TESOL Greece cannot give any information about the requirements of the Greek government for foreign teachers who wish to obtain a teaching license. This is because the requirements change regularly, and are not consistent.  The most recent information can be found here at http://www.ypepth.gr/en_ec_page1537.htm .

Most language schools in Greece require foreigners to have a university degree in English, and some sort of basic teaching qualification.

TESOL Greece can not take the risk of recommending any schools to apply to, as this would expose us to the risk of legal action if the school mistreated the teacher.  

For further information about the situation of teaching in Greece , why not have a look at the article below about teaching in Greece.

Teaching in Greece

Most students in Greece learn English both at state school and privately, either at home or in evening classes. At school they attend two to three lessons of 45 minutes a week. Privately they may attend an average of 3 to 6 hours per week.

In the state school system, teachers of English are required to have gained a Greek state university degree in English literature and language. On this course there are two semesters of methodology instruction, up to a month of practical experience and an examination with some methodology questions

It is very common for English teachers in the private sector in Greece to have only the minimum requirement to teach English, which is a proficiency certificate from the university of Michigan or Cambridge. The methodology used by these teachers therefore depends very much on the way they were taught.

There are two ways that both private and public teachers in Greece enhance their teaching approach - through commercial presentations and professional seminars. Due to increasing competition in the market, publishers often give commercial presentations to promote their books, during which they also talk about teaching methodology. Furthermore, professional organizations, such as TESOL Greece, and non-profit organizations, such as the Hellenic American Union, host seminars and forums, leading to a greater awareness of teaching practice. Such events are attended by those teachers who are already committed to enhancing their teaching, but many teachers do not attend because they take place on the weekend, when most teachers have private lessons in order to supplement their income. 

As a result of these sources of professional enhancement, some teachers do have an initial understanding of methodology and pedagogical approaches. However, teachers do not always fully exploit the potential of an activity, nor maximize the learning potential of their students.

Teaching Approaches

There are many factors teachers must consider when attempting to apply any pedagogical approaches here in Greece.

1.      Most parents believe that the English language teaching received in the state high schools is not adequate to meet the needs of their children

It is widely believed that any English language learning will take place through private teachers or at private evening classes rather than through the state secondary education system. Because the school system is based on age groups there is little streaming, which results in mixed ability groups, making it difficult for teachers to be effective. Moreover, the state English examination is independent of the state school curriculum, so the state English teachers are not seen as providing any useful education. Finally, English is not an essential part of the university entrance examination and so it is disregarded by many students, except in cases where they want to study English or Media at university. In this case, the students will invariably attend extra private lessons in English.

2.      The prevalent attitude is that the teacher has the knowledge and must transmit it to the students.

Overall, language acquisition in Greece is seen as a process of addition. This has an influence on how the teachers sees themselves and their role in the classroom, as well as the student. The general belief is that students are receptacles waiting to receive the transmission of language items from the teacher. The amount learnt is according to the students IQ.

This approach is reflected in the set up of the classroom. The desks are usually in fixed positions with the teacher almost always standing at the front. Group work is uncommon not only because of the seating arrangement, but also because students rarely understand that they can learn from each other rather than just the teacher.

3.      Teachers do not take risks in class.

There is very little personalization of topics in classes. Projects are rare and any individual creativeness is frowned upon. Most teachers prefer teacher-led activities as this allows them to feel in control and that less can go wrong. It is common for teachers to stick to the books they are using and rarely prepare extra materials. They also feel that it is their job to maintain order and keep students quiet, rather than stimulate or motivate the students. 

4.      Teachers have tangible, concrete objectives.

There is a also great deal of pressure upon all teachers to be able to show something at the end of each lesson so that children have something to say when asked about what they learnt at school that day. For this reason, teachers often have tangible objectives, such as ‘the simple past’ rather than more abstract targets of ‘listening for gist’.

5.      There is pressure on teachers and students to finish as much material as possible.

There is pressure on private teachers to focus on quantity not quality. Teachers must be seen to be covering the entire course book so that the parents of students feel they have got their moneys-worth. School owners themselves often publish their own books and so it is in their commercial interest for their teachers to cover as much material as possible so that the students buy more books. Ther are usually four books for each class; the main course book, a grammar book, a practice test book and a companion (often little more than a dictionary).

There is also pressure on students to pass examinations as early as possible so that they can focus on their university entrance examinations. Thus, the average age of students taking formal international examinations is falling annually. However, it should be mentioned that this does not come with a corresponding rise in the number of students passing these examinations.

6.      Students have very little time to devote to language learning.

The lack of faith in the state school system extends to almost all the subjects. For that reason, the parents believe that the students need private lessons in almost all the lessons, which takes half of their day and results in information overload. Their math, history, geography and other lessons are seen as being far more important than English lessons. I myself have regularly taught students of 10 years old until 10.30 at night as there is no other time for them to attend a lesson.

7.      Students do not see the value of any learning unless it is tested.

The emphasis in education (both private and public) in Greece is on tests and grades. Thus, students rarely see the value of learning and activities if they are not tested. Furthermore anything classed as school work is immediately seen as boring.

8.      Students’ are exposed to some English outside the classroom.

Students’ exposure to English is not confined to the classroom and their teachers.  Almost all foreign TV programs and films have Greek subtitles. However, cartoons, which are popular among the younger age groups, are always dubbed.  English magazines and books are readily available and every summer when the tourist season starts, people in Greece have an excellent opportunity to practice speaking English with English speakers (both native and non native).

by Michael Robbs