Page 34 - ELG2009 Sep Issue 472

TEACH IN . FEATURES & COMMENT

Teach in Slovvakia TTSTUDIO / SHUTTERSTOCK Work permits 20–25 hours per week. Without

qualifications, and in smaller towns, the
Most teachers of English work as
salaries would be considerably lower,
freelancers, but need to obtain a work
permit. This can be arranged at the
but you may find it easier to get a job
without teaching qualifications.
Foreign Police Department. The
relevant offices. Most good schools
Rakesh Bhanot explores the benefits of process requires numerous visits to the Cost of living
Salaries in Slovakia may be rather low,
and employers will provide help with
but because the cost of living is also
this, but be prepared for (what a
teaching in picturesque Slovakia colleague described as) Kafkaesque relatively low, it is possible to enjoy a
comfortable lifestyle, even in Bratislava.
bureaucracy, particularly for non-EU
nationals, and you will need to have The centre of Bratislava is pricey
cash in your bank account. In some because it is popular with tourists, but
hinking of teaching English in a peer-reviewed publications. However, cases, you may have to apply before a few bus or tram stops from the city
picturesque city in Central or university lecturers teach fewer hours than you arrive, so check first. centre the situation is different.
Eastern Europe? Consider Bratislava, those who work in state schools or private Cheap food and drinks are definitely
Tthe capital of Slovakia, situated just language schools. Salaries part of the attraction of living in
a short way down Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ There is a stark difference between Slovakia. Accommodation is also
from Vienna. The city has as rich a history as Professional Development salaries in Bratislava and in the rest of relatively cheap even in the centre of
any of the more well-known cities in central CPD and training varies, so it is worth Slovakia. As a rule, a native-speaker Bratislava, and a few kilometres away it
Europe. In fact, from 1536, it was the capital checking before you take up a post. Some, teacher with qualifications and is definitely affordable. Bratislava
of the Kingdom of Hungary for over 200 such as The Bridge English Language Centre experience can earn up to around boasts a lively night life where, in
years. Today, about 10 per cent of the (see box opposite), also pay staff to attend 1,600 Euros per month in Bratislava. addition to very quaffable and cheap
population are ethnic Hungarians. summer camps run by internationally The salaries in private language schools wine, you can find bars with live music
Since the ‘velvet divorce’ from the Czech renowned experts in ELT. and singers offering everything from
Republic in 1993, and subsequent joining of The Slovak Chamber of English Language vary from 14-20 Euros per sixty-minute jazz to country blues.
lesson, and most teachers work about
the EU in 2004, Slovakia has developed an Teachers (SCELT) has been running national
advanced and fast-growing economy with a and regional conferences since 2015. The The reconstructed Bratislava Castle
very high Human Development Index. Bridge English Language Centre has also run rises from the centre of Bratislava, the
Many IT and multinational companies are an annual two-day ELT Forum for the last capital of Slovakia The Bridge strikes a balance in Bratislava What advice would you give to other
now based in what has been described as ‘a ten years. language school owners in Slovakia?
small big city’ with a population of just over woodland in Europe, and it offers all sorts of Klaudia Bednarova talks to Rakesh about EAQUALS qualification Invest into your human resources from as
half a million, and there is a huge demand for possibilities for trekking, cycling and other wide a range as possible. As managers and
learning English. outdoor activities. In August 2020, The Bridge English systems that would create the right balance school owners, we have to start with the
Following the dissolution of the Soviet ‘Small is Language Centre in Bratislava, Slovakia, between allowing teachers do what they want people. We need to get them onside, provide
Union in 1991, Slovakia’s citizens have made beautiful’ seems to Finally became the first language school in the and making sure we keep consistently high effective training, and build genuine mutually
the switch from having to learn Russian to Without slipping into stereotypes, the people country to be accredited by EAQUALS, an standards across the school. supportive dialogue as only together we can
wanting to learn English. Moreover, parents be a perfect epithet in Slovakia are very friendly, and most young independent, international non-profit achieve the higher standards we aspire to.
are very keen for their children, even pre- people in the big cities speak some English. membership association set up to serve the What makes your school ‘special’?
school age children, to learn English, and for this easy-going, There may not be a mad rush of teachers interests of language learners and the In one word: people. I’m very happy, and What was the impact of Covid-19, and
there are numerous private language schools peaceful country wanting to go to Slovakia, so teaching language education profession worldwide. I lucky, to be working with the people in my how did you and your team adapt to
and institutions. These vary from large scale positions might be easier to come by. asked Klaudia Bednarova, the owner/director, team. I like them, and I respect them… they the ‘new normal’?
operations in central Bratislava, to much nestled in the heart What I have also noticed is that those who how she went about gaining this prestigious are fun to be around! In addition, I’m glad to We switched over 500 courses to online
smaller outfits in small towns with one or two go tend to stay; or, at least, stay longer than status. have a variety of friends and colleagues in within a week of lockdown. By Monday 16
teachers. of Europe. they had planned to. ‘Small is beautiful’ ELT based in many countries who regularly March, we were fully online and overall, we
There are also a number of English- seems to be a perfect epithet for this easy- What made you apply for EAQUALS contribute, formally and informally, to our have managed to retain over 70% of our
medium international schools in or near going, peaceful country nestled in the heart accreditation? school’s development and also to the CPD business during the Covid-19 period.
Bratislava. See www.welcometobratislava.eu Learning Slovak of Europe. Na zdravie! We wanted to be part of a network that we programme as external trainers and mentors. I I strongly believe that it is our on-going CPD
for a list of most of the language schools in You can survive without learning Slovak, but can learn from. EAQUALS did that for us. believe that networking and talking to people programme and consistent support for our
the capital city. The www.profesia.sk website your experience will be greatly enriched by I should like to thank Lynda Steyne, Jacob We saw the application process as a rich who are better than us is the key element of teachers that make the difference in terms of
is also worth looking at for all sorts of setting aside some time to learn the language. Roseman, Mark Andrews and the staff at learning experience and spent two, maybe improvement. We work hard, but it’s not the the quality of our teaching. Our classes are an
openings; not just teaching posts. And, of course, it helps you to understand The Bridge English Language Centre for their three, years preparing. By working as a team amount of work we do that counts; it’s the investment for the company, and not just a perk
the kind of problems Slovak learners have help in writing this article. through the self-assessment questionnaire, we result of our work that matters. of the job. Developing our teachers is, I believe,
Qualifications needed when they are learning English. If you want were able to update and to improve our why we successfully transferred and retained the
Many small language schools will employ to learn Slovak and get to know the local Rakesh Bhanot has systems and approaches, as well as to You have a truly international team. majority of our clients/students during this crisis.
‘unqualified native transients’ (aka culture, a small town could be the ideal visited Slovakia over implement new standards and structures. We Was this by design or did it just
backpackers), particularly in less urban areas. place. RAKESH BHANOT 25 times during the learned about benchmarks, guidelines and happen? Klaudia Bednarova
The more prestigious private language last 10 years and has clarified our goals and direction. English is spoken all over the world, and I founded The Bridge
schools in the bigger towns and cities, Travel done some voluntary It was a really useful, and professionally want my staff to reflect this. So, I guess partly English Language
however, require international certificates Commuting within Bratislava or even outside teaching in all rewarding, experience. For me as director, and I by design. We do want and need to be diverse Centre in 2009. She
(CELTA or TESOL) for teaching English. the capital is completely different from other sectors from pre- hope I can talk on behalf of the rest of the team as we have a diverse group of students. The is one of the founding
Permanent positions are rare and are cities. You can make most journeys on a bike school to university (both admin and teaching), it was challenging teacher-student relationship, besides being THE BRIDGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTRE members of the
usually only for teachers at state schools or or on foot. You do not need to own or rent a level in various parts but also motivating at the same time. professional, needs to be human. People need Slovak Chamber of
universities. Also, many universities have laid car, and trains and buses are relatively cheap. of the country. He to like each other in order to have effective English Language
off nearly all of their part-time teaching staff Moreover, Bratislava is close to other has also contributed What were some of the challenges? learning, and we do our best to have the Teachers and the
due to Covid-19. State schools may be happy European cities, and it is less than an hour to several summer camps (on behalf of SOL It was challenging to set up more formal studentsˈ learning as the centre of our Slovak Association of Language Schools
to employ teachers with only a first degree, from Vienna airport. and The Bridge) for teachers of English, as quality control mechanisms which would attention. Incidentally, our current team (SALS). She is currently chair of the Slovak
but universities will probably insist (at a One of the greatest perks of working in well as delivering workshops at national define the standards we wanted to achieve comprises colleagues from nine countries Chamber of English Language Teachers and
minimum) on an MA, and most likely a PhD, Slovakia is the countryside. It is claimed that conferences, in Slovakia. and maintain, but without limiting teachers in including Slovakia, India, Germany, Serbia, was chair of SALS from 2011 to 2016.
and you may be required to show evidence of the country has the highest percentage of their day-to-day work. The aim was to design US, UK, Ukraine, Argentina and Brazil.

34 September 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 35