Bulgaria : Work experience

Work placements and exchange programmes

• AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) - a student-run organisation that offers an international traineeship exchange programme, providing work experience for anything between six weeks and 18 months.
• IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) - offers course-related placements starting in the summer, lasting from four weeks up to one year for undergraduates of science, engineering, technology and applied arts courses.

Teaching schemes

There are opportunities for teaching English in Bulgaria. Learning a foreign language is obligatory in schools and begins at primary level. It is common to find secondary schools that specialise in particular languages such as English, German and, less often, French. At university, students study at least one foreign language and must achieve a specified level of competence before they can graduate. English is now one of the most popular options.

There are many private schools in Bulgaria interested in employing English language assistants. For a list of schools in Bulgaria, visit Need.bg .

British Council, Teacher Recruitment also has occasional vacancies for teachers. There may also be opportunities through the Bulgarian Ministry of Education on a variety of European Union projects.

Volunteering

There are various volunteering projects in Bulgaria, mainly in conservation and youth work. Examples include Balkani Wildlife Society. Search the WorldWide Volunteering (WWV) database for possible opportunities.

Casual work

Seasonal work is sometimes available to international students or graduates in the main mountain ski resorts and seaside resorts of the country. Opportunities are usually advertised in the newspapers or on job websites (see vacancy sources).

Gap year opportunities

These include seasonal work at the resorts, teaching English or volunteering opportunities.