Teaching English in Greece

Teachers' advice / Greece

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 the Knossos civilization in Herakleio. It's HIGHLY ADVISABLE to have some basic conversational knowledge in GREEK to move around, otherwise you will be hoodwinked in broad daylight!"
Anonymous, 19/06/06
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.
Mihaela, 21/02/07
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 This proposal still seems to be in limbo, as it hasn't formally been withdrawn, but the Greek government has been informed by the European Commission that the proposal contravenes European law.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"
Peter, 21/01/08
"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!"
Ophedia, 18/08/08
"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."
Snapshot, 12/01/09
Teaching English in Greece - What Do You Need to Know?
Emmanuel Mendonca

The employment situation can be quite uncertain for newcomers to Greece and therefore many people choose to try teaching English as a foreign language, on a full or part-time basis. It can bring in a good income whether it is your preferred career choice, or you wish to do it short-term until another career choice pans out.

Qualifications and Experience

There are many language schools or frontistiria in Athens and all over Greece, to which you could apply for work. In order to get a job in one of these schools, it is still not strictly necessary to have a formal teaching qualification such as TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Often all that is required is a university degree (in any subject) from a UK or US university. That said, if you are uncertain about your ability to teach English and want to ensure that you start off in this line of work with the necessary skills, a course would be useful. It would provide you with some teaching theory, knowledge of English grammar (let's face it, many of us have never formally studied English grammar in any great depth, even though we speak and write English everyday) and give you some valuable experience of teaching in a classroom, since this is included in most courses. When applying for jobs, you will find vacancies that specify that previous teaching experience is required and others for which no experience is necessary.

It does not matter if you do not speak a lot of Greek. Native English speakers are often valued for other reasons such as having what is seen as a "proper" accent. Many people also swear by the approach of not speaking your students' language, so that they hear only English being spoken for the duration of the lesson. You will find ways to make yourself understood. In my experience of language teaching, it can even be counter-productive if your students know that you speak their language well, because they may be too easily tempted to speak to you in Greek when they find it hard going.

Finding work

Teaching English as a foreign language jobs are widely advertised in newspapers and on the Internet all year round and most often from August to October. As well as applying before in Greece, you can also go to door-to-door around the frontistiria with your CV, again in the August to October period. If you are visiting them in person, it is not recommended that you spend time doing this any earlier than August because the schools often do not consider their recruitment needs much before the beginning of the academic year.

Pay and working conditions

Pay and conditions offered by language schools will vary enormously, so it is important to check these out in detail first before accepting a contract. If time is on your side, it may be worth speaking to several schools rather than taking the first job you are offered. Also, if you work in a frontistirio it is quite likely that you will be working mainly in the afternoons and evenings, since this is when children and adults are free to take their lessons.

Making some extra money

Many people who teach English as a foreign language in a school, also do private English on the side and this can become a lucrative activity in itself. Working in a language school for a few months is a good way to meet students and advertise the fact that you do private English lessons, on a one-to-one basis. It can be difficult to get the first few, but then through word of mouth, you'll get more if you do a good job - that great social network of mums and dads on the school run can work wonders! The University of Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) exam system seems to be the most widely known and respected in Greece, many people who want to be taught privately are preparing to sit a Cambridge exam or some other type of test. It is worth familiarising yourself with the system - there is an enormous amount of free information on the Internet, including lesson plans, tips, exam practice etc. The exams which are most commonly sat by students are the "First Certificate in English" (which many people still refer to by its old name: "Lower"), "Certificate of Proficiency in English" (known as "Proficiency"), and "Certificate in Advanced English" (commonly referred to as "Advanced"). More information is available from the Cambridge ESOL web site (www.cambridgeesol.org).

What private students will want from you varies a great deal. Some may just want a conversation class, others may just be starting on the Cambridge examinations path and there will be some who are already at a very high level and may need detailed coaching on specific grammar points or on vocabulary for a particular purpose e.g. business English. And given these differences, the amount of preparation required on your part and the fee per hour you are able to charge will probably vary too. I will finish with a word on advertising. My experience has been that I have paid out money for two newspaper ads, which got back zero replies! What has worked well for me is local advertising - you need to use your imagination. I put a card in local shops and a small notice in the back window of my car and you can see people reading it at every traffic light! Just beware of getting calls on your mobile phone while you're driving - not good! As I said before, word of mouth should kick in too once you have your first couple of lessons.

Emmanuel Mendonca is the webmaster of Greece Travel Articles - a source of interesting articles and information about visiting, living and working in Greece.
"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!"
Elizabeth, 05/06/09
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!
Anonymous, 22/10/09
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.
Helen, 8/11/09

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