We are glad we found CETP and made our move to Hungary

I remember the day I found CETP while searching on the internet a few years ago. I was excited to have found such an opportunity and equally nervous about putting my trust in an organization that up until then I had never even heard of. Before moving my husband, our 8 year old daughter and myself half way across the world I wanted some reassurances that the organization was credible and not just another website on the internet. We researched and moved cautiously. Then, feeling more confident after many positive interactions with the organization over a period of months we decided to take the plunge. We are so happy that we did. Our experience with CETP as well as the school we were assigned to has been wonderful.

I specifically wanted to return to Hungary after living there for nearly two years in the 1990’s. What CETP offered seemed perfect. Neither my husband or I were teachers by profession, so we both got busy earning our TEFL certificates online to qualify. Because I already knew how difficult getting visas and finding living arrangements in Hungary could be for a foreigner I was confident the CETP fee was a very good value. We were thrilled to have found help in securing housing, arranging our visas, arranging our employment, handling the negotiations with an employer and signing us up for Hungarian healthcare. I was surprised that a program such as CETP would allow children, but they were happy to welcome our young daughter. They made a special effort to find an apartment to comfortably accommodate three of us. CETP even met us at the airport late at night and arranged our family’s transportation to our assigned apartment. They provided a week long orientation which helped our newbie-teacher-nervousness subside somewhat. Two evenings during orientation, we were CETP’s guests at two beautiful get-acquainted dinners with the other new teachers. Our experience was wonderful and made it logistically possible for our family to make the transition to Hungary from the USA. I don’t know how we would have accomplished it without them!

Mary Rose, the CETP representative in the USA, was a pleasure to work with and answered our many questions. She also has personal experience teaching English in Hungary and travels to Hungary for the orientation so we got to benefit from her stories of the classroom. Upon arrival in Hungary we met Hajni, who speaks English very well, and she has proven herself to be a miracle worker in many respects. She maintains professionalism, integrity and a delightful optimism while attending to the needs of teachers, schools and the challenges of Hungarian bureaucracy. She is well known and respected in the various immigration and national healthcare offices and can get the job done much faster than we ever could have done on our own. She keeps us informed of changes in Hungarian laws as they affect us or our contracts and helps us as needed. Hajni is also the in-country-person to call with any emergencies which is an invaluable reassurance to have built into a relocation to another country. Our family has had two separate medical emergencies and thankfully Hajni was available to assist us with language translation and support in the hospital. Although we try to be as self-reliant as we can, CETP has gone the extra mile for us when we need help. We are very happy to be in association with CEPT during our stay in Hungary.

The people running CETP very much want teachers to have a good experience. They also very much want the Hungarian schools to have good teachers. They will do all they realistically can to help teachers be successful. ESL teaching in Hungary is a real job in the real world complete with all the world’s usual flaws and complexities. Being adaptable is highly advised! With provided housing and healthcare the salary is enough to live here if you are accustomed to being sensible financially. You will be living at Hungarian standards, likely small spaces. Bring your professionalism and patience, an open mind to cultural differences, a sense of adventure and an unrelenting ability to see the good in all things whether or not they are logical or convenient. These things will serve you well in Hungary. If you remember that you are making a difference here and that the students need you, you just might never want to leave! I am glad we found CETP to see us through these joyful years of our Hungarian adventure!