Week #30 and #31 in Germany

These past few weeks have been a bit intense for me. While I was anticipating the shutdown of the U.S. government, and the possible elimination of my job with City Year, I was seeking out other opportunities for my working future. During my research, I discovered two things: 1. I'd rather be a teacher in Germany and 2. I'm lucky to be a native English speaker living in the 21st century.


First of all, German teachers are better paid than American teachers. This is in large part due to the fact that Germans go through a much more extensive amount of schooling and training to become teachers. In Germany, one must complete two degrees in addition to pedagogy, which can take 5-7 years, and then go on to train for two more years in a school. In the U.S., we have to get a Bachelor's degree in something, which typically takes four years, and then we only have one year of additional pedagogical classes and training to get our Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), after which we are considered fully qualified teachers. Even though it's more work, I would prefer the extra training and better pay, which is probably why I'm taking a longer and more complicated course of action to become a teacher....so I can actually feel *almost* prepared on my first day of class. Secondly, German teachers don't have to worry about the state cutting funding and them losing their jobs. Why not? Because teachers here are actually government workers. Their jobs are protected. If only we could be so lucky in the U.S.


On the bright side, with English as my native language, the world is wide open to me. There are instances in which someone without any qualifications can walk into a job teaching English as a foreign language in most European and Asian countries. Additionally, they usually get paid quite well. Of course there are some places that have TOEFL or TEFL or some other certification requirements. But these requirements can be attained with a mere 6-week program in some cases. All in all, it's great that English is the world language. I can sleep better knowing that if something should jeopardize my future employment, all I have to do is stay abroad until the situation clears.....though that could take a while.