Albania
has always seemed somewhat of a mystery to many in the western world, hidden
behind the iron curtain for many years, only opening up to the west in
the last 10 years or so. It is however an up and coming Balkan country
just north of Greece and south of Kosovo. It is still the poorest country
in Europe but incredibly beautiful, mountainous with a Mediterranean climate
to boot. Albanian traditional culture, an interesting mix of east and west
is abundant and flow along with the newfound practicalities of the west.
Tirana the capital now has an abundance of Internet cafes, a French patisserie,
Irish pubs and so on jostling along with traditional cafes and bars. In
the smaller cities and towns life is less fast paced and remnants of the
Ottoman Era and communism are everywhere.
With
60 percent of its population Muslim, Albania is Europe’s only predominantly
Islamic state. Orthodox Christians, living mostly in southern Albania,
make up 20 percent of the population, and Roman Catholics, mainly in the
north, make up another 10 percent. Religious divisions in Albania are not
significant, and religious tolerance is such that members of the same family
sometimes belong to different religions. Most Muslim Albanians are traditional
Sunnites, but about one-fourth belongs to the Bektashi sect, a tolerant,
unorthodox order.
The Communist government outlawed
all religions in 1967, making Albania the world’s first officially atheist
country. Places of worship were closed, church property was confiscated,
religious services were banned, and religious practitioners were persecuted.
The ban on religion was lifted in 1990. Many churches and mosques have
been rebuilt or reopened, and a growing number of people express religious
beliefs. Albania was a firm supporter of the recent war in Iraq and sent
soldiers to aid the US and British troops.
The Need for English language teaching
in Albania is extremely important and the English language is a vital tool
in Albania’s integration with the west. The foundation Language schools
in Albania ”Praktikimi i Gjuhes – LSIA” a non-profit Charity No.37 based
in both Albania and The UK was founded on April 1994.
Our
main activity is teaching English, free of charge or as cheaply as possible,
currently fees do not exceed the equivalent of approximately 7 US dollars
per month for English courses to Albanian students aged between 10 and
18, and adults of all ages.
The school has branches in 16 other
cities including, Durres, Kruje Berat, Kucove and Shijak, besides Tirana.
We have around 3,500 students currently studying with us and have taught
over 12,000 since we first opened. The demand for our courses is
increasing every day.
Our schools employ some 120 teachers
who teach at our faculties, along with administrative staff, guards and
cleaners making a total of 176 staff.
The network of schools provides a
wonderful opportunity to native English speakers who would like to live
and work in Albania.
Whilst the majority of staff are
Albanians the schools in seeking to expand its numbers of foreign staff
and is looking to The US and The UK for new teachers. Anyone who was looking
to escape and live in this sunny, friendly and culturally diverse country
would be welcomed by The LSIA family. The move from the west to Albania
is reasonably straightforward but challenging and rewarding.
The
main language spoken here is Albanian, Greek is often spoken in the south
and Italian and English are increasingly becoming the second languages
of young Albanians.
The location of the country makes
access to southern Europe relatively easy by both overland and air routes
with ferries from Durres to Italy and busses and boats in the south to
Greece and busses from Tirana to Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro.
A foreign teacher moving to Albania
to teach with us will be provided with local private accommodation and
an excellent local salary equivalent to around 200 US dollars a month,
which is quite sufficient to live on and enjoy ones self. The school also
offers excellent career prospects and a chance to actively get involved
in the future of LSIA to those who have the motivation and inspiration.
Albania is a safe and incredibly hospitable country that welcomes the increasing
numbers of foreigners that are coming to work here. Anyone who is interested
in working with us or wants to know anything about Albania should contact
LSIA.
If you are interested in finding
out more about teaching opportunities in Albania Click
Here
Albania
has always seemed somewhat of a mystery to many in the western world, hidden
behind the iron curtain for many years, only opening up to the west in
the last 10 years or so. It is however an up and coming Balkan country
just north of Greece and south of Kosovo. It is still the poorest country
in Europe but incredibly beautiful, mountainous with a Mediterranean climate
to boot. Albanian traditional culture, an interesting mix of east and west
is abundant and flow along with the newfound practicalities of the west.
Tirana the capital now has an abundance of Internet cafes, a French patisserie,
Irish pubs and so on jostling along with traditional cafes and bars. In
the smaller cities and towns life is less fast paced and remnants of the
Ottoman Era and communism are everywhere.
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