Being convincing to an employer in Hungary

Never looked for a job in Hungary but was offered a couple of jobs without even
soliciting for one.
2 were at gyms I went to, they asked me to teach some classes in English.
One was to work at a change booth.
Said no thanks to all of them though.
I would guess though that a more professional sort of setting would require a bit more in the way of putting in an application and getting a interview.
I was once hired in Vegas when I was actually there to help my DIL with any translation she needed to get hired herself.
Another time I was just walking into a new casino to say hello to a few former co-workers.
They all moved over to a new casino, I happened to be in HU when they all relocated.
I was not dressed for an audition but the floor manager noticed I was talking to his employees, he started to chat with me too and then asked me to just step onto the table and deal for a few mins.
It is traditional to wear a white top and black bottoms and shoes for a casino interview. I was wearing a light dress, never expected to be asked to deal cards that day. Just went ahead and did it just to see what would happen.
I did it and got hired on the spot without even looking for a job.
I took the job and made more money then at my former job doing the same thing. Just shows you must  be a person who is ready to adapt when needed, employers like that trait.
So be ready to show your stuff if needed, have all your supplies with you in case they give you a on the spot test.
My sister would often be asked on the spot to type and do dictation when she was on a interview for a seceratry job, back before they had computers.
many times they will not hire before seeing if you can handle the job or not first.

Don't bring a parent along or a child for a interview and always dress for the part.
I wouldn't bring in a gift on an interview either.
Maybe later sometime down the line after I was hired, I might bring in a gift for everyone to share.
Not good to get a rep as a person who buys people off.
Smile, be friendly and look professional, if people start speaking in Hungarain to each other with you in the room, let them talk and don't interrupt. They will ask you questions when they are ready to.
Be sure to shut off your cell phone and pay full attention to your surroundings.
My son's former Japanese girlfriend beat out 10 Americans for a IT job when she just got out of college. Her first IT job interview. She knew what was required from her and was ready to show she was the person they wanted.
Have to act professional and know what your value and skills are before going in.
Be on time be sharp and be ready for anything.
I've never had a hard time getting hired for any job , my problem was not getting bored and quitting .
Only job I ever applied for and didn't get was with the airlines in the 1980's. Wanted to try out being on the flight crew.
Got as far as the airlines sending me a ticket to Texas for an interview, got my foot in the door at least.
No one told me before hand though that they interviewed a good 500 people a day and might hire one or two out of that bunch.
All good though, I probably would of gotten air sick on the job.
I have no office skills , just people skills, sometimes that is enough to get you a interview. Even if you are not exactly fit for the job if they like you they may refer you to something else that is a good fit.
Employers want someone who will listen, be on time and show up for work with a good attitude.

Haven't had an interview in years. I have no idea if I would pass the interview process even. And with Brexit, none of my skills or qualifications would be worth a damn I suppose post-April 12th.

fluffy2560 wrote:

. And with Brexit, none of my skills or qualifications would be worth a damn I suppose post-April 12th.

Its all happening on Wednesday, watch Sky News then!

A good attitude is no. 1 to land  any sort of job.
Listen, watch and be a "team" player.
Most "bosses" want you to not be a slacker and they also do not want you to outshine them.
I've had some not so great bosses and some really outstanding ones, trick is to not them know you could do their job with your eyes closed.
Dress and act the part and that's usually half the battle of getting hired.
I was hired as a table games dealer in Vegas at a good paying mid level busy casino when I just got out of gaming school.
Back then this casino was privately owned and known as a tough/busy learn on the job sort of place.
Most dealers had at least 5 or more years experience on me, plus I was old, already 43 years old, in Vegas that's elderly for casino workers.
I got asked to try out there by my teachers at my school, thought I wasn't good enough yet for such a place. Worked in a dump for 3 days, knew that was too low for me so tried out for the better job.
Got it without even seeing "21" all the time in my minds eye, takes time to get used to combos of cards at a quick pace without mistakes.
I made a ton of mistakes my first few days working there, kept a good attitude, smiled listened and was put into the first section of the casino, right out front where anyone coming in would notice me first.
Smiles and looking the part worked in my case.
Was rehired there after I quit, they never rehire in most casino's unless they like you.
I didn't know anything about gambling and still got the job.You can't earn it all in a month of schooling.
I had made sure every single time I attended my gaming classes that I looked the part, always had my outfit ready to look professional, never came into class with a t-shirt and jeans on, always took the time to say hello to everyone and never was rude to my fellow students in class. People take mental notes so always act professional since most jobs are just acting a role anyways.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

. And with Brexit, none of my skills or qualifications would be worth a damn I suppose post-April 12th.

Its all happening on Wednesday, watch Sky News then!

What's happening on Wednesday?!   New options ballot?   It's becoming ridiculous and I've got Brexit burnout.

I'm now coming around to the view just to leave and sort it out later.  However, my ire was raised yesterday about the ludicrous NI backstop and the idea of randomised customs checks in NI.  This just equates to a border down the Irish sea.  That's not right.

I can watch the BBC news channel and Parliament channel though - just VPN into it.

But I actually listen to LBC radio via the Internet most of the time as the political editor is quite good.  The phone in persons (the public) vary between total morons and bigots and some very intelligent contributors. 

I really do not like some of the reports appearing now of idiots in the UK hassling EU nationals over their presence.  That kind of behaviour needs slapping down immediately. I am totally in favour of free movement even if there's Brexit.  Immigration abuse is the incendiary language of the alt-right - i.e. that of Trump or OV.   We're more civilised than that in the UK supposedly. 

But I was truly shocked at the Iranian asylum seeker's ridiculous Home Office letter- what kind of idiot wrote that!  Sack the twit!

Fluffy > https://news.sky.com/story/the-commons- … n-11675280

SimCityAT wrote:

Fluffy > https://news.sky.com/story/the-commons- … n-11675280

Oh yes, I read that previously but thanks, I'm having trouble keeping up day to day! 

Pretty clear defeat for HMG.

Bit off topic now.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
I have no office skills , just people skills, sometimes that is enough to get you a interview. Even if you are not exactly fit for the job if they like you they may refer you to something else that is a good fit.
Employers want someone who will listen, be on time and show up for work with a good attitude.

Exactly Marilyn.

I once had a job interviewing Kosovan refugees for jobs in a bank. 

These people had no training, no special skills, we're not qualified in any strict sense and had no records of their employment as they were all destroyed (supposedly) in the war or were held in Belgrade by the Serbs. 

Moreover some of them were ex-KLA (Kosovan Liberation Army) and some had been in prison for their politics.  In the end, we had to just get a measure of who they were as people during a bit of chit-chat.

In the end I hired a young woman for a junior position as she had an endearing personality, happy disposition, nicely turned out and had worked for 6 weeks in a hotel in Dublin as part of a refugee programme.  She was on the front desk.  I hired her for dealing with internal complaints on a help desk.   She was very happy to get the chance.  From what I hear, it's really worked out and she's gone up the hierarchy and is now quite senior.  Well done me.

On the other hand, I hired this ex-political prisoner as a roving IT technician.  But he turned out to be a political agitator who tried to organise strikes over the policies of the bank.  He lasted a month.  I think he thought it should have been a socialist bank which it definitely was not.  Not well done me.

I had this other older guy who was an "IT specialist" and when interviewed turned out to be a clerk entering spreadsheet data on ancient PCs.  But he was very happy to tell me about his herd of cows in some detail.  It's OK, I don't mind cows as I am interested in farming and nature.  For me it was an audiovisual and nasal experience - judging by the smell of the guy, his stained shirt and clothes.  I think he could - oddly - have been quite possibly OK with some training as a loan officer for farmers.  However, when I explained what he had to do, he decided his cows and stained clothing were more important.   Well done him probably.

Really interested in this topic as I have been looking for employment for the past four months here in Budapest.

As an a native speaking English teacher I have been contacted by a few schools and have had couple of interviews, both with positive results because of my preparedness and experience when it came to the job which made me more confident.
*The unfortunate part about being a TEFL teacher in Hungary however is that most schools / language centers are looking to hire free lance teachers and therefore are unable to sponsor your visa, thus if you're a U.S. citizen like myself, you must do this process on your own. Despite having been accepted for a job, I am still unable to take it because it is taking an excruciatingly long amount of time to collect the necessary paperwork just to apply for a "free lance" or gainful activity permit. Disregard this information if you're an EU residence, or UK-though not sure about the whole post brexit situation here*

I have also been applying for administrative roles, something I have experience in, however not since I moved abroad three years ago. I have had numerous interviews over the phone and have followed this advice before each one:
1. Before the actual interview (phone or in person), research the company and look over their website (if they have one) so that you can get familiarized with their overall goals and see if they match up with your own.
2. This sounds obvious, but make sure that you know what you're interviewing for and how your set of skills coincides with the roles and responsibilities of that position.
3. The last advice I would give is that before you answer any question from and interviewer, take a deep breath and allow your brain to fully process what the person is asking for.
4. After the interview, give yourself a pat on the back because as most expats know, doing interviews abroad is hard! Bravo!

*I haven't been invited for a second interview to these initial ones, I believe it's due in part to the fact that my administrative skills are a bit rusty, I do not speak fluent Hungarian, and again the target on my back - I don't have a working / free lance visa*

Best of luck to you all!

*side note - Priscilla, your writing is superb however being the crazy English teacher I am....in the post it says "Specially job interviews..." when I think you mean to say "Especially" or even "Specifically".    *

emilyelizleblanc wrote:

....

*side note - Priscilla, your writing is superb however being the crazy English teacher I am....in the post it says "Specially job interviews..." when I think you mean to say "Especially" or even "Specifically".    *

I've noticed about some British people (sometimes me included) is that some people appear to leave out letters when they are speaking at high speed or are just lazy (definitely including me).  It's almost dialect.   

Some of the Northern English dialects must drive English teachers mad....."can you borrow me a book?",  "Ow's it going fella me lad?".     

However, to confuse others for some reason, people always seem write the correct English regardless of where they are from.

Sorry to hear about the visa issues.  Things should get better as there's a labour shortage.  They'll have to do something. Everyone has gone to Germany or other places.

I'm a bit surprized you can't find a job in Hungary teaching English.
I must drive you insane, I've never tried to improve my writting skills since 6th grade Englsih classes...
Anyways,( anyways is not a proper form of writting but that's how I speak)I know a US citizen who is now working in Hungary through a TESL agent that hired her from the US.
She did mention she had to pay for the job, visa. working permits and even here apt. is now covered with her job as well as HU national health coverage.
She is teaching out in the countryside near a spa resort town.
Told me they really need teachers in these out of the way villages.
She seems super busy between teaching at different locations and doing private tutoring on the side.
She has signed up for a second year here too.
Perhaps contacting every single sort of language school in Hungary could lead to something for you?
Sometimes one must pay for a job, hopefully in the long run it is a good investment.
I know years back my sister would get bored to death at her typing jobs and quit for a few weeks to chill out, then go to a temp. agent and get a job straight away. They took a commission from her hourly pay though for their services.
After her temp. contract was up she would know if she liked the jb or not and they always offered her a full time job with them and she no longer had to pay the agent out of her salary.
My son and DIL have just moved to Japan and are job hunting there.
He just got his 3 year work permit for Japan yesterday so will see how easy it is to find a job there with limited local language skills.
I'd probably sort of panic after 4 months of not finding anything but I have also heard they have some sort of app. where you can find temp. language teaching jobs in HU that pay per day that you sign up to teach, not much money but something.
Knew someone who was doing that 2 days a week  , 8 hours a day for 10,000 Forints a day. Usually it attracted tourists who wanted to work a bit here and there while they traveled around the world.
Might not be enough money for rent but better then nothing while you look for a more perm. job.
My husband was a trained machinist but was working at a hotel as a runner in Sweden under the table and even washed dishes on Maui at one time, don't be too proud and be willing to take anything with the hopes of hearing about a better job.
My husband even joined a all Hungarian painting crew in Paris , France, while he was a refugee and needed some cash.
Look online for job teaching a language clubs and night schools.
Best of luck.

It sounds like you may really need to look into getting your work visa in order.
If this is the major issue keeping you from getting the job you want.
Not everyone is able or willing to do labor work to fill in the gaps as you wait to be "legal".
That English teaching thing I mentioned that paid 10,000 F cash daily was found online.
I have no real details on how to contact them or I'd share with you.
The person I knew who worked there wasn't an actual English teacher, not many of the staff ever taught before. They were just all native English speakers.
I know it was in Budapest and mostly geared towards Hungarian professionals who wanted to improve their English language skills by doing drills in English and just chatting to practice.
You could work 1 to 5 days a week was all up to you.
It may pan out if you do invest in some agent who will handle your work visa here for you on the fast track.
Can't hurt to talk with them and see what they charge for services.
I know about 20 years ago my Vegas friend and a guy had many casino contacts , people they knew over the years while they were game dealers.
The guy opened up an agency for dealers and my friend worked closely with him.
They found dealers part time fill in jobs for all casinos who just needed a few extra's for special events in town.
say a big boxing match was coming into town and the hotels and casino's expected a huge crowd in town.
The casino needed more dealers to open up all the tables around the clock.
They didn't even charge the dealer for the job, the casino paid them to find people to fill in the gaps.
One had to however already be employed by a casino to get these extra jobs.
I did that a few times, was a great way to check out how a casino was run before thinking of trying to be a full time employee there.
This agency also found normal full time dealing jobs for quailified dealers for a fee.
The fee all depended on what calibur casino one was trying to work for.
Fees in the late 1990's ran from a few hundred bucks to over a thousand.
Usually the fee was about a weeks worth of casino tips. You had about a month to pay them too, they slowly took it out of your paycheck.
They knew all the bosses that did the hiring and you just paid your fee after you were hired, a win-win for everyone.
If you didn't get hired you didn't pay for the interview.
Times changed and they closed their agency, was a great idea at the time and worked out well for many people.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It sounds like you may really need to look into getting your work visa in order.
If this is the major issue keeping you from getting the job you want.

Thanks for the encouraging words Marilyn. I've been in the process of collecting documents to apply for a gainful activity permit with the help of an immigration lawyer. Currently I already have a residence permit because my Serbian husband is working here. But of course I want to work too!

I managed to get a tax number on my own and open a bank account however, my issue now is that I am having difficulties with filling out the forms for a business license (stating that you plan on teaching English etc.) at the local office because I need an English speaking Hungarian accountant to help me with the specific coding and possible translation of my documents.

I was suggested a fixer from someone on a forum here but it has been almost a month since my first point of contact with the fixer until now  she hasn't been very responsive/things haven't progressed (or perhaps I'm not being aggressive enough). I'm working on another angle as we speak. So I will update if anything changes! Like I said, I'm not in a rush in regards to me staying in Budapest but I would love to start working as there are plenty of schools I have talked with who want to hire me but are unable to do so as I don't have proper documentation yet!

Thanks again

Actually why not just do teaching over the Internet by Skype. I believe this is used for conversational improvements. 

One of my relatives was doing it in Korea (albeit within Korea).

It occurred to me that no-one need know where you are.

You could put up a poster of Seattle in the background or a British flag or koala/kangaroo and then you could actually be anywhere.

Payment problematic but perhaps by Bitcoin or Paypal or bank transfer or some other mechanism. 

Worth a thought.

emilyelizleblanc wrote:

I was suggested a fixer from someone on a forum here but it has been almost a month since my first point of contact with the fixer until now  she hasn't been very responsive/things haven't progressed (or perhaps I'm not being aggressive enough).

Did you have an explicit and agreed (not simply perceived) time line agreement on progress feedback or date of completion?

If not, then checking back for confirming progress may be needed. Contractors are busy. And explicit, confirmed deadlines are dealt with first.