Hello all, and welcome! I hope you've been doing well. Things here in Germany are pretty great at the moment. I just landed four new English lessons brining this month's total up to 800 Euro! With todays current exchange rate, that translates to $1,087.12. That may not seem like a lot, and it isn't really... But, it's still almost double what I was earning as an Au Pair! Plus, I don't have to work as many hours. As an Au Pair I was working anywhere from 35-50 hours per week, and I received 450 Euros per month regardless of how many hours I was working.
As an English teacher I am making around 16 Euros per "unit", each unit is 45 minutes. That's $21.74 per 45 minutes. Starting Monday the 23rd, I will have 4 units Monday-Thursday, and 2 units on Friday. That's a total of 3 hours per day Mon-Thurs and 1.5 hours on Friday. So, that's 13.5 hours of work a week, for a paycheck of 288 Euros ($391.36). SWEET!!
I'd much rather make a little less and have oodles of freetime than work like a SLAVE for nothin'!! Ahhhh.... the sweet life. Also, living here in Germany and earning a Euro keeps me fairly safe from this recession I've been hearing so much about. Yes, some German companies are making cuts too, but they tend to cut EVERYONES hours rather than lay-off a percentage of their workers. Now instead of working 40 hours a week, people are working 30, earning a little less, but hey, at least they still HAVE a job, right?
It's also pretty amazing to be getting paid in Euros because the Brittish Pound has been TANKING! With London just a hop skip and a jump away, I may have to make a trip over there once the Euro is stronger than the Pound... Get me some Burrberry 'n stuff!
As much as I used to resist my mom when she would suggest me getting a teachers certificate, I must say, it seems a fairly recession-proof profession... I mean, teachers don't make millions or anything, and I'm sure there are lay-offs happening in the Education world too due to cut-backs of funding, but I think that should all turn around under President Obama's Education Plan. Also, there are ALWAYS going to be people who want to learn something. It is a demand that will never be depleated.
In other news, my boyfriend built me a desk and turned our "guest bedroom" into a little office for me. The only thing that's missing is desk chair, but I'm using my yoga ball, and that may actually be better in the long run for a number of reasons.
Oh, on that note, I've started a "diet" to get rid of those stupid "American" pounds I gained while visiting the States from Halloween through Christmas. I think I was allowed to gain it in the first place... I hadn't been in America for a YEAR! I HAD to have TGI Fridays, Steak 'n Shake, California Pizza Kitchen, White Castles, etc, etc, etc... Anyhow, I've taken my parents' advice and started on this low carb/Atkins thing. So far so good. I mean, I would LOVE to just eat a pizza, but I'm also down with some grilled veggies so long as this gut gets goin'...
So, I guess that's really all I have to say at the moment. I'm gonna continue to bounce away on my little ball, write some "pre-tests" for my English students (Mid-Terms and Finals are just around the corner!!!), and generally enjoy my new private office.
Also, still waiting for Winter to clear the things out of his desk so I can get Summer in here and up to date on how things are run in this office. The sooner the better... YOU HEAR THAT WINTER?!?! Yeah, I'm talkin' to you! Shoo!
Upbeat and bouncy Amanda
As an English teacher I am making around 16 Euros per "unit", each unit is 45 minutes. That's $21.74 per 45 minutes. Starting Monday the 23rd, I will have 4 units Monday-Thursday, and 2 units on Friday. That's a total of 3 hours per day Mon-Thurs and 1.5 hours on Friday. So, that's 13.5 hours of work a week, for a paycheck of 288 Euros ($391.36). SWEET!!
I'd much rather make a little less and have oodles of freetime than work like a SLAVE for nothin'!! Ahhhh.... the sweet life. Also, living here in Germany and earning a Euro keeps me fairly safe from this recession I've been hearing so much about. Yes, some German companies are making cuts too, but they tend to cut EVERYONES hours rather than lay-off a percentage of their workers. Now instead of working 40 hours a week, people are working 30, earning a little less, but hey, at least they still HAVE a job, right?
It's also pretty amazing to be getting paid in Euros because the Brittish Pound has been TANKING! With London just a hop skip and a jump away, I may have to make a trip over there once the Euro is stronger than the Pound... Get me some Burrberry 'n stuff!
As much as I used to resist my mom when she would suggest me getting a teachers certificate, I must say, it seems a fairly recession-proof profession... I mean, teachers don't make millions or anything, and I'm sure there are lay-offs happening in the Education world too due to cut-backs of funding, but I think that should all turn around under President Obama's Education Plan. Also, there are ALWAYS going to be people who want to learn something. It is a demand that will never be depleated.
In other news, my boyfriend built me a desk and turned our "guest bedroom" into a little office for me. The only thing that's missing is desk chair, but I'm using my yoga ball, and that may actually be better in the long run for a number of reasons.
Oh, on that note, I've started a "diet" to get rid of those stupid "American" pounds I gained while visiting the States from Halloween through Christmas. I think I was allowed to gain it in the first place... I hadn't been in America for a YEAR! I HAD to have TGI Fridays, Steak 'n Shake, California Pizza Kitchen, White Castles, etc, etc, etc... Anyhow, I've taken my parents' advice and started on this low carb/Atkins thing. So far so good. I mean, I would LOVE to just eat a pizza, but I'm also down with some grilled veggies so long as this gut gets goin'...
So, I guess that's really all I have to say at the moment. I'm gonna continue to bounce away on my little ball, write some "pre-tests" for my English students (Mid-Terms and Finals are just around the corner!!!), and generally enjoy my new private office.
Also, still waiting for Winter to clear the things out of his desk so I can get Summer in here and up to date on how things are run in this office. The sooner the better... YOU HEAR THAT WINTER?!?! Yeah, I'm talkin' to you! Shoo!
Upbeat and bouncy Amanda
