Touring The Zoo: An Incredible Perk to Teaching English in Prague

Hi!!! My name's Meg. My husband and I moved to Prague to teach English in November and we have been giving ourselves high fives ever since! We have had so many incredible opportunities here in Europe because of this decision and the wonderful people we've met. 

One of those opportunities was this past Sunday at 10:30 am. Normally, I like to sleep until 10:30 or later if I'm able on a Sunday. However, through the cold and drizzly morning, I trekked, because TEFL Pro Prague was providing a group of us with the chance to have a personal guided tour through the world renowned Prague Zoo. The best part? It was free. When I woke up and realized it was cold, and it would be so much warmer in my bed, I second guessed my acceptance to this invitation. However, I am so glad I did not follow through with that hesitation. Just showing up at the zoo and meeting a few students (who are currently in the process of learning how to teach English in Prague and loving it of course), showed me that this would be a great day. 

Our guide, Marek, is an English student with Lingua Professional. His job at the zoo requires him to show investors, celebrities, and general V.I.P.s around while entertaining them with heart warming, tear jerking, and/or shocking stories about the animals. While Marek is well-versed in touring people around in Czech, he feels he needs more practice to show them around and tell his stories in English. Our English speaking group was very impressed with his level of the language, but was happy to oblige this practice that resulted in an incredible Sunday. 

So, our little group was then guided by Marek through the zoo like we were a gaggle of V.I.P.s. We started in the front with the flamingos. Gorgeous birds and I found out that the coloring of flamingoes is affected by their diets. I need to watch more animal planet apparently. 

We were then charmed by a record setting exhibit of gharials. These alligator looking reptiles are just six of the 197 left on the planet. With a very specific requirement for their habitat conditions, this is one of the biggest exhibits of gharials that exists. This is because of the incredible care that the Prague Zoo takes of these animals. What a fantastic sight. You should all teach English in Prague, so you can check out these crazy eyes too! :)

We were then raced to a reptile house because we were told we had an "extraordinary opportunity". We thought, maybe he has his adjectives mixed up? We're just at a zoo. What kind of "extraordinary opportunities" lie here? But then we were rushed through a camouflage door and told to quickly remove our jackets because we only had 5 minutes. Another door was opened and the humid air hit our faces along with the surprise that we were now INSIDE the tortoise exhibit!! Normally in a zoo you are stuck on the side of the glass with the fingerprints and smudges, but we were allowed to touch, pet, and even take selfies with animals that can age to over 100 years old!! What an extraordinary opportunity this certainly was, we kept looking at each other in disbelief, was this really happening? Are we this lucky? Is this was teaching English in Prague got us?? The answer is YES! :)

It's hard to breathe after you've had such an unexpected exciting time with a bunch of tortoises, but we soldiered on, grateful and excited for more stories and extraordinary times.

Our guide continued to amaze us with incredible stories about the Zoo's floods in 2002 and 2013. There were triumphs and tragedies. Many of the heroes and heroins from these stories are still in exhibits today and we were able to visit with them. We were taken through the gorilla exhibit and by the cheetahs and tigers.

What you won't see, is that we were also taken behind the exhibits where the staff members feed the animals. This is not an advertisement for my iPhone's battery. It died, so I'm unable to show you any more, but just know that the end of the trip with hippos, giraffes, elephants, and backstage leopards was just as fantastic as the beginning.

I've got to say I feel pretty lucky to have stumbled upon this "extraordinary opportunity" to teach English here in one of the coolest cities on earth. Thanks so much to TEFL Pro Prague for setting this up. I hope many other students will be lucky enough to experience this as well.

Dave´s Invaluable Teaching Abroad Experience

We interviewed Dave, a great teacher who taught English in Prague and South Korea, to share his teaching abroad experience with you!

How long have you been teaching English abroad and what do you enjoy about it?

I taught English for 7 years, in the Czech Republic, South Korea, and the USA. I liked making the connections with the students I taught. I learned more about the cultures from my students than from anywhere else, and those relationships I made I stil have today.

What made you decide to work as an English teacher abroad?

I was at home in the US, working in a job in sales thinking, „Why am I here, doing a job that I don’t care about?“ I thought about what I wanted in life. I had traveled to Prague during university, and I remembered our tour guide telling us that there is high demand for English teachers. I had always wanted to live in Europe and I naturally enjoy teaching, so I saved up some money, quit my job, and moved to Prague where I took a TEFL course.

How did you start? Did you take a course in teacher training? If yes,can you tell us more about it?

I took a TEFL course. I felt that this gave me both enough classroom experience where I felt comfortable teaching my own classes, and the certification I needed to get teaching jobs in Europe. I would definitely suggest taking a 120-hour course, as this is required for most jobs.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to go teaching English abroad? Any useful tips on how to choose a TEFL course, what to expect, what to do before you go, what to bring with,etc.

I would say to prepare to work hard and to come with an open mind. TEFL courses are not a walk in the park, and you’ll be learning a new method of teaching that you likely won’t have seen before. Really connect with the people in your TEFL class, and connect with your students and co-workers. Make those connections, realize that it’s not your home country and that things will be different, and you’ll have the time of your life!

What did you like about living and teaching English in Prague?

Everything! The lifestyle is a big selling point for me. At most language schools, you can somewhat control your own schedule when you teach classes. This gives you the control to enjoy the lifestyle to the fullest (Picnics in the park! Beer gardens! Cheap soccer games! Cheap hockey games! Cozy pubs!) and to travel. A couple hours on the train and you’re in Berlin, Dresden, Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora, Olomouc, Vienna, Bratislava, or Budapest. It’s pretty hard to beat.

The students as well are an engaged, interesting bunch. Whether my students were professionals looking to improve their English, or groups of friends learning English together, I always had a fantastic time getting to know them and helping them achieve their goals.

Teach English in Prague - How to Get Started

About Teaching English in Prague and How It All Started

How We Came Up with the Idea of Teaching English in Prague

My mind is made up… TEFL in Prague!

It’s mid-December in Detroit, Michigan – I’m slowly sipping coffee with my future wife (Meg), trying to muster the motivation to get out from under a blanket. Then, my phone rings from the other room. I grumble as I shake off the warmth of my blanket and scurry to the phone. As soon as I pick up it up, my face lights up. After a short conversation I toss the phone aside and celebrate with Meg. We have just been accepted to a TEFL course in Prague.

Let me rewind for a minute. Meg and I had the idea of moving overseas to teach English abroad about a month before we received that phone call. We had no plan, no desired destination, and no idea what the acronym “TEFL” actually stood for. So, we decided to do some research. We typed, “teach English abroad,” into Google and waited for the results (which took about a half second). The first link that showed up was about a TEFL course in Prague. Meg and I looked at each other and smiled. “Do you know anything about Prague?” I asked. She shook her head. “Let’s go find out!”

The next four weeks were full of checking TEFL Prague reviews, contacting the programs, and looking at pictures of Prague. It all seemed so unreal – in fact, a main concern of ours that it was actually not real. As a result, we consulted several different sources to confirm that our TEFL course was legitimate. Several e-mails and phone calls later, we were celebrating our acceptance to the program. We talked excitedly about the opportunities to teach English abroad, experience new cultures, and make new friends. Moving overseas is daunting for most people. It’s a risk, it’s unfamiliar, and it’s unknown. We moved to Prague because we wanted something different – a year later, I can say wholeheartedly that signing up for TEFL in Prague is the best decision we have ever made.

Do you need more information? Don´t hesitate to contact me by email: tom@teflproprague.com

Wanna Teach English in Prague?

Is teaching in Prague a foolish idea? Read Ashley and Jo´s experience with teaching English in Prague.

Why Teach English in Prague?

Where do we begin? We didn’t choose Prague as so much Prague met all our requirements. It wasn’t a place that had initially been on our radar, but we decided to check it out. We did some research and found out that it had everything we wanted in a new place to live. It is very affordable, getting your visa is no problem whatsoever, and there are plenty of jobs. We also wanted somewhere exotic.  Prague is unlike anywhere in the world.  Located in Central Europe, Prague grants us easy access to the entire continent.  As English teachers, we assumed that our wages and schedule would make this difficult for us, but that is not the case at all.  On our salary we are able to live comfortably in the city, travel, and actually save some money. Something we found difficult to do living in San Francisco on teacher’s wages.

Not to say everything is perfect however. While the cost of living is low and the price of beer and food can be quite cheap, other things are not.  Consumer electronics are quite expensive as well as clothing.  My advice to any potential imigrants is to sort this out before you arrive. Sure you can pick that stuff up here, it just might cost you a bit more.

TEFL Course and Teaching Jobs in Prague

When we arrived we both had experience teaching, but not in terms of second language learners.  Our TEFL course not only gave us the skills but the confidence to teach non native speakers.  There is a lot of conflicting information out there about ESL teaching in Prague.  This is what we have noticed concerning the current teaching climate.  There are no shortages of jobs and there are no shortages of teachers.  This is both positive and negative.  On the plus side, there is really no excuse in not finding a job, you just got to try.  My girlfriend and I were both employed full time before the end of our course.  You just got to hit the pavement.  The downside is that you are more or less one of a million other teachers, and employers know that.  I think our TEFL course made the big difference for us because if anything it gave us the confidence we needed to do it.  We turn down more work than we accept.

Czech Culture

Finally, in regards to culture shock, as much as Czechs prefer the term Central Europe, Prague (although geographically more western than other European cities such as Vienna) is located in what people generally refer to as the Eastern block. You will immediately notice that people do not smile in public as much as they do back home. However, given just a few lessons (or beers, when not in a classroom), Czechs will open up and act in a much less reserved fashion. You just have to be a little patient with them. I am not quite sure whether the initial tendency to be less gregarious is caused by the language barrier or whether it is culturally (and historically) driven. Anyway, expatriates who have been living here for 10 or 15 years say that this aspect of the national psyche has been vanishing, and that the western sociability is finding its way into the Czech Republic.

Ashley and Jo, teachers based in Prague

Teach English Abroad - Tips Before You Go

Are you thinking about moving overseas to teach English abroad? Read Tom´s invaluable “before you go” tips.

Get Information Before You Go!

Okay, we’re moving to Prague! Now what? Shortly after our exciting decision to move to Europe and teach English abroad, we went down our contact list and spread the news. After an interesting mixture of reactions, one question seemed to appear in every conversation: “How are you able to live and work over there?” Our response usually went something like this, “that’s a damn good question… we have no idea.”

Luckily, we had an excellent experience with our TEFL program. They sent us information that allowed us to prepare the proper documentation for our visas and provided a checklist of personal items for us to pack. But even with all of that information, we still had difficulty obtaining the correct documents (this is partially our fault).

So, my advice to you if you are thinking of doing TEFL in Prague: Know EXACTLY what you need to obtain your working visa (most people get on the Zivno list, so do some research on that).  Also, START THE PROCESS EARLY! It’s tempting to put all of the paperwork off because you are busy planning the fun stuff, but trust me on this one – It is easy to plan trips and adventures once you get here, but TAKE CARE OF THE IMPORTANT STUFF first.

Do you need more information? Don´t hesitate to contact me by email: tom@teflproprague.com