Here in Germany..as an european not born a german and I and my wife have both done training , teaching in various forms;
1. It is difficult to get any of your previous exam/trade qualifications recognised here..not impossible but it´s a long and sometimes costly process. Mostly they require a resit (you can take exams here in a recognised european language other than german but only the written part and you have to register it with the exam board at least 3 months before the exam date) and usually some practical experience. This can be a bit of a catch 22 sometimes, you need a certificate to work but you need to prove you have worked to get a certificate.
2. If your qualifications are provisionally recognised, you will invariably have to do a 2 years in the job before they are fully recognised, this goes for a range on certifications earned whilst in germany and for all resisdents, they aren´t full until you have done the job any certification entitles you to do uninterupted (no breaks of unemployment etc) for 2 years.
3. Working with minors, (under 18) it is a requirement that you undergo a police check certificate; which involves,
A. Permanent Residence in the state
B. You are over 18
C. No criminal convictions. By this they mean none of a
serious nature (drugs, assault etc) in Germany or your previous country(s) of residence within the last 10 years, and very serious crimes, automatically refuse you getting a certificate no matter how long ago they were committed.
3. Most educational /teaching schools are church funded..so being baptised to one of the main christian faiths would be usefull, being Catholic or prodestant as it is a condition of working with them.
4. The pay isn´t that good. You would start on the lowest band, which means that generally it goes ups a band every 2 years of service. The fact that you only ever get a 12 mnth contract in educational places these days (wether church, state or private, means they "re-employ" you and you have every year a 3-6month period where they can sack you without cause, and every contract says that the employer can "use your services in another part of it´s enterprise" which means they move you about, new place means your contract re-starts and it´s only shear luck if you go up a pay scale.
Also, if you are single, you will get the one of the highest tax brackets. If you are married, one partner usually ends up staying at home, the tax consesions for the one that works makes it pointless if the other works..in fact, if the second partner works it can be sometimes very bad tax wise.
There´s a really funny bit on the German job site;
We are glad for people who are adventurous, curious and determined to overcome any hurdles. That's why we make it easier for you to come.
That means we help you to apply for a job in Germany. We try to answer all questions on and around job applications, including the recognition of professional qualifications, written applications or interviews.
basically, the exact opposite is true
