Fewer Americans teach in Greece because of visa difficulties. Non-European teachers need a teacher’s license plus work and residence permits, and the Ministry of Education delays and often refuses to grant them. Americans who appear to be of Greek origin can try to get the citizenship (while bearing in mind that this might make them liable to compulsory national service). A teacher should get the employment letter from the employer sent to an address outside Greece.  Only in such a case he can hope to be accepted.

 The teacher then takes the letter to the nearest Greek consulate and applies for a work permit, a procedure that takes at least two months; detailed information about obtaining the correct documents are posted in the U.S. Embassy site http://www.usembassy.gr/.

But some number of schools that are quite remote and small, may be prepared to tackle the bureaucratic procedures, the decisions are often based more on whether or not you hit it off with the interviewer than on your qualifications and experience, though a good university degree is essential.

The beginning of September is the best time for applying, or if you missed the beginning of January. You can also find work in Athens in summer.

It is normally necessary to knock on the doors of frontisteria, the private language tutor attended by the vast majority of secondary school students outside school hours: in order find out about local frontisteria, contact the local branch of PALSO, the Pan-Hellenic Association of Language School Owners; by asking enough questions (try the local English language bookshop) you can find individual school addresses and the current monthly wage is the Euro equivalent of $650 gross. It is also possible to earn for about 13-15 euros an hour by doing some extra private tutoring.