What would you gain by teaching English in Slovakia? Slovakia has an interesting history, which is still quite fresh in the minds of the people here. It is not difficult to find yourself in conversation about the last 80 or 800 years as well as talking about the crossroads at which Slovaks currently find themselves. If listening to people is one of your interests, you will find much to hear.

Slovakia is beautiful. There are endless hiking and biking trails, forest paths to lose your way in, winding cobblestone streets, and plenty of other distinctly European attractions to charm you. Other European cities and landmarks are within easy reach, though you will need extra money for this. Teaching in Slovakia is something to be remembered. For one used to the American educational system, there is much insight, as well as fun, to be gained by devoting yourself here for a year or two. You will find the students, faculty, and indeed the entire system pleasantly challenging. Finally, an experience such as this should be made if only to challenge your entire perspective on the world. While many aspects of life in Slovakia can be uncomfortably foreign, they can inspire the self-reflection and examination one needs as a member of a privileged society and in order to live responsibly in this world.

--Volunteer English teacher, Bratislava

Consider becoming a volunteer English teacher in Slovakia if many of these statements describe you:

• You’re excited about books and reading.
• You’re fascinated by language and words.
• You look forward to being in a room with bright, high-energy teenagers.
• Living in the heart of central Europe is an appealing adventure.
• You love to see students excited about a story, poem, or play.
• A highlight of your day could be seeing a student write a better paragraph than he has ever written before, or making her first really interesting comment in a discussion.
• You have a good basic knowledge of English grammar, and American and English literature.
• Helping a new generation of Slovaks gain skills in reading, writing, and speaking English seems like an exciting challenge.
• You are willing to fit into an existing system of education in creative ways.
• You are eager to examine contemporary culture from the perspective of Christian faith.

  --Volunteer English teacher, Bratislava

The Gymnazium (high school) is two years old, and it is named after a famous leader of the Slovak Lutheran Church: Juraj Tranovsky.  People call him the “Slovak Martin Luther.”  It is both a Lutheran High School and a “state” school.  Many students come in from surrounding villages to attend the school and stay in dorms during the week.  They have to pass tests to be admitted, and speak English at various levels.  Currently, there are 100 students at the high school with more to be admitted next year.  The school is currently trying to find a solution to adding more students in an already full school.  The students are eager to learn and appreciate all the help we can give. All of our colleagues are wonderful and very capable.  The school has an excellent reputation in the area, due to an excellent principal and active teachers.  Most of the teachers speak some English, and many of them speak it very well.  We are meeting with some of them to help them prepare class lessons, as they will be teaching classes in English next year.  So far, my husband and I are teaching the only classes in English, besides two other classes to improve the students’ English grammar.  We teach Conversation and Social Studies.  During Conversation classes, we have discussions, writing assignments, and we read together as a class.  We are teaching American Social Studies this semester and British Social Studies next semester.  We teach about 20 hours a week, six classes of different levels.  Four of the classes are freshman level, and they are separated according to how well they speak English.

If you are considering coming to Liptovsky Mikulas, keep in mind that it is a very beautiful place.  It doesn’t have the same big-city culture that Bratislava and Kosice have, but that has its advantages.  People live simply here.  If you love nature and simple living, this is a wonderful place.

--Volunteer English Teachers Liptovsky Mikulas

Why study English?

The English language is a world language, so it better to know it. I think it good to have a universal spoken language and to learn it at a bilingual school. Having American teachers is important because we can learn English better from them. It is also interesting to learn to know a new culture.

--Simona Laktisov First-year student, Bratislava

English is very important for every one of us. It is the king of languages and everybody from Slovakia has to speak English in Western Europe. If every one of us would speak English, many more people from abroad would know us and our country. Having American teachers is very important. Talking with a native speaker improves your English. You can feel as if you are in an English-speaking country for 45 minutes.

--Michal Veselky First-year student, Bratislava

Many say that English will be necessary for their future jobs. But it is not only for a good salary and the possibility of travel around the world. It is human nature to want and need to learn. One Slovak proverb says: the more languages you know, the more times you are a person.

--Peter Synak First-year student, Bratislava

I want to learn English for two reasons. The first is because of my future. To find a good job without knowing English is quite hard. English is a universal language that can be used in almost all places in the world. The second reason is that I want to talk to people all around the world. Just yesterday I was chatting with a guy from Asia and one from Argentina. Actually chatting is not the correct word; I talked to them through the Internet. We played a game in a small virtual world, but we also chatted about our countries in English.

--Anonymous First-year student

I want to learn English because it is an international language, and I can talk with people from many different countries in this language. If I study abroad, I will have to speak English fluently. When I am an adult, I will need English in my job. It is good if Americans can teach in non-English speaking countries because then Slovak students can speak English with native speakers every day. If the teachers are young, students can talk with them about everything that interests us. And if the teachers are older, they are also super because they have more teaching experience.

--Dominika Vlckova, Age 15

I want to learn English because I have a dream. I want to have my own magazine in which there will be a lot of news about good musical groups. When I want to interview them, I will have to speak English.

--Dada Vyrkodova First-year student, Bratislava

To American English teachers: Come here to Slovakia. Don’t be afraid of us. We need teachers like you. We don't have enough. Please come. We’re looking forward to seeing you.

--Kate Velkov First-year student, Bratislava