TEFL in Milan, Italy's underrated northern metropolis

Before I knew it my time in sunny Lisbon was up and I was getting ready for my flight to Milan. In all honesty I hadn’t heard great things about the northern metropolitan city. People I happened to meet who had been to Milan spoke about the cold people and colder weather. So, on arriving, my expectations were certainly low. Luckily enough for me I was planning on interviewing a friend of mine, Max, as well as taking a trip to Verona, so I knew, I would have a lovely time anyway. In the first 10 seconds of my Milan video you will realise my first impressions of the city were very quickly changing. The descent was one the most incredible I have seen. As it usually goes, looking from something - a situation, a person, a place - from far away, helps you to get a closer look at what it really is.

It was a cold, very wintery Friday in February that Max, Mackenzie and I decided to do our interview. Max made bruschetta (yum!) and Mackenzie, from Las Vegas, introduced herself and told me about what she had been doing in Italy up until this point. It seems, both teachers had lived in Viterbo, a central city 90 mins outside Rome, before moving to Milan. Both Mackenzie and Max clearly loved living in Milan and had plans to stay longer. My first few days involved dodging the rain, whilst site seeing and living a most sophisticated version of a traveller’s life - beautiful bars, breath taking architecture, and the most dazzlingly elegant fashion.

It was interesting to talk to Mackenzie about some of the challenges American teachers face regarding teaching in Europe. Although you may be able to find schools that might employ you without a visa, it is best to go for a school or academy that is willing to help you get the right sort of visa, or at least wait until you get one. There is a huge demand for English teaching in Milan, perhaps more than most European cities, and so with that there are plenty of opportunities for American and British teachers alike. If you are having trouble finding somewhere whilst still in the States, it is probably best - though definitely scarier! - to bite the bullet and get yourself out to Milan. It is easier to secure a job in person and through persistence rather than applying or sending out emails online.

One of the pluses of teaching in Milan, Mackenzie says, is that travelling all over the city takes you to places you might not have discovered alone. This is something I also found whilst working in Madrid. Discovering different parts of the city leads to meeting new people, making new connections, discovering new things you enjoy. Whilst travelling around a city for work is certainly tiring, unfortunately, in Milan (and most large European cities), it is almost unavoidable. Max mentioned the app ‘easy stanza’ in order to help with finding a room once you arrive, and for any football fans out there, an app, Fubles, where you can see football games going on around you, and that you can join if you fancy it. I think this was a great idea! Also for the sports lovers, Milan is FLAT (I emphasise this as Milan was my stop after Lisbon, an extremely hilly city), perfect for cycling around. There’s no lack of lakes and parks either. Or mountains! You can even ski in Milan. So really, it’s got all the sports covered.

“Milan is such a huge city, and it’s easy to feel small, but if you get involved you’ll be made to feel like part of the city”. Across the board, above all things, getting involved seems to lead to the most successful experience. Which makes sense, but, typically it’s sometimes the hardest aspect of a trip to carry out. I’ve been travelling on and off for a couple of years now, and sometimes I still find myself wondering why I’m not enjoying a place as much as I think or feel I should be, why I just can’t seem to get a feel for it. To be honest, I think it’s an unsaid amongst travellers. No matter how beautiful, or how well you speak the language, or how cheap, or good the food is, no matter how many monuments you can see or how much money you can make, unless you make a conscious effort to get involved, push yourself out of your comfort zone, and just TRY, you’ll always be selling yourself short.