Moving to and teaching in the Netherlands

[kabuk1]

Hi everyone. I'm an American currently living in Ireland with my Dutch partner. We are looking to move to the Netherlands between June-August 2010. I want to become a teacher. I was originally planning to go the UK for the PGCE in Secondary English, but we always intended to move to the Netherlands after that.

We've recently discovered how cheap it would be for me to train as a teacher in the Netherlands (as I would be on a partner visa, giving me the same rights as a Dutch citizen); however, my Dutch is not up to par. I can ask for things at the table, follow basic conversation and be firm with children (worked as an au pair in Den Haag for 3 months). This is not enough for college or teaching.

I have a BA in English with experience as a writing tutor for both native and non-native English speakers. I understand it takes 2 years to qualify and that I could separate the 2 years, doing an MA in English Language and Culture first. Doing that I could spend the year working on my Dutch as well. We were thinking of moving to Groningen as most of the family is there.

Can anyone offer advice on here? I know there is a teacher shortage there, but I believe you have to have Dutch to teach at a state school. As for the international schools, I would need to have 2-3 years of teaching experience.

Also, is it possible to teach without certification and work towards certification whilst working?

Any help in regards to this will be much appreciated. As far as universities go, I was looking at Groningen, Leiden, Amsterdam and Nijmegen.

Hope someone can help. Thanks in advance.

[sdipple]

Originally Posted by kabuk1

Hi everyone. I'm an American currently living in Ireland with my Dutch partner. We are looking to move to the Netherlands between June-August 2010. I want to become a teacher. I was originally planning to go the UK for the PGCE in Secondary English, but we always intended to move to the Netherlands after that.

We've recently discovered how cheap it would be for me to train as a teacher in the Netherlands (as I would be on a partner visa, giving me the same rights as a Dutch citizen); however, my Dutch is not up to par. I can ask for things at the table, follow basic conversation and be firm with children (worked as an au pair in Den Haag for 3 months). This is not enough for college or teaching.

I have a BA in English with experience as a writing tutor for both native and non-native English speakers. I understand it takes 2 years to qualify and that I could separate the 2 years, doing an MA in English Language and Culture first. Doing that I could spend the year working on my Dutch as well. We were thinking of moving to Groningen as most of the family is there.

Can anyone offer advice on here? I know there is a teacher shortage there, but I believe you have to have Dutch to teach at a state school. As for the international schools, I would need to have 2-3 years of teaching experience.

Also, is it possible to teach without certification and work towards certification whilst working?

Any help in regards to this will be much appreciated. As far as universities go, I was looking at Groningen, Leiden, Amsterdam and Nijmegen.

Hope someone can help. Thanks in advance.

I cannot speak for the Netherlands, but I can for international teaching. I was hired to teach overseas with only one year of experience. The jobs are there, and you can get an interview before the recruitment fairs start (usually in January, so get your name out there asap).

There are programs that allow you to teach without certification while working towards it, but I don't know if they would apply to your situation. Be wary of any overseas school that hires a lot of teachers without certification. It tends to end up as a dodgy situation.

Best of luck to you in your endeavors!