Job Opportunities Teaching English in Slovenia

By Susan Griffith

In response to the Transitions Abroad reader who requested information about Slovenia, I would like to say that Slovenia is indeed a country worth visiting for a short time or for a longer period of employment. Since this former Yugoslav republic became an independent country in 1991 it has remained completely uninvolved in the conflicts that have ravaged so much of the former Yugoslavia, and its economy has flourished. Slovenia is in the group of countries at the head of the queue to join NATO and the European Union.

Many private schools cater to Slovenians’ strong interest in learning English. Energetic native speakers can find work as freelance teachers for institutes or as private tutors.

Most language institutes are small and friendly and employ only one or two foreign teachers. The English Studies Resource Centre at the British Council in Ljubljana maintains a long and frequently updated list of private language schools in the capital and elsewhere. (See their web site, [www.britishcouncil.si/].) The Council maintains close touch with language schools and will refer qualified candidates to possible employers. There is also a British Council Resource Centre in the university library in Maribor.

The average hourly net wage of 1,800 tolars (a little over $10) allows teachers a comfortable lifestyle. Most schools do not require foreign teachers to go through the complex and lengthy procedures for obtaining a work permit during their first year in Slovenia. By all accounts Slovene students are well behaved and eager to learn.

Slovenia’s tourist industry has (unfairly) suffered by association with its warring neighbours, though it has benefitted from some outside investment in recent years. Major British tour operators like Thomson and Inghams take groups to the country’s two major ski resorts, while the Croatian tour operator, Atlas Airtours, with representation in the U.S. (See their web site, [www.atlas-croatia.com]), organizes a range of special interest tours of Slovenia as well as Croatia. One of the most beautiful but least known glacier valleys of the Alps is in Slovenia, the Vrata Valley in Triglav National Park.

Citizens of the U.S. do not need a visa for business or tourist stays of less than 90 days. More information is available from the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, 1525 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-667-5363 or from the consulate general in New York, 212-370-3006.

SUSAN GRIFFITH is co-editor of Work Abroad and contributing editor for Work Abroad for Transitions Abroad Magazine. See Susan's bio for more information about her extensive bibliography.