Employer Q & A: The Teaching and Work Environment for the K-12 Classroom Position in Hungary
Authored By:
Wondering what it’s truly like to teach abroad? This Q&A offers an in-depth look at the daily experience! We’ll dive into the teaching environment, including classroom dynamics, school culture, and collaboration with colleagues in the K-12 Classroom positions in Budapest, Hungary. Get ready for firsthand insights that go beyond the job description.
Will I need to create curriculum and bring class materials?
Our partner institutions follow the National Hungarian Curriculum. Our teachers receive the required materials and full support from their program manager, coordinator and teacher trainer at their specific school.
What is the typical class size and age of the students I‘ll be teaching?
Classes can have up to 25 to 32 students. Our program runs from kindergarten through to the end of high school. Students range from 3 to 18 years of age.
Is there any support provided for new teachers?
We provide professional development training opportunities at multiple points throughout each school year, starting with in-depth orientation and training in August prior to the start of school. We work with top teacher trainers, from within Hungary, the UK and further afield.
We offer an innovative approach to teaching, including the interactive and communicative approach favored in EFL environments as well as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in our subject lessons at all grade levels and in the kindergarten. As such, we co-teach: teachers hold lessons jointly and alternate in the leading role, switching languages throughout the course of the lesson. Students thus study simultaneously in both English and Hungarian. We also innovate in terms of technology in teaching, integrating various online learning platforms into our program and making extensive use of tablets in our primary and high school classrooms.
Our program also offers the chance to work alongside highly experienced Hungarian teaching professionals, whose knowledge and expertise are part of our program’s offerings to our staff members. We work very closely with our co-teachers, so we can learn a tremendous amount from them as we go along.
Our staff support system includes: (1) an in-school coordinator, who handles all administrative matters related to the teacher’s assigned school; (2) a central office staff who support teaching staff on a range of more general administrative details; (3) an HR Team, also in the central office, who guides staff through immigration procedures and also handles all housing-related matters, medical visits and work-related papers and procedures; (4) for first-year teachers a mentor from among the more experienced staff to help with getting used to life in Hungary; and, last but not least, (5) supporting material designed to help with life in Hungary, including documentation on culture shock and on medical care in Hungary.
Do I need to learn how to speak Hungarian to be successful at this job?
We offer a Hungarian language course to our teachers which takes place at a Hungarian language school. During planning sessions, the support system set up at each school is there to help with translating and interpreting.
Will I have any paid time off built into my contract?
Teachers have a maximum of 24 lessons a week. A lesson is 45 minutes long. Taking into account planning sessions and other school related activities, teachers work a 40-hour work week. Returning teachers receive their full salary over the summer months as well as over the set school breaks. Teachers take their leave during school holidays.