Candidate Information
 
This page provides some background information to Prague, The Czech Republic and the British School. Included are some brief details of our operations, classes, conditions and how to apply for a position with the school

 

Prague

  
In the years since the 1989 "Velvet Revolution", Prague has become a varied andcosmopolitan city. It is still relatively small for a capital city (pop. under 2M), with romantic parks and beautiful historic architecture, castles and bridges, surrounded by more prosaic residential suburbs. The architecture includes Medieval, Gothic, Baroque, fantastic Art Deco and even Cubist styles. Pubs, cafés and restaurants are plentiful and relatively cheap; the beer is excellent, and there's plenty to do in the evenings with music clubs, UK/USA cinema, discos and world class orchestras and opera all contained within a largely pedestrianised centre. There's a thriving ex-pat scene, although if you become tired of one Bohemian life, you'll find that young Czechs of both sexes are generally open and friendly and fascinated to meet English native speakers.

As for sport, there are opportunities for football, ice-hockey, tennis and indoor sport. You can join clubs for anything from drama and canoeing, to aerobics. There remain some vestiges of 40 years of communism (and before that: the Hapsburgs); in the hair-wrenching bureaucracy, and in some of the 60's architecture for example. But there are none of the social divisions you find in the West, and even when it's dark, you can stroll on your own through the mysterious cobbled passageways of the city-centre seeking out Franz Kafka's old haunts, and feel relatively safe.

The Country

  

After the quiet 1994 split of the former Czechoslovakia, the more mountainous Slovak part is still easily accessible by train. Around Prague there are plenty of opportunities for camping and climbing. There are forests and castles, and lakes you can swim in in the spring. Skiing is easily affordable, and if you meet Czechs you'll inevitably get invited to the cottages and cabins in the country which many of them seem to keep.


 

The British School

 
We are a small school, with a high reputation for the quality of its many courses, catering mainly for adult learners. The school, for which we are now recruiting teachers, is in easily the most beautiful part of Prague; next to the fairly breath-taking Old Town Square. It is right in the centre of town, near the most popular pubs, clubs, theatres and cinemas; yet set, as it is, in an atmospheric and ancient cobbled cathedral close near a tennis court, it's a tranquil place in which to teach.

 

Teaching

  
The School exists to promote the English language and English-speaking culture, by putting Czechs into contact with highly motivated and professionally skilled tutors; and presenting them with the opportunity to meet native English speakers and to travel and learn abroad.

As such the British School offers a select group of teachers the chance to develop their skills in a stimulating environment, where commitment is rewarded, and teaching excellence is expected. A good teacher is always learning and we encourage therefore, an on-going support and education programme to aid new and experienced teachers to expand their range of talents, to develop the most modern communicative techniques and to overcome new challenges. Teachers will occasionally give methodology. or grammar presentations to their peers. The School seeks to improve upon many of the teaching innovations developed originally in England in the 60s and 70s by Haycroft and others, especially at International House in London, which sought to use the practical process of communication itself, as opposed to over-reliance on "explanation", as the means of effecting learning. Our tutors are encouraged to debate learning strategies and teaching methodologies, and how they can best be used in mono-lingual situations.

 

Classes

  
  Students are at various EFL levels, but intermediate to advanced form an increasing part, which is why on-going teacher education remains a British School priority. 95% are adults and learn in small groups (ten is a theoretical maximum though four is the average) or as individuals; lessons are mostly 60 or 90 minutes long; students are tested and groups graded.

Courses range from general English (Headway and New Cambridge are standard books), Business English and ESP.

The locations are: at the school's premises or in company offices.

The school is small by policy, and so that we can retain the quality of the education we offer we have restricted our expansion despite increasing requests from international companies and government institutions. Small groups could include all types of people, for example young shop girls, college students (adults form by far the majority of our intake and we have no plans to teach in local schools), while individual students have included TV presenters, the governing board of the state central bank, company chairmen, and the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff. But the school is committed to quality of education, whether our learners are cabinet ministers or students.

Conditions

Quality of teaching staff is a priority here, which is why our policy has always been to properly reward our teachers.

Successful applicants appointed to the post of Teacher of English, will start in September for one academic year (including breaks), with a weekly maximum of twenty-six teaching hours. Same unused teaching hours may be set for occasional meeatings. The School does not, unlike most other language schools, rely upon evening classes, with the advantage that teachers can make more use of their leisure time.

The average actual contact time in 2003 - 2004 was under 20 hours per teacher, though this may increase occasionally. Teachers on low hours (eg at the start of the contracts) recieved the same fixed salary and may have some hours designated for lesson preparation etc.

The gross starting financial package for a new teacher at the start of the year amounts to 10 000 CZK per month depending upon experience (plus, the school guarantees and pays 6000 CZK for accommodation). Health and social security benefits are covered by us the moment the school receives the residence permit, and teachers can also claim other living expenses. Teachers' interests are fully protected by contract, our reputation, and the Czech Labour Code. Although not necessarily a huge amount by British standards, this nevertheless, is well over the average national wage here, and offers our teachers, by Czech standards a very good standard of living; higher than the average Czech can afford. Beer is about 20 CZK per half-litre, 600 CZK will get you in a week's food, 90-100 CZK will give you a good meal and a glass of wine in a suburban restaurant, or buy a cinema ticket, 200 CZK will take you to the mountains. The School arranges accommodation for all our staff. Typically this means your own room in a rented flat, shared with an other teacher. Teachers are normally asked when they start work, to make a returnable deposit to cover breakages (and books and materials which the School lends) of 250 pounds sterling.

The school also helps to arrange Czech residence permits, the 1500 CZK for which can be paid from the first salary. The school also helps with obtaining the visa.

As a break from teaching, an informal social programme runs at the school; so that teachers have a chance to enjoy each others' company, to get to know Czechs, and to see something of Prague and its surroundings. There are nights out on the town, sport opportunities and weekend trips into the countryside.

Qualifications
The British School receives a lot of applications from experienced and also from newly qualified teachers and is happy to encourage a mix of tutors.

Aside from these qualifications, we look favourably upon applicants who have: a clear idea of how to plan and divide the activities of lessons into a coherent whole a working knowledge of basic grammar principles, know how to get students to talk in pairs or in groups, the enthusiasm to teach without over-reliance upon the book, or "explanations", and who can invent communication activities where required. Applicants who have a business background are also favourably considered. Two referees are essential, one of whom can comment on your teaching skills. Please notify them in advance so that their response is prepared. Delays in hearing from your referees can jeopardise your application.

Cv.s must be complete with job and educational experience dated by month and year. For ADOS or DOS positions, the ideal candidates would have 3 years TEFL experience or a CTEFLA diploma or management experience within EFL education.

All our teachers must have a natural and instinctive understanding of colloquial English; i.e. be "native speakers", and we welcome applications from nationals of any English-speaking nation. This would normally mean parents also born in an English-speaking (or Commonwealth) country, or the applicant has been educated from the age of 12 or 13 in an English speaking country.

Starting with The British School

This leaflet and our interview programme are intended to give applicants a fair and honest idea of conditions in the school and Prague at the time of writing. Our reputation demands that it should. At the start of the year, for example, teachers teaching load, in common with most other language schools, will typically be low, despite the full salary! This may well increase to the maximum as a natural part of the academic year, and teaching times may vary from teacher to teacher. For limits to the conditions of work, successful applicants who accept employment should consult our standard contract, which can be viewed before leaving your home country. Our contract provides teachers with security and a point of reference during, what has been for our staff, another enjoyable year. The School is an equal opportunities employer.