an extended period of time in these other countries while you wait for your visa. For that reason, and the fact that it can take up to 90 days for them to rule on the application once you have your documents together, I recommend applying while still in your home country. Watch out for schools that say its possible for you to start work for them while they "work on the visa", which when issued, will retrospectively legalise your situation. It doesn't work like that in your home country, and it doesn't in Slovakia either, otherwise there would be no point in visas at all. They simply want to avoid paying social security on you.
September 5th, 2009 at 09:56 AM