Teaching English in Serbia and Montenegro

•   One has to remember that NATO bombed Serbia within recent memory of people there. English is very much in need, but they are still aligned with their fellow Orthodox cousins in Russia. Serbia has not come as far along as Slovenia, but it is pretty much in line with the rest of the former Yugoslavia.
  
  Do not get into trouble, the cops are tough, and if you are from the US or the UK, even more so. Kids at school are normal, and generally well behaved. Money is still a little tight, students might only attend class once or twice a week, and you will teach all levels, kids and adults. Normally it is up to you to create the lesson plan. As a native English speaker, you will also be expected to teach the Serb English teacher, as well as your class load.
  
  Housing is either shared, or you can get an apartment in one of the old style communist apartment blocks. Forget about A/C , get a fan when you arrive, the buildings look like they were built from pre-cast concrete, and have joints that sometimes leak when it rains, but your little room, generally won't.
  
  Food has a little bit of Greek or Turkish influence - kind of spicy. Grocery Stores are easily within walking distance, many people have bikes however.
  
  The language is both in Cyrillic and Latin characters, the words are exactly the same, but in the written version one looks like Russian, and the other looks Slavic."
  Anonymous, 16/07/08
•   You are 100% wrong about Serbia!!! I've been teaching here for 10 years and some of the Serbian teachers have more skills than the natives. You have to spend some time here if you want to talk about it :)... People have A/Cs... and do lead a normal lifestyle... of course some of them can't afford it, but isn't it like that anywhere else...??? Don't take the story above for granted! That's my advice!
  Nikola, 09/11/08
•   In response to Anonymous's comments, I agree with Nikola. I have only visited Belgrade once and found the city to be very cosmopolitan, aware of its history, and very friendly to Americans. Of course, I wasn't doing anything that would cause contact with the police, so I can't speak about that.
  
  Anonymous's experience may cause him or her to believe what they have written, but one cannot generalize so much. The general political tide is more complex than Anonymous would have you believe. My taped interviews with Serbs contradict nearly everything Anonymous has stated. Belgrade is a well-developed city on par with Rome, Brussels, or Munich. They do have amenities like air conditioning, flush toilets, and everything else they have in, say, Madison, Wisconsin or Paris, France or even Nome, Alaska. They also have stunning architecture, a fascinating historical perspective, great food, and wonderful people.
  
  Nikola is also correct on the professionalism of the language teachers there. Like so many non-native speakers they are often technically more proficient in the language than many native-speaking English majors. Money is tight in Serbia for the aforementioned complex political situation. That doesn't make Serbs any different from many Americans in the current economic climate. Luckily, teaching language doesn't require a whole lot of capital, just some sense of compassion and the joy of speaking and writing!
  Ron, 08/06/09

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