Czech Republic - TEFL in the Czech Republic
Since the Czech Republic joined NATO in March 1999 and then the EU in May 2004, a decent level of proficiency in English has become part of the employment requirements throughout the country. It goes without saying that demand for native English speakers who can teach English is high.
To teach in one of the many English language schools in Prague you will need at least a TESL/TEFL Certificate though, of course, if you also have a degree and some teaching experience you'll find it easier to beat the competition. Schools, in fact, are becoming more and more demanding and ESL teachers find that having a background in computers for example, medicine, or business is a big advantage. In house private lessons in technical and business English are by far the best paid teaching jobs!
In the provinces just being a native English speaker will get the school's attention and towns such as Olomouc, Tr'ebon', Karlovy Vary, and Jic'i'n offer many teaching opportunities to those with less or no teaching credentials.
The easiest places to look for jobs are the numerous private language schools, some of which will even pay health insurance and get foreigners their work permit. A few established schools are the Caledonian School, Languages at Work, and Elvis. Charles University, the technical and economic universities, and all high schools also need English teachers.
The hourly rate for a native English speaker working in a private school in provincial areas is between $3 and $6 (120 Kc' to 240 Kc' ). In Prague hourly rates are twice as high but so is the cost of living.
An average day in a private language school in the capital is from 8am to 2 pm. Between every 45 min. lesson there is a ten-minute break. Regardless of the amount of hours you legally work in a school your social and health insurance are covered right from the start.
You don't always need to arrange a job before you leave, though if you decide to apply from abroad give yourself plenty of time to allow for all the legal documents to be processed by the Czech embassy abroad.
To work legally as a private teacher in the Czech Republic you will be required to set up as a small business, pay taxes, and buy some health insurance. You will also need to pay for the business license.
For foreigners, the business license is almost as difficult to obtain as a residence permit but applying to be a foreign language teacher is still the easiest way to gain legal residency in the Czech Republic as language teachers don't need to prove their skill level beyond a generic bachelor's degree.
