Working in Naples, Italy

[crystal]

Has anyone ever worked in south of Italy, especially in Naples? I'm interested in working in Italy, but not sure where to go for a nice city that is good for working and lifestyle. A lot of people say that Naples is quite poor and deprived. Then some people claim it s great. But what about working conditions in the south of Italy. Is it really so bad as they say. I have been offered work at a school in Naples called Benedict school. They seem to claim an amazing environment to teach. But then there are people who claim that the city is deprived and quite poor with bad working conditions. Benedict School has some various comments and experiences from other people who make it out to be either good or a scam with claims that wages have been stolen and the management have exploited staff and treated them bad. Does anyone know Naples well enough to recommend or suggest good schools to work for in the city? The Benedict School is actually in a suburb called Pomigliano D'Arco. I don't know much about this place but it seems a small town far from the centre of Naples. Doesn't seem to be much to see or do. But then I was a bit horrified to see some bad reviews of this school online here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TEFL_SCAMS_BLA ... ol_napoli/

I actually visited Naples once many years ago as a tourist, but just one day coming down from Rome. I don;t know about the working environment and conditions there nowadays, especially compared to north of Italy. Does anybody have good/bad experiences of Naples to work and what would you suggest about living there? I am not sure if I want to work at Benedict School in Naples. I get the feeling that wages are lower and it is a bit backwards and economically deprived.

[capanna]

Hi Clare,
I live nor far from Naples. It is a big city with big contradictions, as normal, but it is awesome and the people are gorgeous. For this reason, you may find really contrasting opinions about Naples. As regards the school you were asking about, although I don't know it, I can tell you that the town of Pomigliano is an industrial one, not the best place to live in. If you want to move to this part of Southern Italy, you will enjoy the sun and the sea (Amalfi coast is Heaven on earth!) not only the job you were offered. I would suggest learning more about your salary. As far as I know, most English people earn around 35 € /hour in private lessons here. And they all live on the Coast! So, not only ask for the job but also for the accommodation, or maybe a car to drive you to work and return. Good luck! 8)

[barbarella]

I've worked in Naples for two years as a teacher and it depends in which part of the city you work and the type of school. I worked for British Institutes and Benedict School. There was a big difference between these schools. Benedict School was just very disorganized and they seemed to be like an agency sending teachers out to places, often driving a lot and then spending much time without work and being unproductive. The owner of the school was quite rude at times and did not pay properly. They had very limited resources and were actually a small school that had no teacher room and limited materials for teaching. Courses were not managed well by the school and the information was not communicated well. It was quite disorganized and unprofessional. I think the school had some serious issues when I worked there. I am not surprised by the bad reviews of this school. I would not recommend Benedict School, based on my experience. I worked at British institutes and they were much better. There was a better management and communication in the school, with better facilities. British institutes were more centrally based in Naples and it was a better place to work. But Benedict School is in a rough suburb of the city and far away from anything good. They are based in Pomigliano D'Arco which is very limited and nothing much to do there. Naples is generally not a great place to earn good money from teaching English. The wages are generally lower because it is a poor city, compared to the north of Italy where the economy is better. Also the management and quality of the schools can be fairly low. Naples is a nice place for relaxing in the sun and by the beaches, and I always thought of the teaching work as a fun job and not really serious as the wages and mentality of schools were not good. I would not go to Naples to build a serious career in teaching. But if you are prepared to work hard for low wages then you could afford to enjoy yourself on weekends at the beaches and nicer parts of the city. That is what I tried to do. But in regards to Benedict School, I could not recommend. I would suggest working for the larger schools that are more established and closer to the centre of Naples. You will also enjoy life much better in Naples if you are living more central in the city.

[rodenburg]

I worked at Benedict School a few years ago. They seemed to be nice in the Skype interview and gave the impression that they were a very established and a perfect school. But after a few weeks I realized that they did not have enough books and materials for teachers. Also they lied about working conditions with the hours, pay and almost everything else. It's true that schools in the south of Italy can be quite limited and maybe poor. But this school was clearly exploiting teachers and lying about working conditions. They got me driving all over this city to state schools that were badly managed in poor conditions and no support. I tried to make some suggestions and they became quite bitter and rude. The courses that they set up were a joke. They were mostly too high for the level of the classes. If you try to explain this, then you get told to shut up and ignored. I was just treated like a joke.

The school lied are not honest about the courses they teach. Most of the courses they offer are just younger learners and very young children, but they claim to offer everything. There were no courses for adults and no company courses or business English. As an adult specialist and I really wanted to teach adults. But the owner of the school was always forcing me to teach children. Also there were no social activities for the staff. The owner forced me to work very long hours in terrible conditions. I wanted to go travelling in the weekend but the owner did not allow this and she forced me to work. The staff often walk into your classes without any notice. They walk in and just observe you.

Benedict School in Naples is the worst school I have ever experienced. They have a lack of resources and very poor management. The school is owned by an business woman who has no experience of teaching English and no interest. She simply states many promises to students and employers teachers with lies about their contract. There is no room for teachers to prepare class and no library. The management were often rude and I would need to ask many times for the teaching materials. I would not recommend this school.

[hcb2022]

Your experience in Naples sounds utterly horrific. I'm amazed that you were able to complete your teaching arrangement without storming out in disgust. Thank you for warning us about this school.