Teaching English in Leuven, Belgium
Report submitted on 21 January, 2023 by Greta.
Teaching English in Leuven, Belgium:
How can teachers find teaching jobs in Leuven, Belgium?
Adverts, work for schools both state and private language schools.
The main English teaching jobs available are:
Full time English language school positions, part time English language school positions, agencies (send teachers to different locations), teaching at state schools, teaching at private international schools, teaching at companies, private teaching (not through a school, agency, etc.)
What are the minimum teaching requirements?
TESOL or CELTA qualification but depends on where you want to teach.
What teaching requirements would you recommend?
TESOL or CELTA qualification for private langauge schools, Postgraduate teaching qualification for state schools.
What are the levels of payment?
Between 25-35 euro / hour.
How many teaching days a week is normal?
5 days per week.
How many face-to-face teaching hours a week is normal?
25 hours per week.
What is the normal arrangement for holidays?
Depends on choice – in private language schools you have more freedom to choose your hours, in a state secondary or primary you have the school holidays.
What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Leuven, Belgium to teach English?
Make sure you have good qualifications and can speak either Flemish or French fluently be aware there is a lot of bureaucracy and hoops to jump through if you have a qualification that is not from the EU or is in a foreign language.
What are the positive aspects of teaching English in Leuven, Belgium?
Private students are motivated to learn. Working in a school there is support if you are ill as there is the welfare to fall back on and longer holidays.
What are the negative aspects for teaching English in Leuven, Belgium?
The taxation is high, some students are not very motivated. If you work for private language schools you won’t always have very many hours. You need to be able to complete VAT returns, etc. and have a grasp of how self-employed bureaucracy works in Belgium.
What are some of the teaching challenges for English teachers teaching the local people in your area?
Depends on the age group – some older students are very motivate, business people have a vested interest in learning English but teens are much more difficult to teach. Kids are more fun to teach but this is extracurricular.
Living in Leuven, Belgium:
Are there any visa or other legal requirements to live in Belgium?
EU citizens can move and work anywhere in the EU, also true for most EEA citizens.
No EEA citizens require a visa or other residency
What is the cost of living like in Belgium?
Energy costs are high, food costs are high, taxation is one of highest in Europe.
What are the usual accommodation arrangements and how can you find accommodation?
Rent a house, flat or room. Buy a house or flat with a mortgage.
Otherwise some boarding schools may have live in accommodation but that is rare.
There are online places to search for accommodation.
Other than teaching, what positive aspects are there for living in Leuven, Belgium?
My family are close by and I speak the languages.
Other than teaching, what negative aspects are there for living in Leuven, Belgium?
Cost of living.
What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Leuven, Belgium?
Have a lot of savings.
What things do you miss most (other than family and friends) from your home country?
Lots of food items, a less regimented attitude to life.
What do you think you will miss most when (or if) you leave Belgium?
Not sure really.
What things would you recommend to new teachers in your area to bring with them from their home country?
Any food you like to eat that is typical of your home country.
About Me and My Work:
My Name: Greta
Nationality: British
Students I’ve taught in Belgium: Pre-school / kindergarten (4-6 years), elementary (6-12 years), junior high school (12-15 years), university, adults, business, other (please state).
Where I teach: I teach at lots of different places – secondary school, three different private language schools and private tutoring. Teaching here for 5 years.
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My school facilities: Excellent – resources, provision of laptop, classrooms with projectors and whiteboard or smartboards, good textbooks provided by the school.
Do you teach English in Belgium?
Tell us about your experiences – click here to submit your report about teaching English in the Netherlands.
