Category Archives: Germany

Teaching English in Munich, Germany

Report submitted on 05 Nov, 2017 by Elidgh.

Teaching English in Munich, Germany:

How can teachers find teaching jobs in Munich, Germany?
Join Melta, the English language teaching association. Jobs are advertised on their website and there are plenty of networking opportunities. The Volkshochschule ( Adult Education Centre) has plenty of teaching opportunities and there are many private language institutions and firms looking for English teachers.

The main English teaching jobs available are:
Part time English language school positions, agencies (send teachers to different locations), teaching at kindergartens / pre-schools, teaching at colleges / universities, teaching at companies, teaching at community centers, etc., private teaching (not through a school, agency, etc.)

What are the minimum teaching requirements?
Celta, Tesol or similar. In kindergartens native speaker level is sufficient.

What teaching requirements would you recommend?
Celta or Tesol or similar.

What are the levels of payment?
Between 20 and 60 Euros (approx. 23 – 69,50 US$) per hour.

How many teaching days a week is normal?
As many as you are willing to do. days per week.

How many face-to-face teaching hours a week is normal?
As many as you are willing to do. hours per week.

What is the normal arrangement for holidays?
Most Esl teachers are self employed. If you are lucky to get a permanent position then 6 weeks holiday is normal.

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Munich, Germany to teach English?
It`s difficult to find a full time job teaching adults but there are plenty of part time opportunities. Full time opportunities can be found in bilingual kindergartens but the pay isn`t very good as you have to have a German qualification to get the top rate. Finding accommodation is difficult because of the high cost of renting.

What are the positive aspects of teaching English in Munich, Germany?
Germans are very keen to have native speakers as teachers and the job carries status.

What are the negative aspects for teaching English in Munich, Germany?
Lack of full time jobs.

What are some of the teaching challenges for English teachers teaching the local people in your area?
Germans are perfectionists. They like to be taught from a textbook and their aim is to speak perfect English. They get annoyed when you don`t correct every mistake. They prefer traditional teaching methods and can be hard to motivate when you introduce new ideas.

Living in Munich, Germany:

Are there any visa or other legal requirements to live in Germany?
For members of EU states there are no requirements but other nationalities may require a visa and certificate of residence.

What is the cost of living like in Germany?
More expensive than the States but less expensive than the UK. Renting an apartment in Munich is very expensive and health insurance is mandatory.

What are the usual accommodation arrangements and how can you find accommodation?
Most people rent. Accommodation can be found through newspapers and estate agents.

Other than teaching, what positive aspects are there for living in Munich, Germany?
Munich is a beautiful city with lots of cultural and traditional events. There`s always something going on and you are only a few hours from the alps.

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Munich, Germany?
Germans can be quite reserved so it can be hard to get to know them and the bureaucracy is horrendous!

What things do you miss most (other than family and friends) from your home country?
Make sure you can afford to live in Munich and make sure you have your paperwork in order. There`s a lot of bureaucracy to get through before you can be considered eligible to live and work in Germany.

What do you think you will miss most when (or if) you leave Germany?
The friendliness and humour of the Scots. Some foodstuffs. British Tv.

What things would you recommend to new teachers in your area to bring with them from their home country?
The good weather. How safe the city of Munich is. A huge selection of bread.

What things would you recommend to new teachers in your area to bring with them from their home country?
You can get everything you need in Germany.

About Me and My Work:

My Name: Elidgh

Nationality: British

Students I’ve taught in Germany: toddlers (2-4 years), pre-school / kindergarten (4-6 years), elementary (6-12 years), junior high school (12-15 years), high school (15-18 years), adults, business

Where I teach: St Franziskus , VHS Haar in Munich. Teaching for 25 years.

My school facilities: Good. Teaching resources.

What kind of teacher support is available at your school/s?: training / workshops

Do you teach English in Germany?

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Teaching English in Munich, Germany

Report submitted on 11 January, 2015 by Lisa.

Teaching English in Munich, Germany:

How can teachers find teaching jobs in Munich, Germany?
Over the internet – ToyTown is the expat forum and I found my three agencies through the job search forum.
In the newspaper – sometimes individuals or small groups will advertise for Nachhilfe.
Word of mouth – other expats will refer jobs that they can’t take onto people they know.

The main English teaching jobs available are:
Agencies (send teachers to different locations), teaching at kindergartens / pre-schools, teaching at private international schools, teaching at companies, teaching at community centers, etc., private teaching (not through a school, agency, etc.)

What are the minimum teaching requirements?
You really need to be a native speaker. Germans already have a very good level of written English – in most cases they are after native speakers with whom they can practice and improve their spoken language. Obviously the better qualified you are, the more likely you are to be employed. That said, I have met a couple of people who have no specific teaching qualifications, but have a different career and therefore have been in demand as business English teachers.

What teaching requirements would you recommend?
A TESOL certificate would be of great benefit.

What are the levels of payment?
It really varies. The usual schedule is based on a 45 minute teaching unit (UE) and most companies will book you for two UE in a block (single UE for kids classes). I work for three different agencies and receive between €19 and €24 per UE. I interviewed for a couple of places that only offered €15-17 per UE. Keep in mind that you are never paid for preparation time, and rarely for travel time. Of course as a freelancer you have to pay your own tax, insurance etc.

How many teaching days a week is normal?
3-5 days per week.

How many face-to-face teaching hours a week is normal?
15-20 hours per week.

What is the normal arrangement for holidays?
As a freelancer, obviously if I don’t work, I don’t get paid.

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Munich, Germany to teach English?
Have a qualification and an interest in teaching English. (That would be my advice to anyone, teaching anything, anywhere.) Teaching is an important job and students here value their education.

What are the positive aspects of teaching English in Munich, Germany?
Moving around and meeting people. The students are interested, engaged and appreciative.

What are the negative aspects for teaching English in Munich, Germany?
This would be the case for freelancing anywhere: lots and lots of unpaid prep time. Some unpaid travel time. Lots of admin (again unpaid).

What are some of the teaching challenges for English teachers teaching the local people in your area?
As a native speaker I acquired my grammatical knowledge communicatively. I have been asked some curly grammatical questions by some students who have taken a very structured approach to their language learning – on a couple of occasions I have needed to look up the “rules” in between classes in order to give a correct response.

Living in Munich, Germany:

Are there any visa or other legal requirements to live in Germany?
If you are a member of an EU country you are eligible to work here. As an Australian I needed to obtain an Aufentshaltitel – easy for me as I am the wife and Mum of German citizens.

What is the cost of living like in Germany?
Munich is EXPENSIVE in terms of rent. A public transport pass varies depending on how far you need to go, but my pass that covered the whole city area costs €74 per month – very reasonable given the extent and reliability of the network. Groceries are cheap and if you are in student-oriented areas you can find cheap places to eat out.

What are the usual accommodation arrangements and how can you find accommodation?
Some people live in share houses or dormitories. Newspapers and internet searches are of course helpful. It is difficult to find rental accommodation in Munich. We found a place relatively easily because we were prepared to live outside the centre of the city.

Other than teaching, what positive aspects are there for living in Munich, Germany?
It is really, really beautiful. German food and culture is wonderful.

Other than teaching, what negative aspects are there for living in Munich, Germany?
Paperwork. Seriously. You need to spend quite a bit of time getting yourself registered and so forth. It can be frustrating to navigate the bureaucracy here.

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Munich, Germany?
Learn German first. A lot of people speak English, but you can’t rely on that.

What things do you miss most (other than family and friends) from your home country?
Darrel Lea licorice bullets.

What do you think you will miss most when (or if) you leave Munich, Germany?
The people. The scenery. The food.

About Me and My Work:

My Name: Lisa

Nationality: Australian

Students I’ve taught in Germany: Pre-school / kindergarten (4-6 years), elementary (6-12 years), adults, business

Where I teach:  teach for three different agencies and have been approached for private lessons as well. Working here for 1 year.

How I found my current jobs: Through the ToyTown jobs available forum.

My school facilities: Good – I don’t often have internet connectivity, projectors, CD players etc, but there’s usually whiteboards, flip charts and comfortable seating, good lighting, clean, quiet facilities etc.

Teacher support at my school: Training / workshops, lesson observations, teacher evaluations.

Do you teach English in Germany?

Tell us about your experiences – click here to submit your report about teaching English in Germany.