Working conditions vary from one situation to another, and so the following is only a guide to what is typical. The majority of the English Language schools in Greece are small and privately owned. The pupils attend the local state school in the morning, and so the English schools operate in the afternoon and evening. Most schools employ only two or three teachers and have one or two hundred pupils. Attendance at such a school is the norm for children from all kinds of social backgrounds. They usually begin at the age of eight, and continue until they are at least fifteen.

You would not normally expect to teach the youngest children, unless you happen to speak Greek, but you might teach children of ten upwards. Classes last for one or sometimes two hours, and for the older pupils there is a strong orientation towards exams such as the Cambridge FCE and CPE. Depending on their age and level, most classes have lessons for a total of three or four hours per week, so you would be teaching several different classes. For most of your classes, you will be their main teacher, but they will usually also have one or two hours per week with a Greek teacher, mainly for grammar.

Most of the children are enthusiastic learners and classes are usually reasonably small, with perhaps ten or twelve members, so conditions are good, and discipline is not usually a problem. However. like teenagers everywhere, our students can sometimes be boisterous, and so you will need classroom management skills. You can expect to work with a high standard of materials and equipment.

Hours of work are normally between three and ten p.m. Monday to Friday. Some schools also have classes in the mornings, especially the larger schools in the big cities, which cater for older students, and it is possible that you might be required to work on Saturdays. You would normally teach for about twenty-five hours per week. Even if your teaching hours are less than twenty-five, this is normally the guaranteed minimum for which you will be paid.

In addition to the hours spent teaching, you will also have to spend the proportionate amount of time planning lessons and correcting written work. This varies according to the kind of teaching, but we generally estimate that 25 hours teaching equates to a total working week of 40 hours.

You won't generally need to create your own materials, as each class will be working with a course book that provides all the activities and exercises for the lessons. The bulk of your preparation will consist of studying the materials in the course book and the accompanying teacher's guide, and planning how to do the lesson according to the needs of each group of students. You may also like to create your own supplementary materials occasionally, and in many schools you will be required to devise additional exercises, such as vocabulary quizzes based on the course book.

Classrooms are equipped with audio and video equipment, most schools use computers, and many are now equipped with interactive whiteboards. Most schools have a secretary, and facilities are available for photocopying.

Contracts generally run from September to June. If you decide to stay in Greece, your experience will be a valuable asset, and we will find you a new position in the location of your choice.