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Young workers from all over the world - Krista Pärtel, a teacher in Estonia

Our new series will take a glimpse into the life of a young foreigner, each month, probing them on the living conditions of their home country and career possibilities. Our first subject is Krista who is a 25 year old girl from Estonia. She is studying to be a teacher, but has already started working. She thinks teaching is interesting but is not convinced that this career will serve her long term goals. However, she is certain that she will remain in Estonia for she feels she belongs there.

- Where are you from and which part of the country do you live in? What is your line of work or are you still studying?

- I'm from Paide, which is a small town in the centre of Estonia. I'm living in Tartu at the moment, a so-called university town which is the second biggest town after the capital Tallinn. I study and work as an Estonian language teacher.

- How is your career coming along? What is your degree in? What school did you go to? What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you manage to realise your dreams or did you just go with the flow?

- I have a bachelor's degree in Estonian philology, soon I'll acquire my MA. I had gone to a local high school in Paide, after that Tallinn University and now University of Tartu. As a child I had many dreams about a prospective career, they where quite different, for example becoming a hairdresser, teacher, actor, singer, football player, salesperson etc. In high school I was thinking of doing something creative for a living like photograph or design. That time I never thought about becoming a teacher. Since I like to keep my options, I mostly go with the flow. Of course I have goals as well but these are mostly short-term aims, when it comes to my career.

- What kind of opportunities did you have for continuing your studies? How much of a sacrifice was it for your family to finance your education, did you have to work while studying? How does the higher education system work in your country? Did you have to pay for tuition?

- Actually I had a wide range of opportunities because my state exam results were good. I had the chance to study for free at all universities. As the study allowance is a small sum in Estonia, my family had to give me a bit of extra financial support. However, it wasn't so much that they would've had to sacrifice something. Most universities have scholarships, but most of the students have to pay a tuition fee. It depends on one's major but the tuition is about 1000 EUR€ per semester or a bit more. During my studies, I've always had a chance to study for free.

- What are your living conditions like? What is your salary like compared to the average? How much money can you save? What you are saving for?

- I rent a house which I share with 6 persons. We have all the comforts and the rent we pay is acceptable. I don't have a lot of money but I can afford many things I want and can also save a bit each month. I'm not a big spender I like to save up. As I work part-time, my salary is almost three times less than that of the average. But even if I'd work full time as a teacher, I'd earn couple of hundred Euros less than the average.

- Are the people around you harmonious? What kind of hardshipes do you face on an every day basis?

- I guess most of the people around me are harmonious. I cannot say I face hardships often, over and over again. My life seems to be easy enough, I'm not complaining, I have a lot of oppurtunities.

- How big a problem is unemployment where you are living? What are the problems on the labour market in your country? How does the government support the unemployed? What are the unemployment benefits like? How successfull do you think they are?

- I'm not into statistics so much, but they say unemployment is quite a serious issue in Estonia. However, I don't have any personal experience and neither do my friends and family. Some of my friends who are still studying have been looking for an easy part time job, though, but it's quite difficult to find one. There are also many specialists wanted in some fields, so the labour market is also in lacking. The government supports the unemployed if they meet certain conditions. It's not a big amount and it also depends on a person's previous work. In addition to financial support they also offer scholarships and retrainings as well as help with their job search. It seems these measures are rather successful.

- Do you like your job? Do you like working in your current enviroment? What's the work morale like? How flexible or strict are your working hours? How many days of vacation do you get? What is your relationship like with your colleagues?

- Although my job is difficult, it is extremely interesting. I also feel I've developed a lot. I'm satisfied with my work environment as well as with my supportive colleagues. At our school, the work morale is high. As the children we work with are difficult, we have to have motivation and a high drive to do our job well, and the school supports us in this. My working hours are fixed, depending on the number of classes I have and the time I do all other work (assessment, preparation of lessons, study materials etc) is very flexible. Teachers in Estonia have 56 vacation days each year. Mostly we use them in the summer.

- What is your day like? What are your most important responsibilities of work? What do you do after work? What do you like doing most in your freetime? Does it cause any problems keeping your work-life balance?

- My working day starts with the lessons. Each day from Monday to Thursday I have 2-4 lessons. After that I correct the tasks of my pupils, fill in the e-school (it's an electronic log where the marked materials as well as grades and comments about pupils) are uploaded. Mostly I prepare for classes at home. On one hand, I can do it whenever I want at my convenience on the other hand it causes a problem of work-life balance. I think about my work basically the whole day. But I also cannot think of a teacher who goes home after work and doesn't think about his/her job at all. During my free time I enjoy reading books, going to the theatre, walking, swimming, being with friends, going out. As I'm still a student, some of my free time is taken up by studying. I enjoy my free time more at weekends.

- What are your plans for your future? What are your career prospects? Are there any possibilities for advancement at work? What is your goal in life?

- I'd like to continue with working as a teacher, but not for the rest of my life. At some point I'll certainly need a change. I don't know yet when and what it'll be.

- Could you imagine living abroad? Why would you, or wouldn't you leave?

I'd live abroad only temporarily, like a year or so. I love Estonia, I was born and grew up here, so I feel I belong here. I'd leave only if life here would get unbearable.


Cikkünk több oldalas! Lapozzon!
1. oldal - Karrierutak a világ országaiban - egy angol tanár Észtországban
2. oldal - Az interjú angol változata - Click here to read it in English