Transcription
[Music] Hello everyone, from Berlin, Germany. My name is Samuel Wright, and welcome to my Instagram story takeover for International TEFL Academy. I'm a very proud ITA alumni, and I currently teach English here in Berlin, Germany. I originally come from the United Kingdom.
I've now been living and teaching in Berlin, Germany for just over six months, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience so far, and I'm very excited to show you what a day in my life looks like as an English teacher here in Berlin, Germany. And you can also ask me any questions that you have as well. And I'm happy to answer all of your questions. Thank you.
This is my bedroom, as I just slowly move away and transition out into the hallway. And here's me in the mirror. Hello. And here we have the corridor. I actually share a room with five other people. So, this is a six-person, um, a six-person dorm. And here is my kitchen, as you can see. And just coming forward, here is my bathroom that is shared between six people. And as mentioned, there are five other people living in this apartment. So, my apartment is very small, but it's a very cozy and very nice place to live. So, hope you enjoyed the tour of my rather small apartment.
I've just headed out for the first time today. And my plans for today are: I'm going to pick up some teaching materials from one of my schools, Oscar Learns English. Going to get there for around 10:00 a.m. As you can see, it's a beautiful day out here in Berlin, Germany. The sun is certainly shining, and the spring is upon us. So, a very beautiful day. And um, I'm also going to meet a couple of friends for some coffee as well. And then I have four online classes this afternoon/ing. So, quite a busy day for me in terms of online teaching, but in-person teaching not so much today. I usually have a very good mix. So, and anyway, I cannot film any content in schools here in Germany anyway. So, uh, doing online might work a little bit better for this takeover. So yes, continue to join me on my journey in sunny Berlin.
So, before I go and pick up my material from Oscar Learns English, just going to do a little bit of shopping in a famous German supermarket called Rewe. Rewe is my favorite place to shop here in Germany, along with Lidl. And yes, I'm about to head inside and get some breakfast and a little bit of shopping before I head on. But if you have moved to Germany or visit Germany, I'd highly recommend coming to Rewe. It's a very good supermarket.
I'm now here waiting for the S-Bahn in order to go and pick up my materials. There are a lot of range of transports here in Berlin. We have the S-Bahn, the U-Bahn, the trams, the buses. There's a lot of different transport, so you'll have no trouble getting around the city if you visit as a tourist or decide to move here.
I am now off the S-Bahn and back into the beautiful Berlin sun. It's a gorgeous day in Berlin. Very, very nice day to do this takeover, as already mentioned. But uh, so I'm just going to tell you a little bit more now about um, why and how I became a teacher and why I chose to move to Berlin, Germany as my first location.
So, why I became a teacher was mainly because uh, I did a year abroad when I was a student in Madrid, Spain, and it was the best year of my life, and I really wanted to get moving abroad again, and I feel like teaching was a real opportunity for me to really develop my career. So uh, that was the main reason, and yeah, and I be I started my course with ITA in January in 2024, right at the beginning of January, and then yeah, I became qualified by the end of April after doing my practicum. So that's uh, that's how I became a teacher, and then why was because yes, the experience of living and moving abroad.
The next question to answer, as mentioned, is why I chose Berlin, Germany as my first location. So, to be honest, I wanted to stay in Europe for the time being. Obviously, being from the UK, I thought my first location I wanted it to be in Europe. And to when I looked at the options, I had a good look through the options quite a lot, to be honest, and it came down to Prague, Czech Republic or Berlin, Germany. Now my second choice in Germany was Hamburg. But ultimately I chose Berlin because I'm well aware how culturally diverse it is here in Berlin, which is one of the things I love the most. There's so many people from around the world who live here, and I think it was a real opportunity for me to like again get living abroad and also to really feel what it's like to live abroad in such an amazing city, one of the most iconic cities in the world as well. So yeah, it truly is a special place, and I'm really happy I chose it as my first location.
Another question that I want to answer as well is what sort of teaching opportunities have I been able to gain here in Berlin, Germany? The answer is I've managed to teach all sorts of ages here in Berlin. I've had a real range of opportunities. So sometimes I will teach students between the ages of three and seven in either kindergartens or Grundschulen, which is elementary or primary school if you're British, here in Germany. And also middle schools as well. I teach middle schools and English for Schüler, which is where I'll be working online later on. And also business English for a company called Lingua Franka as well. So again, a lot of opportunities that I've managed to gain here teaching all sorts of ages, which is a real real bonus. So again, if you move to Berlin, Germany to teach English, you won't be short of opportunities, that's for sure.
Okay, I have now picked up my materials. The sun is still well and truly shining in Berlin. I now off to meet a friend at the iconic Brandenburg Gate. So I'll get to show you all the Brandenburg Gate, one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. And um, yes, I then offer a coffee with a couple of friends that I have made since moving to Berlin. Hello.
So, I'm now back in my neighborhood, currently walking down the street that I live on, this Via Estrada. Going to pop to Lidl to get a few groceries just before I go teach my first online lesson at 3:00 PM Central European time. So, all is good. And again, I could not have picked a better day to do this takeover. The sun is shining, and uh, for the first time in a while, it's feeling very hot out here in Berlin. So, amazing so far. And soon I'll be touching on the challenges of living in Berlin and also some advice that I can offer due to my experience of moving and living in Berlin, Germany as a freelance English teacher. I'll also be doing a breakdown of the costs as well that I spend each month.
One of the questions for you who are looking at moving to Berlin might be wondering is which visa am I on? So the answer to that is I am on the freelance visa residence permit. So my residence permit lasts for 3 years. I secured the permit in October. So in October 2024 to be precise. So I actually have this permit until October 2027. So for quite a long time. And um, yeah, the visa is very flexible. It the one important thing to note though is often in Germany you only get the uh permit for teaching specifically. Now my permit is very flexible. I'm not 100% sure why, but I believe it might be because I also have a degree in journalism and also as well I am a certified tour guide. So I have a few different industries. So um, yeah, so that's something worth noting. But the work permit here, the maximum is 3 years, and that's the one I have on a freelance visa residence permit.
I mentioned earlier that Rewe was my favorite place to shop, but my local supermarket is actually Lidl, and this is where I do my shopping mostly. Lidl is a very cheap and affordable supermarket and it has good quality as well, especially here in Germany. So, yeah, it's one that I definitely recommend, especially if you have a supermarket close by to you. So, yeah, I'd highly recommend Lidl. It's a 5-minute walk from my apartment, so it's super convenient, and my groceries are not really that expensive at all. It's very, very affordable. I'll be giving a breakdown in a moment of my uh monthly cost, but yeah, this is something to definitely note if you're looking at moving to Germany. Definitely do shop at Lidl if you want affordable groceries, especially when you first move here.
Hello everyone. So, I am now back in my apartment ready to teach my first online lesson of the day. It's currently 2:55 here, Central European time in Berlin, Germany. I'm all ready to go. Look, I have my laptop with me, and I have I'm ready to go and do my first online lesson. This is a private lesson as well. I'm teaching one student to in order to prepare him for an upcoming exam. So yes, this is it. My first lesson of the day. Very excited for it. And then I have a 1-hour break. Then I have three back to back to back. So uh, a busy afternoon and evening of online teaching coming.
Hello. So thank you for your question. A very good question as well, by the way, and a very important question for when it comes to moving to anywhere in Germany, not just Berlin. So um, if you are from the United Kingdom or the United States or Australia and a few other countries as well, you are able to move to Germany without the letters of intent in order to get the visa. But you then have 90 days in order to submit your visa application, and then you need letters of intent from in Berlin anyway, at least two employers. You need letters of intent in order to get the work permit. So that's just one of the hurdles in order to get a work permit. So you need at least two in Berlin. It might even be more in other cities as well, but you can move to Germany on the 90-day tourist visa before you do that. Submit them in the office before you get your visa.
I'm just going to mention now a little bit about my current living situation and how I found this apartment in Berlin, Germany. So if you want to move to Berlin, one thing you will certainly hear before you move here is it's very difficult to find a place to live. Now I personally didn't find that to be the case. Now I booked my accommodation on a website called HousingAnywhere. Now HousingAnywhere is is a very very good website and very reliable website as well, and it literally took me one week to find my apartment. So I booked externally, and the company I actually have my um apartment through is called Deutsche Wohnen, based here in Berlin. So yes, Housing Anywhere if you're looking at moving to Germany or anywhere in Europe. In fact, I would definitely recommend using Housing Anywhere; it's a very reliable and good place to start. And as mentioned earlier when I gave you a tour of the apartment, I live with five other people in what's a very cozy apartment and a nice apartment for me to do my online work again.
So, something that's very important for me to bring up during this takeover is I would definitely say the challenges that you might face when first moving to Germany and in particular moving to Berlin. So of course I originally come from the United Kingdom, as mentioned, and I've also previously lived in Spain and temporarily in the United States as well. So culturally I would say Germany is very different to all of these places, of course, but I think as well with Berlin one very important thing to notice is it's very English-speaking. Now that of course isn't really a challenge if you're moving as an English teacher. That is certainly a good thing that Berlin is an English-speaking place. So that's one thing to help you feel a little bit more comfortable. But I'd certainly recommend diving into the German culture. If you don't do that, it can feel quite isolating and lonely. So, I think definitely even if you're in Berlin, definitely try and adapt to the culture. And I also think because of that being the case, because Berlin is so well, so English is spoken so well, sorry, in Berlin, I feel like people don't really feel like they need to learn German in order to get by. But I think that that might not always be the case. But it certainly helps if you do know German. It certainly will help you of course feel like this is your home if you do try and learn German to the best of your ability. And also I think just the general culture here of uh the people and everything is something to get used to as well. Everyone experiences that in most countries of course when moving to a new country; the personalities of uh German people is very different to what it is in the United Kingdom and the United States. And I'd say the best way to overcome that is to try and make conversations with people, of course, and try and show off your German to them. And uh, try and show, of course, that you're making the best efforts while living here in Berlin.
And as previously mentioned, when it comes to getting opportunities to teach English as a foreign language here in Berlin, I've had no problems so far. In fact, I've been very fortunate. I've managed to get work in business English, which I've managed to get work teaching very young students between the ages of three and seven in kindergartens or elementary schools or primary schools as as they're referred to as in the UK. And also when it comes to um older students as well, say older older school students I should say in middle school and high school. I managed to teach online for English for Schüler a lot since I moved here. A lot of opportunities with them as well. So that's another big bonus. So there's a lot of opportunities, and also the camps are coming up in Easter and the summer which I'll also be working at a couple of camps for Berlitz and Oscar Learned English. So there certainly are a lot of opportunities to teach English. Again, do not forget to keep on submitting your questions, and I'm happy to answer all of the questions that you may have.
Okay, everyone, so now it is time for my back-to-back-to-back online English sessions this evening. So, I've got a lesson at 5, 6, and 7 Central European time. Very, very excited for this. I'll be teaching a total of, I believe, 10 students throughout the three lessons. So excited for these lessons this evening on a busy Wednesday evening of teaching here in Berlin, Germany, from the comfort of my own very cozy room.
So, hello again everyone. I'm back. I have finished my 3 hours worth of teaching English online. I had a great time this evening. I taught a variety of year groups as well. So my first year group at five o' at 5:00 was grades five and six, so a little bit younger than my next group was uh between the age well between the year groups of 11 and 13. So they were just about to finish high school or at least close to finishing high school, some of them. And then my final grade was 8 and 9. So I had a very good variety this evening. So yeah, I had a real blast teaching English online this evening. It was very, very fun. And that's what most of my Wednesdays look like. They're very action-packed and usually with a little bit more in person in there, but a very good time overall. Really enjoyable evening. But uh, I will be answering any more questions you guys may have throughout the evenings and also answering a few more general questions about living in Berlin, Germany.
Add something from earlier on that I did briefly mention, but I didn't go into a lot of detail, and that is about the public transport here in Berlin. So, as someone from the UK, like I do not drive here in Berlin, of course, because the transport in Berlin, every not every, but most European capital cities have amazing uh public transport. If you've ever been to Europe, you will surely know that. And if you've never been to Europe, that's something that's a big bonus about Europe. We have amazing public transport. So, living in Germany, you have something called the Deutschlandticket. It's €58 a month. That gives you unlimited travel throughout Germany. But you can't use the fast trains to get a direct train to, for example, from Berlin to Munich or to Frankfurt. You would have to take a few different routes to get there on regional trains. But that's always an option. And we have amazing transport options in Berlin. So never worry about the transport if you move here.
Also, I just want to follow on from what I mentioned about the transport and note that Berlin is not a very walkable city. So, uh, I wouldn't make the mistake of moving to Berlin and unless you get very lucky and you find a job at a school that is a 5 10-minute walk from where you live, it's always advisable to get the Deutschlandticket because it is €58 a month, which I know might sound like quite a lot, but it's so worth it because you can literally travel anywhere in Berlin and anywhere in Germany in general. So no matter where you're working, once you've paid that €58 a month, which goes out as a direct debit, you won't have to pay any extra ticket costs. So all of your ticket costs will be covered unless you want to get a fast train to another big city. So if you're going to work maybe in a city close to Berlin like Hamburg, you can always get there with the Deutschlandticket within a few hours. So there's always that bonus if you do get the Deutschlandticket. But Berlin, it's certainly not a walkable city.
You need a couple of more things that I want to touch on. I'm actually going to start with the best things that I enjoy about living in Berlin. So I would say the thing I do enjoy the most about living here and that I have enjoyed the last 6 and a half months would probably be the cultural diversity in Berlin. So you walk down the street in Berlin, like any street really. I live obviously as you saw earlier on like a main road area near Schönhauser Allee. So it's very culturally diverse, how a lot of different languages that you will hear. It might not even be English. It might not be German. There are so many nationalities that live here in Berlin, so culturally diverse, and that's certainly something that I love, and also just the fact that there are so many opportunities to meet new people here as well, like making friends. As you saw earlier, I was having coffee with someone from the United States and someone from Peru; there are so many great different nationalities here as well, which is another big bonus about living here.
And now the next thing that I want to talk about is travel opportunities. So one thing that's worth noting about Germany um and of course Berlin, the capital of Germany. It's located right in the center of Europe, near enough. So, we're in a perfect position to go and explore other places if you live in Germany. So, since moving to Germany, I've had the pleasure of exploring Luxembourg, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and last weekend, a little bit more difficult to get to, but I was actually in some Balkan countries. So, I was in North Macedonia and Montenegro, but that's not really close to Germany. I just flew there. But the other places like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland were pretty easy to get to. Also some great places in Germany like Hamburg and Frankfurt that I've been to, and Dresden and Leipzig. Some very very nice cities. And also in a couple of weeks I'll be visiting the lots of Denmark and Sweden, also close to Germany. So there are a lot of travel opportunities.
So, I'm just finishing my feedback for my students from this evening. After every online lesson that I do for the online school that I work for here in Germany, I need to write feedback for the students afterwards. Usually giving them a lot of praise, cuz you know my students are awesome. So, I usually give them a lot of praise and of course as well what we can do moving forward. But, um, yeah, so that's what I've been doing the last couple of hours while not uploading to my Instagram takeover. But uh, yep, still doing this now, and I will be finished very soon. Been a very busy day for me working online as I mentioned, but a day that I have thoroughly enjoyed, on another day where it's been amazing to teach English here in Berlin, Germany.
Just to say as well, you can follow my personal Instagram account, which you can see in this video as well. That's where I document a lot of my journeys here in Berlin, Germany, what it's like to live here, and also my travels outside of Berlin as well. And my day is now very nearly over. And I just thought I'd say one more thing before I do wrap up completely this Instagram story takeover for International TEFL Academy. And I just want to mention my five favorite things about living in Berlin, Germany and teaching English as a foreign language here. So my five favorite things I would say is: number one has got to be the cultural diversity here. Number two, opportunities to meet new people. Number three, the opportunities to teach English as a foreign language, of course. Number four, the chance to learn a new language in German is also very good as well. And number five is certainly the opportunities to socialize and go to all the language exchanges and meet plenty of new people. There are so many things to love about living in Berlin, Germany. And once again, just to wrap up, I highly recommend it. And thank you very much all for joining me on this journey for the last time this time. And yes, and goodbye and good night. Thank you very much.