next »

[petronius]

Hello, everybody!

This is a wonderful place to discuss tons of academic issues, so I finally registered here. :)

I am from Eastern Europe and I came to Canada in 2003 to do my M.A. in history. Then, I started a Ph.D. program in history and only 3 ½ years later, I am almost done, just waiting for my dissertation defense date. Meanwhile, I also became a Canadian citizen, presented my research at 16 conferences and I also published some of my research. So, it is obvious that I haven’t wasted my time. Nevertheless, the academic job market seems to be brutal.

I hope as soon as I get my Canadian Ph.D. to move to Europe. I am particularly interested in jobs in Austria or Portugal. Unfortunately, I speak English, French and some Italian but no Portuguese or German. I am ready to learn them, but initially it will be better to start off with a job in English. I will appreciate any tips for academic positions, postdocs and even interesting non-academic jobs in Austria or Portugal.

I love to teach! I also love to do research but teaching is really my passion. Before I came to Canada, I was an English teacher at a small private school. However, I am a non-native speaker of English, so I don’t count too much on that. Anyway, my point is that I prefer an academic job but I am also ready to accept a non-academic job if it will allow me to settle in Vienna, Graz or Lisbon. I miss Europe a lot! I miss the architecture, the art and museums, the old cathedrals, the brick and stone houses, the food, the coffee, the numerous pedestrians on the streets even long after business hours, the short distances, the Christmas markets, the big squares full of people, the cheap restaurants with white tablecloths, the prices with all taxes included, the atmosphere. I will always keep beautiful Canadian memories in my mind and heart and a maple leaf flag in my office but I hope that I will leave Canada for good by the end of next year.

Thanks in advance for all your advice and comments.

[bashir001]

Hi,

I'm afraid you could not survive at an Austrian or Portuguese University without speaking the respective language fluently. Sure, English lecture courses are coming, in particular due to Bologna, but undergraduate courses will generally be held in German or Portuguese, respectively.
I also don't think your chances will be better on the Austrian or Portuguese market, compared with North America. Why don't you include UK or France into your considerations? These countries have European culture too, plus you know the language already.

[bashir001]

Oh, I've forgot to tell you:

http://www.academics.com/home.html

This site posts jobs that are advertised in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

[petronius]

Thank you, bashir001! It is a good idea to include France in my search. Even thoough from what I read from frenchdoctor and what I heard from other sources, it is next to impossible to get a job there. UK is a possibility, because it is so close to continental Europe.

Another idea also occurred to me- setting up a chair in Migration Studies in Portugal or Austria. Is it an acceptable practice in Europe to set up endowment funds and with the raised money to open chairs as it is in North America? In North america you need at least $ 1 million to open such a chair, what is the situation in Europe, I wonder?! Not that fundraising is easy but I can try. :)

[sandgrounder]

Yes endowed chairs exist but as a new PhD you would be a long way off being viewed as appointable to such a thing. Given the recent Austrian election results, it also wouldn't strike me as being necessarily the most fruitful place to get a favourable hearing on the positive sides of migration. It's a shame you've picked two of the least open European academic job markets as the most desirable places to live - would you consider a non-academic job to be in Vienna? Ironically given the political situation there, the new EU Agency for Fundamental Rights is based in Vienna and will be dealing with many migration related issues.

[petronius]

Thanks for the reply, sandgrounder! Yes, you are right, new PhDs are not considered desirable to hold endowed chairs. Even though it is not a bad idea to have in mind.

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights?! I haven't heard about it. I will find out if they need people. I am also open for non-academic jobs, so if you have good ideas, I will appreciate them.

[sandgrounder]

http://fra.europa.eu/fra/index.php
That's their website. I imagine jobs will be advertised the usual EU channels. A good site for those types of policy jobs in Europe is www.eurobrussels.com - you can subscribe to a weekly jobs digest.

[petronius]

Thank you once again, sandgrounder!

[sciencephd]

You need to be realistic and go where the jobs are, in a language environment where you are conversant.

[verafrance]

Hello, everybody!

This is a wonderful place to discuss tons of academic issues, so I finally registered here. :)

I am from Eastern Europe and I came to Canada in 2003 to do my M.A. in history.

...

I hope as soon as I get my Canadian Ph.D. to move to Europe. I am particularly interested in jobs in Austria or Portugal. Unfortunately, I speak English, French and some Italian but no Portuguese or German. I am ready to learn them, but initially it will be better to start off with a job in English. I will appreciate any tips for academic positions, postdocs and even interesting non-academic jobs in Austria or Portugal.

I love to teach! I also love to do research but teaching is really my passion. Before I came to Canada, I was an English teacher at a small private school. However, I am a non-native speaker of English, so I don’t count too much on that.

I can speak for France, unless you have a significant Eastern European accent when you speak English, you could find a job in France quite easily. (I imagine you wrote your dissertation in English, btw). There is a lot of demand for good English teachers, and if you are a good teacher, and you know English well, even if you are not native, you still can find a job without much difficulty. It may not pay what you wish though (teaching English does not pay well in general here). Furthermore, it also depends what kind of English-teaching job you would accept (kids, adolescents, university students, tutoring, private classes, French business people, etc).

By your post, it seems you are not looking to return to Eastern Europe, I imagine they need good English teachers there too...

Regards,
Vera

[petronius]

Yes, Vera, actually I wrote my dissertation, a book and a few scholarly articles in English. I have a non-native accent but it is not strong. In Canada, many people think that I am a francophone from Quebec, because I speak correctly but with an accent.

English lessons to university students and French business people as well as private classes are all good opportunities. What is the best strategy for searching English teaching jobs in France? Which regions of France have the highest demand?

[verafrance]

Yes, Vera, actually I wrote my dissertation, a book and a few scholarly articles in English. I have a non-native accent but it is not strong. In Canada, many people think that I am a francophone from Quebec, because I speak correctly but with an accent.

English lessons to university students and French business people as well as private classes are all good opportunities. What is the best strategy for searching English teaching jobs in France? Which regions of France have the highest demand?

The best strategy is to plan for a two or three month stay (at least) in Paris. Then you come, you send thousands of résumés, you get called for interviews, if you land a job...

I know that Montreal Canadians can come work in France for at least a year (or something like that), and I don't remember if it also applies to all Canadians. You should first go inquire at the French embassy about a work visa. (The only job I know of that doesn't "require" a work visa is playing piano at Parisian jazz clubs ;-)

There are offers for full- and part-time jobs. Paris has the highest demand, but other big cities sometimes recruit as well.

Best regards,
Vera

[petronius]

Thank you, Vera! Your information is very useful because it allows me to develop a good job search strategy. By "Montreal Canadians" you probably mean the Quebecers (les québécois). Yes, the province of Quebec has exchange agreements with France but I just found that Canadians from any province between 18-35 years of age can also work up to a year in France. That's the link: http://www.swap.ca/out_eng/destinations/france.aspx