Country info and advice - Greece
The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in Greece. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.
It's heavenly to work on the
islands, especially in Crete. The places not to be missed are Herakleio,
Ierapetra, Makri Yalos and Sitia. You can visit the Knossos
civilization in Herakleio. It's HIGHLY ADVISABLE to have some basic
conversational knowledge of GREEK to move
around, otherwise you will be hoodwinked in broad daylight!
Greece is a wonderful country
to visit and to stay for a while. The climate is mild, the scenery everywhere is
breathtaking, people are hospitable and they know how to enjoy life. Very proud
of their ancient and more modern history and language, they will always tell you
that "everything comes from Greek". Teaching in Greece is another issue. There
are job openings in Greece, usually at the beginning of every school year, in
September. As a foreigner, you can only teach in "frontistiria" (private
language schools). If you are an EU national, getting hired is easier than if
you are not. To teach in these schools you need a teaching licence issued by the
Ministry of Education. It takes a few months to get it... or you might never get
it. Knowing this truth, the school owners hire certified TEFL/TESOL teachers
holding a university degree even without this licence. This has the
inconvenience that you might find yourself at their disposal, no protection, no
insurance. The school owners do not arrange for accommodation, but the people
are nice and you will always find a place to stay. The salary is between 6 and
800 euros per month. It's ok if you live modestly. Usually English teachers
teach private lessons to round up their salary. One detail: teaching in these
schools means teaching for examinations (Cambridge, Michigan and a national
English examination called Kratiko), so you need to know what these examinations
are about very well.
Over the last few months,
there has been a lot of debate about the proposed requirement for English
Teachers working in private schools frontistiria) to take exams in Greek
language. This proposal still seems to be in limbo, as it hasn't formally been
withdrawn, but the Greek government has been informed by the European Commission
that the proposal contravenes European law. That aside, the requirements for a
foreign teacher to be hired at a frontistirio are relatively straightforward.
The employer applies for a permit (adeia proslipsis allodapou) and the only
documentation required in support of that application is a certified copy of
your college diploma and a certificate from the public health committee issued
after a medical including a blood test and chest X-ray. To get a teaching
licence to work privately or establish your own school is rather more complex,
and certification in Greek language is required for that. Regional Directorates
of Secondary Education are not always fully informed about procedures, so it's
often useful to contact the Ministry of Education in Athens. Anyone interested
in teaching in Greece is also welcome to contact us at jobs@anglo-hellenic.com
I do not advise foreigners to
come to Greece to teach, you will be underpaid, private lessons will do you
well, but you will pay that on transportation. A country in chaos, Middle Ages,
things are so slow, job vacancies are rarely advertised, I mean good teaching
positions in normal private schools... it is all word of mouth, they hire
relatives and connections. Who the hell needs Greek if you are going to teach
English, we might need "Code Switching" sometimes, but we do not need a
proficiency degree in Greek to do that! I believe that this whole law has been
decreed in order to protect Greek teachers of the English language, in other
words to ensure that they get a job and don't stay home so that teaching
positions are not taken by foreigners or native speakers of English. I have met
many incompetent Greek teachers of English who are allowed to teach, whereas
native speakers are hired under the desk, and this is by luck, do you call this
fair?! I care not whether you post this complaint, we cannot always post
positive things, but then again reality bites!
I've lived in Greece for over
10 years. Ophedia is correct. Stay away. Greece is hell. First of all, it is
most definitely NOT a meritocracy. The most qualified does NOT get the job.
Someone's brother, sister, cousin etc. does. Who cares if they know what they're
doing. Teaching conditions at these schools are very poor and if by some chance
you manage to get hired... the owner will almost certainly take advantage of
you.
I taught in Greece from 1990
till 2008. It was good at first but has now become a pocket money job - you
can't live on the salary. It's okay if you're living with a well-paid partner or
living at home. Any specialised qualification (Master's, CELTA) is not rewarded.
There's nowhere to progress. I passed the new "Ellinomatheia" exam' and then,
with great regret, left a beloved country that's still partially in the Middle
Ages!
The situation here in Greece
is depressing for foreigners who wish to teach English in Greece. First and
foremost, the salaries are below average for even someone holding a post
graduate degree. Even if you decide to supplement your income, you have to have
the right connections in order to find students. Besides, with private tutoring,
you won't have any form of health insurance, which I believe is more important
than a good salary (health comes first). Students usually won't show up for the
lesson. On top of that, you won't get any unemployment benefits once the school
year ends; imagine being without a job for almost 4 months during the summer.
Who wants to learn English in the summer? Absolutely no one here in Greece.
Public school teaching is the best job, since they only work 5 months out of the
year - summer off, holidays, school trips and of course strikes. Believe it or
not, they get paid for the entire year!
Elizabeth is sooo right,
unfortunately ! You can hardly live on a wage as a teacher of English unless you
work a lot of hours. The majority of teachers work between 24 and 32 hours per
week so it's easy to imagine the quality and the impact on health.
The hourly rate for a beginner teacher in a frontistiria is 9 euros, insurance
included, and this means you will get about 7 and a half euros in hand.
Preparation time is unpaid.
If you are an EU national, it will be fairly easy to get a job as long as you
have the right qualifications - university degree in English or, if not, a
university degree and a proficiency certificate - Cambridge CPE or Michigan
ECPE. The knowledge of Greek proves very useful but I also don't agree with the
exam that a teacher must pass to get a teaching licence. In Athens you might
find jobs if you search jobsites at the end of the summer. For the rest of the
country, going from door to door or using an agency are the ways to go.
You may have private classes if you advertise them in bookshops or supermarkets
but this depends a lot on where you live. There are places where people don't
see the benefits of private tutoring and prefer the cheaper alternative of the
local crammed fontistiria.
Training is still something new and uninteresting for a lot of frontistiria
owners and even for a lot of teachers. Of course things are a bit different in
Athens but still not at the level of other European countries.
One might like the life rhythm which is pretty slow, especially in the islands.
Think of that seriously beforehand because it can become a real issue as I have
seen so far among colleagues.
To sum up, Greece is not a place to make loads of money unless you are a
frontistiria owner but for people looking to go back in time and experience a
slow-paced life it can be really nice.
My experience of teaching in Greece
is very different and much more positive than many of those above. I have been doing
this job since 1993. I work relatively few hours and earn on average at least 1500 a
month through the school year. Because I work at a school as well as at private lessons
(where the real money comes from) I can claim unemployment benefit through the summer
(I often have one or two lessons then too to tide me through).
Greek children are polite, punctual and incredibly hard-working for the main part.
I have been working with the same school owner for 15 years and we have a relationship
of mutual trust and respect. I get paid 12 euros cash in hand at my school, and I could
probably ask for more but the benefits are not purely monetary - through schools one often picks up private lessons.
Perhaps part of the reason for my positive impression of the job is that I live and
work in Chania, Crete, a lovely little town with a relatively high standard of living.
Things may be more cut-throat in large towns.
Some previous negative comments are accurate though - Greece has a tangled and frustrating
bureaucracy, and some school owners are con-artists, so choose carefully.
You do need to pass exams in the Greek language to teach legally. These are definitely
NOT Proficiency-level exams - not even Lower level. It may be true that the Greek government
is insisting on this qualification in the face of European objections so as to edge non-Greek
teachers out of the system - in a way, who can blame them? But a native-English-speaking teacher
of some years experience is well-respected in Greek society and I have yet to ever feel discriminated against.
I disagree with the people who say
you don't need to pass the "Ellinomatheia" to be certified. You must have a working
knowledge of Greek to teach students English, and this at least eliminates some people
from snatching up jobs that they are not qualified for.
Although the pay is horrible in comparison to what you can make in most any other country,
you are payed relatively well by the standars in Greece, considering you work about 30
hours and make 1000 Euros a month, not including private lessons.
It's all a matter of perspective.
Yes, the people are fine but be careful of Greek men
if you are a woman from a Western country. They may think you are easy meat.
My advice is if you are single and only looking for
fun, then go for it. However, if are British and live in Greece forget it, some of the above comments
are right. It is not what you know it is who you know in Greece. I am an English teacher and I have 6
years experience. However, I was paid very little. I had to work long hours in addition. I had to mark
around 400 compostions per week. When I got pregnant with my second child, I got fired and the school
owners son hired his girlfriend, who I might add passed her proficiency after 3 attempts... now she is
teaching English and getting paid more than I was... be careful!
The salaries in Greece for English teachers are around
8 to 10 euros an hour in frondisteria regardless of whether you have the minimum requirements or post
graduate degrees. It's a dead end with no room for any advancement. The kids are usually nice. The
only way you can do it is if you really love teaching. Private lessons are at least 20 euros an hour
but usually unrewarding.
The current situation in Greece is dire. Native students
with Proficiency are classed as qualified to teach, whereas CELTA and higher qualified teachers have to
officially have the State B1 Greek proficiency in order to teach B2 or above. The frontisteria scene has
also changed, with nearly 2 out of 3 schools closing down, and the remaining ones having piles of CVs from
people looking for jobs. Greek students with proficiency are undercutting the private teaching market,
which means for those without personnel contacts there are no jobs. The Greek employment system is highly
age-ist - forget European law, if you're over 35 you are apparently unable to teach! Experience counts for nothing. Be warned.
Reading your comments I have to agree that Greece
is a country heavily populated of misanthopes that only are interested in short-term gains, obviously
measlow hierarchy has not been applied to the way of thinking or treating fellow human beings.
The fact that hypocrisy is still dominating the way of life in Greece is nothing surprising. What is surprising
though is their eagerness to learn English and socialize with the global community yet still hold on
to past so called traditions (basically, ignorant Greeks educating=transfering their ignorance to the
next generation) and customs, mostly Turkish. One has to understand
the Greek way of thinking in order to understand them. I am greek thus heed my advice!
Although getting a teaching license is a long drawn out
process, it can be done. It's taken me almost two years from start to finish, and cost me all in all
about 1,500 euros including Greek lessons, taking the Greek exams (and travelling to Athens to take them),
lawyers fees, British Council translation fees and lord only knows what else!! However, if you are
determined and committed enough, there is actually light at the end of the tunnel. The Greek exams
are difficult (I took and passed both the C and D levels) and they certainly separate the men from
the boys as far as your knowledge of Greek is concerned!! I do think they are necessary though as I
would find it almost impossible to teach if I couldn't speak Greek. Let's be fair, I wonder how
parents in Britain would react if their kids were being taught by someone who couldn't speak English?
I got my license to teach within 3 months! :)
Unfortunately many Brits in Greece have the tendency to make everything seem so negative!
By the way I don't think a course in the UK would cost less... also there are non native English speakers that do speak better English to native ones.
I am an English teacher. I married a Greek national
whom I met when we were both at university in the UK. There is, I assure you, no shortage of highly educated Greek people.
The inability to speak Greek effectively excludes people ignorant of the language from mainstream cultural life. I taught English to university
students who required assistance with specialized texts. The problem that most of your correspondents on
this page share is simply that they do not know the language of the country in which they wish to work,
and are therefore at a disadvantage compared with those who do speak it. Having worked for many years
both in UK schools and in Greek ones, I can state with absolute certainty that many Greek students can
tackle English texts that would baffle the average A-Level candidate in Britain.
I taught two academic years in Greece way back in
87-88 and 89-90 in Larissa and Arta respectively. It sounds like little has changed since then. At my
first school I was cheated out of every bonus e.g. Xmas, Easter, and summer and although national insurance
was deducted from my salary (if it could be called that) I found out later that none of the deductions were paid.
At the second school where I taught I was fortunately ready for every trick and attempt to cheat me so managed to
get everything I was entitled to, but it wasn't for lack of trying on the Frontersteria owner's part.
Yet despite the above I mostly had a great time and they were two years I will never regret. I'd advise anyone to
try it for a year or two but just to go armed with the knowledge that although for the most part Greeks are warm,
friendly people they are also (on the whole) a nation of liars and cheaters.
I have to disagree with the above comment about the nation on a whole being
full of liars and cheaters and feel rather insulted. I myself am half Greek half British and having worked in schools both in
the UK and in Greece, I find it much more enjoyable working here. Maybe it's the fact that I was lucky enough to find work in
a well recognised frontistirio where the owner cares more about the kids than his money (he actually donated money to one
student's family because their electricity had been cut off owing to them not having money to pay it because of the recession
and agreed to let the child stay on and learn free of charge.) We get paid through bank transfer not cash in hand and I work
25 hours a week for 900 Euros after deductions, which is more than what I was earning in the UK working full time with Special Needs children.
I was hired on the basis of my CELTA qualification and all the teachers I work with had lived in the UK or the States for over 10
years so their English is perfect. A lot of them are also, like me, only half Greek. There are 6 of us who are native speakers,
and all of us speak Greek, not because it's the law but because it helps the children.
Working in the UK I found my co workers to be rude and most of them not worth the money they were being paid. A lot of them were
downright thick if I'm honest. In comparison everyone I work with at my current school are lovely, friendly people who do the job
because they genuinely enjoy it. We have fun with the children and branch away from the typical parrot fashion in which most Greek kids are taught.
I do feel for those who have had bad experiences teaching in Greece and I can fully understand why you wouldn't recommend it to others.
I can only assume However that it's because you had not done proper research into the way things work out here, or didn't understand
enough to know what you were getting yourself into. I wouldn't discourage people from working out here under any circumstances. I
would merely advice you to execute great caution when applying for jobs. Use an agency like I did so that they can help you with
any problems or queries you have. Don't be put off by the huge amount of red tape that seems to come with the territory, it's all
just a formality and usually only takes a trip or 2 down to KEP (a local government office) If in doubt, speak to the other native
English teachers who will be more than happy to help out a fellow ex pat. And most of all, enjoy it! Greek kids, while they can be
noisy, talk out of turn and incredibly cheeky, are some of the nicest, most respectful kids around, and they love to have a laugh in
class. There isn't a single day that goes by where I'm not in stitches from some of the hilarity that goes on in my classroom.
I think that to judge an entire nation on two bad experiences is small minded to say the least!!
I have been working for a frondistirio for the last five years and have been treated more than fairly
and paid properly from day one. Half the problem is that salaries in Greece are compared to salaries in the UK.
You can't compare the two. Although a teacher's pay is not great, it's better than a lot of other jobs
offer, so it helps to look at the situation relatively. I've been living in Greece for the last twenty
years and I can assure anyone reading this that the majority of Greek people and anything but liars and cheats!!
I am an American who has taught English in Greece since 2004 including the Frontistirio and private lessons.
I did not have a hard time getting the permit to teach at a language school. However, I'm interested in getting
the permanent, arpakia license. Does anyone the current law on this? The last time I tried, they told me I had to
be a EU member. Have there been any reforms in this matter?
Does anyone know if it really helps to have a CELTA or TEFL in Greece??
ALSO haven't EU law changes been instituted in Greece where the Greek Language test isn't a requirement?
Dear all, I ve read all your comments and i agree that living in Greece as a foreigner is not easy. There is a lot of paperwork involved and some people in frontistiria will try to fool you if they can. That however is something that occurs in every Med country where English is taught as an additional language. As for the CELTA, it is not needed if you have a diploma of proficiency in language, as mentioned above you are easily going to be accepted. As for the single ladies that fall for Greek men be aware of the cultural differences. Do not forget that many Greeks have travelled in UK or America and are educated in your culture as well. This means that you need to be as cautious as you would be in your country when it comes to love. Greeks as all Med men are charming and know how to make an impression but they also know when a girl is not to be taken seriously. Never rush into things.. that gives the wrong impression in every culture. If you like Greece, Greeks will open up and accept you as part of their world. If you want to work here then be well informed beforehand on location and policy.
I have just been informed that you need a proficiency in Greek to teach in Greece. Its ridiculous! I think the tefl course will be more beneficial to a person wanting to teach English. It covers everything a teacher needs to know . I find that the Greek English teachers can make a lot of mistakes.
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