Chris Westergaard Answers Your TEFL Questions

Prague, TEFL and living abroad. Chris Westergaard answers your questions.

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Where’s The Best Brunch In Prague?

In the last few years a bunch of great brunch places have opened up in the city. Check out these recommendations from The Language House TEFL’s Life in Prague Series.

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Chris, Is Teaching Abroad Really A Viable Career?

I get this asked all the time from prospective teachers. I believe that it can be, but for most people they teach for a few years and have a great time doing it. There are ways to make teaching English abroad a lifelong career, but I think it’s better to take it a year or two at a time and see how it goes. Teaching English abroad is a fantastic experience. This can segue into a potentially lucrative career, but I wouldn’t plan so fare down the road. If you are thinking of teaching abroad, give yourself a year and then decide whether to continue after that. 

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How to find an apartment in Prague by The Language House TEFL graduates.

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Hiking in Prague from The Language House TEFL Life in Prague Series.

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Prague Public Transportation Tips

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For US Citizens, Are We Required To Pay Taxes For The USA?

If you are an Expat teacher living and working abroad, you probably won’t be making enough money where’d have to pay any taxes. You still have to file though, so I completely recommend looking for a tax advisor to help you. The forms you have to file from abroad are a bit tricky and it’s good to get professional help to make sure you file correctly. 

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Chris, When’s The Best Time to Find TEFL Jobs in Prague?

The rule of thumb is usually around August/September and then in January. However, there are teaching jobs available year round. More importantly is not when to come, but what help you’re getting. Many TEFL certification courses have really good job assistance and connections with schools. If this is the case, then jobs will really be available year round. The only time when it cab be a problem to find work is right around May. During the summer, most language schools in the city have a drop in classes. There are summer camps, and other ways to find work, but it’s not the standard classroom setting. If you are against teaching kids, it makes sense to avoid taking a certification course in the Spring.

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Chris, What’s the Problem with Online TEFL Courses?

I generally recommend people to stay away from online courses and take a 4-week onsite course. There’s a bunch of different reason for this, but the main one is that you really need to get observed teaching practice with real students. Learning to teach is like learning to play a sport. So for me, this would be like taking an online swimming course to learn how to to swim. Aside from this, there’s also the social aspect of meeting new people who are on the same adventure with you. If money is tight, I guess an online course is better than no course, but I would recommend saving up and taking on onsite course later on. Also remember that many schools will not weigh the two equally and will give preference to onsite courses. There are hybrid courses too, but really, just take an onsite course. You’ll get so much more out of the experience.

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Chris, Is It Possible for Americans to Work in Europe/Prague as English Teachers?

100% yes. The majority of teachers who I train are Americans and they all end up finding work. That being said, certain countries (mostly Western European countries) are going to be really hard to get legal in. For the Czech Republic and Prague, it’s really a non issue. The majority of students at The Language House TEFL are Americans. Just make sure if you’re coming to Prague to have a company to help you with your visa. Contact them for assistance months before you plan on arriving so they can get things organised for you. If you are thinking about teaching in a  specific country, make sure to get in contact with as many people who are currently doing it. Sometimes what is written online is not necessarily reality. It’s always good to connect with real people of your nationality who are making it work abroad and learn from their experiences. 

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Chris, Where Can I Find The Language House TEFL Course Video?

Here’s our main video for The Language House TEFL course. 

https://youtu.be/WiL-Y9bEDOc

We have tons of videos related to the course and teaching abroad on my YouTube channel here 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEcVAqDA7Ro8K-CL_8apVQ

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Chris, How Much Money Do Most Teachers Make per Hour Teaching in Prague?

Teaching English salaries can vary a lot in Prague. Most schools pay per 45 minutes, so a 90 minute class counts as two hours of work. In general, starting pay is about 200 CZK per 45 minutes (about 8 USD). This can fluctuate greatly with the average being around 200-250 CZK per 45 minutes. There are specialised schools that pay more than this. I’ve seen teachers start at 350 CZK per 45 minutes, but those jobs are not as common to find. For private students, most teachers charge about 300-400 CZK per 60 minutes. This figure can also vary depending on what and who you’re teaching. 

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Chris, What’s Your Favourite Thing About Living in Prague?

There’s so many things that I like about this city. Aside from the beautiful architecture, the way of life here is pretty relaxing. Prague seems more like a big village than a metropolis. There’s obviously packed tourist areas, but once you get away from the main sites, you are in a city  that seems pretty unpopulated. The public transportation in Prague is fantastic and really affordable. Getting around the city is breeze. It basically takes about 20 minutes to get anywhere you want. Czechs are pretty laid back too. There’s not a lot of stress or tension in this city. I find that when I travel back home, or to other European cities, it’s just not the same as life in Prague. 

In the teaching in the city is pretty plentiful for new teachers coming in. Salaries are OK, and there are other places around the world that pay more, but I think people really enjoy their lives here. Also, if you can speak the language, even at a basic level, you are treated really well.

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Chris, Can I TEFL Without a Degree?

It’s possible, especially in certain countries, to teach without a degree. However, having a degree in many countries is becoming more mandatory. For Prague (and the Czech Republic), it’s not necessary, but it always helps. If you are thinking of teaching abroad, check for specific information regarding what’s necessary in your country of choice. If you find out you can’t teach there without a degree, find a country that works for you. There’s so many wonderful countries to see in the world. Don’t limit yourself to just a few places. 

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Chris, I Want to Start Teaching Abroad, but I Have Zero Experience. How do I Begin?

This is the most frequent question I receive from people. If you are a native English speaker, and preferably have a college degree, it’s pretty easy to do. My advice is to take a 4-week TEFL certification course that is 120-130 hours in length and has a teaching practice component. I’ll get more into why I generally don’t like online courses later, but for now, just go with a 4-week course. I also recommend taking your TEFL course abroad for a variety of different reasons. If you want to read up on why this is a good idea, you can check out my article on GoAbroad.com. 

Picking a specific course is not too difficult to do. There are a lot of accredited courses by Cambridge, Trinity and IATQuO, to name a few. Any of these courses will be internationally recognized and be of high quality. I do recommend though checking out specific providers of courses. Even if a course is accredited, the individual providers will offer different levels of quality and services, even if they have the same accrediation. Some will offer great job assistance, housing assistance, visa assistance...etc. Other courses, even though they are accredited by the same organization, won’t offer these extras.

 Once you have a location where you want to train, check for reviews and information on the specific course on the web. A great website for this is TEFL Course Review. They have listings and reviews for just about every TEFL course in the world on there. As you browse through the site, it’s clear to see that courses, even with the same accreditation, vary wildly in quality and extra services offered.

Try to make out a list of potential TEFL certification courses you are interested in. Then, send them an email with some questions. Ideally, I find it really helpful to get connected with past graduates of their course. This is really helpful to get a deeper insight on what the course is actually like. From here, you can pick the course that feels the best. If a course is accredited, and listed on multiple places online, it’s probably of good quality. The worst thing you can do is get too nervous about your selection and never pull the trigger. 

So as a recap.

1. Take a 4-week TEFL course. 2. Take it abroad. 3. Take an accredited course. 4. Check the specific course (Google the actual school’s name) for quality/reviews.  5. Contact the course to go over your questions, connect with graduates and get an overall feel for who they are. 

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All Your TEFL Questions Answered

As the title suggests, I plan on answering all of your questions related to teaching abroad. I have about 15 years of experience teaching English abroad and about 10 years experience as a teacher trainer. This means I basically train people who want to be become English teachers. I am also the owner of The Language House TEFL in Prague - a popular 4-week TEFL certification course. Each year, The Language House TEFL trains about 250 new students who go off to teach English all over the globe.

So, the argument could be made that I have a lot of experience. A large portion of my job is fielding questions from new applicants at The Language House TEFL. I feel like a constantly keep answering the same questions all of the time month after month. So, if I’m constantly answering the same questions, why not just make them public. If you want help specifically with TEFL methodology and lesson plans, check out my two other blogs TEFL Prague and Abroad and my personal blog. If you have a question that you need help with, just message me.