Offered a job in Germany....!!?

[LisbethSalandersLaptop]

I have been offered a job teaching English in Germany with guaranteed wage, contract and German NI equiv all paid.
DD16 is on a residential training course but DS16 would have to give up his college course and come with me.
WWYD?
Take it or not?
FWIW I am 50 and it is a long term position.
Here in UK I run my own small business and am heavily reliant on Govt benefits to live. I have applied for lots of jobs but have recently given up as in this town, even a washer upper job gets 200 applicants. DC's dad does not contribute or see them. Just for background information.

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Hello Lisbeth - how exciting!

I think the main issue is continuing education for your DS; would you be looking for an English-speaking school or would he be able to go into the German system?

Am in NRW, by the way. Whereabouts will you be teaching? Day-to-day living experiences vary greatly between the states...

"with guaranteed wage, contract and German NI equiv all paid."

Presumably that includes health insurance for you and your DS? Non-earning dependents under (I think) 25 are included with a parent's insurance free of charge, as long as you're with a public insurance agency not a private one.

"DS16 would have to give up his college course and come with me."

frosch makes an important point. 16 is a tough point to change if he doesn't have any German. Is he currently doing A-levels at college or something more practical? A small town won't have any educational provision for English speakers, a major city might have only private schools in English, and places like Berlin do have quite a few options, but it's really difficult with no German at all. I know of one or two private schools in Berlin for ex-pats that offer A-levels, but they're very expensive, and a state school that offers the international bac, but it has waiting lists a mile long. The problem at 16 is that the state no longer has an obligation to educate him, so they're not going to be too bothered about his language skills. If he wants to do an apprenticeship he'd have to brush up his German first, surely.

frosch is also right about the differences between different parts of the country. If you live in Munich your expenses will be huge by comparison with Eisenhüttenstadt (look it up). But there's no way on earth I'd turn up in Eisenhüttenstadt, however cheap it may be, especially with a teenager in tow.

What exactly what do you want to know from us? In all honesty, you sound like you have zero interest in actually going and living in Germany, but you'd do it simply to get out of the situation you're in right now in the UK. I think that kind of attitude is almost certainly often doomed to failure; if you come to Germany (or anywhere really) it needs to be because you can genuinely see yourself integrating into the society and benefiting from the culture, rather than being a last ditch solution.

I taught English when I first came to Germany, but that was nearly 25 years ago and I was childless then. It's genuinely enjoyable and almost everyone I taught, from young to old, were lovely and enthusiastic people. DH still teaches, but at university level. It's relatively rare to get a proper contract, most people are freelance, so that's a good indication for you from the start.

Are you sure its a genuine offer? Where has it come from? Unless the business you currently run is a TEFL one and you have lots of teaching experience and qualifications, it is a surprising offer, as English as a foreign language teachers are easy to find in Germany and as Arch says almost all work freelance - not necessarily through choice.

I definitely wouldn't move to Germany with a non German speaking 16 year old except on a very cushy ex-pat contract involving private school place and fees - not something you're going to get as an English teacher (its not even realistic to think you'll get a package in which you teach in an International school with a place for your child as part of the deal any more, from what I've heard - though you may get a substantial % off fees).

yes it is a genuine offer! from a TEFL website.
archfarchnad - where did you get the impression I had 'zero interest' in Germany? FYI I speak the language and was brought up there.

....*well partly anyway.

Why are people who are already in a place so scathing about anyone else who is thinking about coming there. I have observed this so many times.

The business is a real business, not just a website? I would be a little suspicious but it does happen. The school I work for offers full time contracts (it's the only school in the city which does) and they recruit online. I didn't join that way, though. My school is a "sprachschule", mainly for adults, it's not a school school.

You might ask to look at a typical timetable for a week. Often these schools have undesirable contracts, like large gaps between classes just small enough to prevent going home and relaxing but long enough to be too much just to grab a quick break. They are often "full time" at 25 hours per week, so although the hourly wage seems good when you look at the full salary, it's peanuts. Sometimes they start early in the morning, then have a gap and then evening classes which is pretty exhausting and makes it hard to have a social life. At 16 childcare is unlikely to be an issue, but it's a nightmare with younger children. Check the contract - if you can do extra work on the side, like translation, that's worth looking into, but some of them can be quite restrictive.

Could your son apply for student accommodation at his college and continue there if he wants to?

Overall, I'd recommend it because quality of life even on low wages is miles apart in Germany. I'm shocked TBH how bad it is in the UK in comparison.

What about retirement? What's your plan and how does this fit in? Is there a reciprocal arrangement for state pension?

I'm not being scathing, I'm in full support, just don't want you to get scammed! There are plenty of TEFL jobs but it's hard to actually make much money. Contracts are rare and the old adage - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

yes it is a 'Sprachschule' also...and definitely a 'real' business.
I am thinking now that I will probably go.
Son could stay with a friend in town, and then decide if he wants to join me at Xmas.
thanks for advice about timetable, Bertie, it is so often like that, isn't it?

not you being 'scathing' bertie, that comment was more aimed at ArchMarket

OK I should say it is in Baden Wurtemberg

It sounds lovely but could you leave it a couple of years until ds is 18 and can support himself or go to uni? It would be a tough move for him at an important time of his life. Unless he's desperate to move there or he has somewhere he could stay in the UK and continue his course.
Otherwise definitely go for it b

I know his age is not ideal, nor is mine, haha. This is the first 'proper' job I have been offered, and I am not holding my breath to be offered it again!
The thing is, I don't think he will be going to uni (gasp, yes I know on MN too!!)
Perhaps he could stay with a friend, perhaps he could come with me.
.....(thinking)

Have you been offered the job purely on an online basis? I would want to go and see the place and new colleagues before I committed to anything (I'd want to do that if it was just in the next town, let alone a different country).

BW is a lovely place to live, so on that basis I'd leap at the chance. I guess I'd have to think hard about how it would work for DS. FWIW a similar thing happened to a friend's parents when I was at school. They moved for work and she stayed and lodged - at that age it's not such a big deal if they are reasonably independent and get on well with the family (in this case she had often stayed with the family anyway so it wasn't such a leap of imagination to stay for a term rather than just a weekend).

Coming with you to Germany would be a big thing if he doesn't speak German already - does he?

Well we have spoken at length on the phone.....but no I have not been over.
I suppose I could do that.
He doesn't speak German, but....he is v quick with languages and knows their value...
right now he is doing really well with Welsh but I do think German might be more useful.

Go, go, go!! If you don't want the job, can I have it?

Lisbeth it was mainly your son's age and concern over whether the offer was all it seemed that made me give the advice I gave - 16 is a very difficult age to move at even within a country and education system, unless the teen is 100% enthusiastic about the idea, and you didn't mention a TEFL or teaching background so the offer sounded too good to be true.

I also know quite a few English as a foreign language teachers in the Munich area and all are self employed and don't earn enough to keep a family on at Munich prices (though I know a couple of single people who earn enough to support themselves in flat shares without dependants, and several people who do it as the second family income while their partner has a much better paid job). Most classes are morning and evening, though can be padded out with tutoring secondary school children ("Nachhilf") in the afternoon, its still not usually "full time" hours, and of course no pay for non contact prep and marking time, so really the hourly wage is less than it initially seems.

I've largely dismissed teaching English as a way of making a proper income here (I teach 4 classes a week atm and have TEFL qualifications and a UK teaching background - I've been teaching TEFL here for 5 years but admittedly am outside the city - people in the city can pick up more hours but the self employed status and spread out hours stand) and just done a trail day as a care assistant as the TEFL hours are too erratic and spread out to make work as a "proper job"... going to try and mix and match the two... I wouldn't move to Germany to become an EFL teacher specifically, unless I was 21 and just wanted to live in Germany for a few years... or had no dependants at any rate.

If you are 100% sure you'll have a watertight contract, a place for your son to live and a living wage (enough to pay your son's expenses in the UK too and flights over for him/ back for you regularly) then there's far less risk ... your OP does just sound too good to be true to people who have experienced the EFL market heading rapidly towards self employed contractors and away from fixed or permanent contracts, people are only trying to sound a note of realistic caution rather than be scathing...

" and you didn't mention a TEFL or teaching background "

of course I have a TEFL background or I wouldn't have been offered it

Lisbeth is he in the middle of his course? I was just thinking that if he's finishing one this year, he might be able to stay for that, then take a year "out" to do a year's intensive language learning, then restart in Germany - where from what I saw the apprentice system is so much better than here. When I was doing the advanced stage Goethe course, there were a fair few doing that - kids from Russia, Turkey etc who wanted to do courses in Germany, so literally sat one course after another. Once they had their ZOP, that was a level high enough to start a German university course. So it would be enough to start a vocational course too I would have though, maybe even the ZMP would be sufficient.

I do think I'd want to see the place before I went though. Could change everything. Is it in a big city in BW?

But it isn't an of course at all - there are lots of scams out there, and if you don't say, nobody knows... You said you run a business which isn't doing very well, not that you are returning to a TEFL career or that your business is in some way TEFL related...

Anyway dropping out now, you obviously don't want any advice but go, go, go - so go!

thanks good info fingeroffudge.

so, Ilikedmyold/Farchnad, you have been in Germany for five years and have only got four classes a week? I see.

If your ds is not keen university he would have fantastic opportunities in Germany doing an apprenticeship. Unlike here, apprenticeships are highly regarded and lead to decent well paid jobs. And as for settling in and having a new exciting life, Baden Wuertemberg is hardly outer Mongolia (>aimed at the criticism on this thread). I'd love an opportunity like this and would be packing my bags right now.

Hmm I wonder if it's the same school I work at?? That would be bizarre indeed. PM me the name if you want to. I am in BW.

must be gutting for you.

If your DS does not speak German, do not take him. It will be so difficult for him to study or get a job. Germany is so different to the UK job wise and he would find it very hard to do an Ausbildung (needed for practically every non degree requirement job) without German.

I echo previous posters concerns about your job offer. Check and double check the contract hours and benefits. Make sure it will be enough for you to live on. Make sure you will have enough to rent - some towns and cities are notoriously difficult to find a good rental in and landlords can pick and choose. Up front costs are high, especially if you use an agent. As you speak German, try to find flats advertised independently in order to avoid a Makler fee. Check out immobilienscout24 for an idea of costs. Make sure you budget for Nebenkosten (warm rent), also for a kitchen and possibly light fittings as German rentals often come with nothing included.

You mention NI equivalent. Again double check - does that mean you qualify for public insurance? So many language schools word the contracts so you are self employed rather than an employee. This affects your ability to join the public Kasse. At 50, private could be pricy and quite difficult to join if you have any known conditions. Alternatives are public, but at Basistarif (something crazy like 600 pcm) or, if you lived there before and was in one of the public Kasse, they may be obliged to accept you again. Health coverage is mandatory.

One other thing to consider is the 'teacher tax'. Something like 19% which goes into the teachers' retirement scheme. I'm a bit hazy about this, but check out whether it would apply to you. I thought Sprachschule teachers had to pay, but don't benefit from the fund. There's a tax calcultor you can use somewhere on the Finanzampt website I think.

Not trying to be negative, just some things which you may or may not know about.

Congrats on the job offer and lucky you - BaWü is gorgeous!