Five Questions to Ask your Employer Before Accepting a Job Teaching English in Italy

 Did you know that an estimated 85% of private English language teaching jobs are paid “under the table” in Italy? 

This means a private English school will employ a mother-tongue teacher without offering a contract with job provisions and descriptions or any written guarantee of payment.  This can put aspiring ESL teachers in a tough position.   If you have to start on a non-contract basis, here are five questions you need to ask your employer before accepting a job teaching English in Italy.

 1)  How much will I be paid per hour? Of course, the most important question. And then you need to know how many hours you will be working per week etc.  If the school can only offer you two hours twice a week, you need to decide if you want to make the commitment.  You may be able to manage your time (and your profitable teaching skills) in a more efficient manner.  Shop around and visit as many schools as you can. Most teachers in private schools make between 8 and 12 euros per hour.  Make sure the school is willing to offer you at least 10 euros per hour, more if there are related expenses.

 2) How often will I be paid? Monthly? Biweekly?  The ideal is bi-weekly, but many schools pay once a month.  Keep a strict record of the hours you work in a private notebook.  Be sure to sign a piece of paper that summarizes every lesson, the students’ presence, and your own.   Make a copy of each one of these logs, and keep them organized.  There should be no question about how many hours you worked and when. 

3) Are other expenses included in the pay?  This is very important if you will need to do any traveling.  For example, do you need to drive a considerable distance to the school each day from where you live, spending money on petrol and car maintenance?  Do you need to pay for parking?  Will the school ask you to teach courses off-site?  Do you need to come by train or bus?  You get the idea. Be sure to ask for more hourly pay if there are transportation expenses involved. 

4) What happens if a student doesn’t show up or cancels a lesson?  You need to be clear about this.  If you were scheduled to work a certain number of hours, and you made a time commitment to be present during those hours, you need to be paid.  Whether or not the student(s) attend is not your problem. This happens quite often,  especially with individual lessons.  

 5) Does the school have the materials I need to teach my classes? If not, is the school willing to obtain them at its expense?  You know what you need to do your job well.  Survey the resources available at the school.  Some will have an updated and impressive array of texts, DVDs and listening materials.  Others will have photocopied texts of outdated course books and audio cassettes that no longer work.  You can’t be expected to provide all of the materials necessary for you to be an effective ESL teacher. You can supplement your lessons with online worksheets and activities, but the bulk of your materials should be on-hand in the school’s resource library. 

Fact is, even with all of these questions asked and answered, teaching English in Italy in a private language school is risky.  If you are the only teacher working in the school, you need to be able to identify others that could testify to your working relationship with your employer.  Try to get at least one piece of written communication from your boss that implies your collaboration, either an email or a signed letter.  If worse comes to worst and you need to pursue your compensation via legal routes, these documents will offer proof of your “employment” as an ESL teacher in Italy.