The frustrations of being a freelancer

It's difficult (to say the least) to get legal work in Europe (re: Getting a visa). There are a few things going against my favor, two of which are: (1) I don't speak German and (2) I don't have a passport from an EU country.

This leaves me few options.  But, because I am a native English speaker, and have a college education, this deems me to be a wonderful English teacher (Duh!  Because all B.A.s include courses on English phonemes!)

(P.S. I'm actually quite grateful they don't question this logic more thoroughly.)

But even given my vast abilities to teach my mother-tongue, English-teaching jobs are hard to get despite their ubiquity in Berlin  ....And they're low paid  ....And you can forget about a contract.  I work as a "freelancer"

What does this mean?  It means that one learns the essence of the phrase "don't count your eggs before they hatch" rather quickly.

Partially, it's where I work.  At my school, classes can be cancelled up to 2pm the day before without the student(s) having to pay.  This means I can look at my weekly schedule, start with 20+ units for the weeks, and potentially have nothing at the end of the week.  Nothing's for sure.  Fortunately, this has never happened, and is (highly) unlikely to.  But I've certainly had weeks where I've had 8+ units disappear, also meaning that I don't get paid for those units.  The coup de grâce is, we also get paid more per unit once we've reached a certain number of units for the month - which leaves a race to the finish line and a battle for units between you, the other teachers, and the secretaries that make the schedule.

I've also recently had a regular class that was assigned to another teacher (without my prior knowledge) simply because the students liked him better (I guess it's the risk you take when you have a sub for your class).  I don't take it personally - customers (i.e. students) will always have their idiosyncrasies - but now I've lost the class and the hours on my payroll.  Ouch.  That stings.

I'm super grateful that I have a job.  Especially given the economic climate around the world, I've been able to get a job and a work permit in a country that's not my own.  And being a freelancer occasionally has its benefits.  Just as easily as they can cancel my hours, I can cancel my classes (or rather, my appearance at my classes).  Vacation time isn't paid, but essentially it's unlimited (given one can afford it).  And I can set my own schedule too.  No, I don't want to take that class on a Friday night at 8 (although I probably will anyway so I can get the hours).

And I (usually) love, love, the people I work with - the students, the teachers, the secretaries - that still make it interesting and exciting on a daily basis.  I've had the chance to teach and converse with men and women from all over Europe, in all kinds of trades.  And I know that at the end of the lesson, I've usually learned more from them they they have from me.

This last week has left me frustrated with my job here and its fickle nature.  I'm left craving something a bit more stable, secure; maybe a better basket, or more reliable eggs.  And, as I remind myself of why I do like it, I also know I'm not ready to give up on the flock quite yet.