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How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2020 12:31 am
by EyEyEy
Right now I live and work pretty much in the middle of Western Europe, with my parents just over the border in France a couple of hours away.
I wasnt planning to leave but I just got a very interesting job offer that would take me to Asia starting next academic year.
Career-wise it makes sense to go and im not saving almost nothing right now so financially it also makes sense.
Right now my parents are fine and dont need much support so I dont feel I have to stay for them.
But that might change in a few years and I know I would want to be nearby if that happens.
How much harder, if at all, would it be to get hired back at first tier school in Western Europe as opposed to same tier schools elsewhere?

Re: How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2020 7:11 am
by sid
It can be very hard to get hired in any specific location, since you essentially have to convince one specific school, or one of a couple, to hire you. Much easier to work with the hundreds of schools around the world. Add in the extra competition in WE, and ....

Re: How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2020 9:56 am
by fine dude
If you are at a top notch school in Asia, moving back to Europe isn't much of a problem at all. SE Asia is more cut-throat (Bangkok, Singapore, KL etc.). You can find lower tier teachers in Asia moving to tier 1 in Europe.

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2020 1:52 am
by EyEyEy
Thanks sid and fine dude for your comments.


Re sid’s comment: When I return to Western Europe Im not looking to come back to a specific country or a specific school but Id just like to be a few hours drive away from my parents in north-eastern France.
Im in Switzerland right now which is conveniently nearby but Belgium Luxembourg or France would all work although Brussels would be almost too far.

Id like to return to a tier 1 school as Im at one right now and I enjoy being in a wellrun school.
Im not able to save much but I like the school and I like Switzerland.
But the new job is an interesting position and I will finally be able to save some cash. Im just not sure about taking the risk of possibly not getting a job nearby when I eventually return.

Re fine dude’s comment: My current school is a top tier 1 school as was my previous school. The job in Asia would be at a tier 1 as well and its in one of the cities you mentioned. My CV is solid but thats not always a guarantee for success.

Re: How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2020 4:55 pm
by shopaholic
I think it is especially difficult to predict right now because we can't be sure how the longterm fallout of the pandemic is going to affect the job market for international teachers. There may well be fewer schools in total, everywhere, for the next few years, or at least fewer jobs.

Re:

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2020 12:00 am
by Heliotrope
If you have three successive tier 1 schools on your CV, I'd say your chances will be better than most of the other ITs applying.
But whether 'better chances' will translate into an actual job will depend on how many vacancies there will be in your subject, and how in demand your subject is.
If you don't mind going back to Switzerland, there are quite a few tier 1 schools there, and your previous experience in Switzerland might help you a bit at those. Luxembourg, Brussels and Paris all have one school each that I would consider.
If your subject is in demand and there are a normal (pre-covid) amount of vacancies, I'd say you have a decent chance of landing a job at one of those schools.
And make sure you stay in touch with your current school, as they might be willing to hire you back when you return to WE.

Re: How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2020 11:06 am
by traveler76
My husband and I were at a top tier school in Asia and tried to get jobs in Europe last year with no success. Of course, we were looking for 2 jobs instead of 1, with the baggage of 2 kids, so we think that made a huge difference. There are never any guarantees. The money in Asia is pretty fabulous, though! Good luck!

Re: How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:57 pm
by shadowjack
it sounds like you are EU citizens. You will have it easier than non-EU, especially in today's climate.

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:17 am
by EyEyEy
Thanks shopaholic heliotrope traveler76 and shadowjack for your comments.


I realize the pandemic is making it hard to predict anything.

No I dont mind going back to Switzerland after my Asian adventure. I wont save much in Switzerland unless I go into admin or tutor on the side but the schools in Luxembourg Belgium and France won't allow me to save much either so any of these will be ok. I hope I will save a lot in Asia and make that money work for me. I will def stay in touch with my current school.

I will only be looking for 1 job and have no kids so that will improve my chances I hope. The money being pretty fabulous in Asia is the main reason Im leaving Switzerland. But I expect there's a lot to like about Asia other than the paychecks.

Thanks everyone!

Response

Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:43 am
by PsyGuy
Assuming you have an EU passport getting back to the WE wont be hard, finding another tier 1 IS will be hard, but it always is harder (smaller number of ISs, fewer vacancies). You might have to spend more time in Asia than you would like or go to a lower tier IS when coming back.

Re: How much harder is it to get hired in Western Europe?

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 5:56 am
by Thames Pirate
Getting a job in Europe is not hard. Getting a job in a specific location or at a particular school is almost always hard, regardless of where in the world it is. Getting two jobs that match perfectly at a specific school is nearly impossible, but luck is always a factor.

Like with anything else, the more picky you are, the harder it gets.

Discussion

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:42 pm
by PsyGuy
Getting ANY job in the EU especially the WE is very hard without an EU passport.

Its not really difficult getting an IE job, especially in the lower third tier in hardship regions, typically its not hard getting an appointment and there are some ISs that always have vacancies and if one of those ISs is one you want to be at, its not hard at all. There is a job for anyone if they will take anything.