For months I had be searching for teaching jobs in Germany, hoping to move there while my boyfriend finished his schooling. However, being a teacher in a different country is hard enough especially when I can't even speak German. I thought it was a lost cause but continued to look just in case. I searched the internet any free moment I had. I applied to international schools all across the country hoping they could use an English speaking early childhood/special education teacher for something... While my summer was quickly passing I was losing even more hope that I would be moving to Germany. I did not hear anything from the schools I had applied to. Most of the schools required prior teaching knowledge or German speaking abilities. Since I have neither I kept looking. Finally my boyfriend came across a link to an elementary school named DUALINGO that was looking for a part-time English Teacher. It seemed perfect so I applied.
After I sent the application I was pretty sure they had already filled the position, seeing as it was mid July and school started in late August. As soon as I had lost hope I got an email asking if I was coming to Germany anytime soon and if I could interview with them. Seeing as a plane ticket to Germany is not an easy purchase for someone who was then working part-time at a day care, I asked if there was anyway to hold an interview over skype. I was excited but still skeptical, worried that they might not want a "fresh out of college" teacher. So we scheduled a skype interview and we were off. Scheduling was the hardest part because of the fact that Germany is 6 hours ahead of The U.S. and I worked 8 hours a day. We decided on first thing in the morning for me and the end of the school day for them. I was sure to dress my best (at least from the waist up) and I had a list of questions, my resume, and of course my cover letter I sent them.
Because I did not speak German the principal made sure to have one of the other English teachers also on skype to make everything a bit easier. Before the interview, I tried to read up about German schooling but it was still so confusing to me so I also had a list of what may seem to be simple questions. I made sure to ask about wages, cost of living, taxes, how many hours I would get (this was a big one for me), and what the job includes. He was able to answer a few of my questions but the majority of the time was spent asking about the American education system and how I was taught to teach.
By the end of the interview I was feeling excited but nervous as to whether or not I got the job. I soon pushed it to the back of my mind and I was off to my part time job.
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