Welcome aboard.

There is an English teacher/editor from the US living in Klaipeda, but he is having trouble finding enough work.

There are a number of English speaking expats in Vilnius and Vilnius is the cultural centre for a variety of reasons, one being there are more jobs in general. Thus it may be easier to find Lithuanian language courses here in Vilnius. I am willing to help you learn Lithuanian free of charge, if you are interested. My contact info is on the profile page.

There is an overabundance of teachers here, although probably not in English, where they can get better wages working in other professions. I would suggest you come here for a visit and talk to prospective employers before actually making the move. Once you learn the language, you can also get work translating.

Good luck,

Arturas

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Thanks Arturas, I'm heading over there in March for a bit of recon and will try to make some contacts when I'm there. A few people have suggested Vilinius for the same reasons you have so I'll certainly make a point of going there, however, from what I've seen, Klaipeda really is a beautiful city...not too big but not too small either :-)

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Klaipeda has a nice sculpture park I like and there are some good restaurants. My best friend in Lithuania also hails from Klaipeda. The weather is less extreme but damper and the wind is almost always blowing. I have not found too many English book shops there. Check the used clothing shops for the best deals.

But I personally have also encountered too much fake intellectualism from there and a friend complains about how everyone wants to leave (and thus hears lots of complaints). But that may a response to his personal atitudes.

When checking places out, talk to other staff members and students to see if the teachers are being paid and what sort of students you might be having. My pupils, for example, said that I was not supposed to teach very much in class and those who wanted to learn did so only in private lessons. Also discuss what goals the administration has for the English classes and whether they are being met or have been met at any time.

You will also want to check out the Lithuanian language programmmes while you are visiting here as life is a lot rougher if you don't speak Lithuanian.

If you want to meet me when you are in Vilnius, I am sure I can find some time.

Good luck with your trip.

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Hello Fellow travellers - Yeah I think you are all spot on - Klaipeda is really cool, and if you can't find somewhere else cheaper - why not come here? They have lots of intellectual stuff, and you can feel real full of smartnesses. Of course, after the glow wears off, you might find yourself in a wasteland of stupidity, but who cares if you are a drooler yourself, huh? learn the local language and find out that they locals have little or nothing to say after all the effort- OK? Good luck to all you looking for greener pastures, but I just have to laugh at all the nitwit comments. Enjoy your fololhardiness - just remember you were warned....

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I would have to say that Abakan -- Arturas -- is very optimistic. Lithuania is saturated with English teachers.

Good luck.

Jen

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Hi all,...thanks for the feedback, a lot of people tell me the same thing about Spain, how it's saturated with english teachers etc, yet I didn't have any trouble being offered a couple of jobs in the 12 days that I was there.....I often think it's more a case of attitude and how you present yourself. Mind you, having a strong business background has certainly been alot of help in that regard.
One thing that intrigues me,....both arturas and Rimke commented that many of the people in Klaipeda are 'falsely academic.....could I get some clarification on that ???
Thanks once again
cheers
Rich

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Hi

Probably you can't get a third opinion on this forum. My opinion is based on texts I have been offered to translate and talking to a knowledgeable friend.

The thing to do if you find work in Klaipeda is to rent not buy a place to stay and keep your eyes and ears open the first year. I spent my first year in Telsiai (town of 35000), where people had the same complaints as I have heard recently from Klaipeda.

After a year, if you decide to stay, then you will know where to settle more permanently.

As an EU citizen, the Klaipeda Migracijos Departamentas employees should be less of a problem and perhaps no problem at all.

If you like snow, Samogitia (Zemetija) is the place to be. Kaunas and Vilnius get less snow in my experience.

Another thing to look at is what the people do on their free time. Downtown Kaunas has long been deserted on weekends (compared to when I first saw it in 95). I hear downtown Klaipeda is also pretty quiet now. The malls have picked up the slack.

In short, come for a visit, check things out for yourself. If you like what you see, makes plans for a year. After a year, then you will probably have a pretty good idea of whether you want to settle here permanently and where.

Good luck

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Btw, you are going to have strong competition in the Klaipeda area from LCC International University (former Lithuania Christian Fund College).

There are very intelligent people in Klaipeda and I am sure there is also work there. I agree that a lot has to do with one's atitude. The main thing is to find out for yourself what is available for you.

Lithuanian schools can be a hard nut to crack because unqualified indivuduals and unrealistic Lithuanian expectations have muddied the waters.

One question you will need to be prepared to answer is why you wish to take a cut in pay to work in Lithuania, where the perspectives for the future are so poor. This is not to say they are for everyone or that you need accept lower pay. But if you cannot answer this question satisfactorily, many will presume that you will not stay for very long.

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Thanks arturas,
I've got a couple of friends who've been to LCC and the only way they could pass their english exams was through extra private tuition. I think the first thng I really need to do is try and get my head around the language. Being able to communicate effectively is critical in moving to another country. So after, I've done the basics,..water, food, shelter, it'll ten be time to find a decent course to pick up the lingo.
In spain, it's quite common to have a friend who is called an 'intercambrio'....it means someone who will teach you the native language in return for english lessons.....do they have that sort of thing in Lithuania?
Cheers
Rich

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Interesting feedback on LCC. Will keep it in mind. I flew in with a teacher from there once and my friend from Klaipeda did not attend it but said its graduates seemed to do well in subsequent studies at other institutions.

Unfortunately there is something of a standard scam in Lithuanian education that some teachers compensate for low wages by forcing pupils to pay for private lessons. In my nephew's class, the teacher actually gave the direct answers to upcoming tests to her private pupils, ensuring that they do well in her class. The pupils also buy into this scam and insist teachers who want to push studies in their classes not push since that is for private lessons. I.e. if they are being pushed in private lessons from a tutor and by the school's teacher and so it is 'too much'. When I taught, they actually went to the director (headmaster) and got him to agree with them against me. The kids were no where near the 2000 word minimum limit for using a language and so I was trying to actually give them a usable skill. (Personally I would say 4000 is closer the mark.) The government has started pushing English and studies now start in second form, but the standards are still not high and I cannot say whether they are reaching the 2000 word mark across the board without private lessons.

A different scam prevails in Lithuanian studies. The scam is that you need to learn the grammar and pronunciation before you learn the words. While graduates do speak very well, better than me, you can also spend many years studying the language. Actually, the grammar is very simple (around 43 different endings, although Lithuanians can cite you around 1000 endings.) and it is the words that give you freedom, but words have to be learned at home, grammar with a teacher.

As to staying with someone, first is that in my experience, the person with the stronger language skills prevails. I stayed 9 months with such a person in 1996-7, but since my Lithuanian was stronger than her English, she learned almost nothing and I improved my Lithuanian.

There is a local Klaipeda newspaper and it is there that anyone would advertise publically, but they are unlikely to do so. My 'intercambrio' was organised through the school where I was teaching. That is where I would start. It is possible that your church will organise something. I suspect that in the current situation, paying a good chunk of the utilities would be necessary. Under such circumstances you might find a pensioner willing to put you up. In fact, the priest may even help set up the arrangement.

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>>it means someone who will teach you the native language in return for english lessons

I did this while I was in Lithuania. You have to be strong though -- be forceful in keeping the conversation in Lithuanian. I wasn't and we ended up speaking mostly English.

Just post an ad on one of the classifieds sites.

Jen

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HI all, thanks for the info. In regards to the intercambrios,...thankfully I'm in a position where I'm quite capapble of supporting myself so don't need to share an apartment etc,....my question though, is if the concept of an intercambrio is common there?
Secondly, in regards to the education system,...I know of many situations where teachers have often forced students into private tuition to supplement their own incomes and have often given those students answers to exams beforehand etc,...it's sad but it's just one of those things that happens.
Does anyone know if the Curriculum is state controlled and students are told to use particular texts or is the curriculum decided primarily by the teacher themself?
Here in DK what gets taught is up to the teacher, but back in australia it's state controlled.
If it's state controlled, can anyone tell me the texts that are in use for this school year? I'd like to get my hands on a copy :-)
cheers
Rich

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As to intercambrios, that no one has given you the Lithuanian equivalent is a sign right there. Lithuanians are fairly practical. My landlady did it as a favour for Lithuanian friends. I am sure there are people with an extra room who would consider such an option, but we are not overrun with foreign English teachers here. This is not exactly a tourist destination (esp. at 20+ below like right now) and people are not begging to stay. People also do not appreciate the value of a native speaker and foreign teachers do not have a tremendously fantastic record, as has been pointed out with LCC.

As to the curriculum, the lower grades definitely have a number of textbooks to choose from for each grade. Teachers are likely to stick to these textbooks because a) they are the only ones in Lithuanian and b) the teachers cannot be blamed for the failure of the pupils to learn. The English in them is not perfect as they have been written by Lithuanians, not translated from authentic English material. I would have to check the bookshops to see how many grades these textbooks cover. When (and of) they end before twelfth form, then the teacher would be free to use whatever he or she chose. But these pupils will not have a tremendous vocabulary. When I was teaching, even the tutored kids could not handle Readers Digest condensced books. I gave each one a different book, which solved the problem of copying and pooling efforts. Very unpopular.

But what you have to remember is that the pupils are not interested in learning English, only in passing the state English exam. So everyone teaches to that. And no, even old exams are not available for study, so no one can help you get a copy.

The Švietimo ir Mokslo ministerija had (has?) an on-line English grammar test but the address is probably on the other computer and I can't find it on their website. However, neither I nor anyone I know has scored better than 66 %.

If you tell me what grade textbook you are interested in, I will see what I can do. The books are rather expensive, but I'll try to borrow a copy and scan it in to the computer.

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I finally got to a larger bookshop. They do sell Oxford and Longman teaching materials here, so it would be possible to use these in the classroom. However the books for preparing for the national exam are in Lithuanian with the questions in English. I didn't study them but from what I saw, they concentrate on grammmar questions rather than essay questions. For example, 'Steve _____ (go) to the cinema,' where you have to fill in the correct form of go. I can't say how much help the teachers give students during the xam itself. I know it was going on in 1997.

The vocabulary level of the texts was normal, not simplified (like in my example). However the answers did not depend on the more challenging words.

According to Rikmo, his private students are mostly people wanting to move abroad to look for work. This would make sense as secondary school pupils simply want to pass the exam and universities offer their own English classes.

Hope that helps you to ask the right questions when you come to visit.

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