Job Discussion Forums

Linda L. · Joined: 03 Jul 2003 Posts: 146

It is clear that you are able to express yourself well in English and carry your end of the conversation.

That is all that is required to "teach" oral or conversation English in China.

I know because that and my GED were all I had when I arrived here two years ago.

Whatever you do, good luck!

By the by, there are those who would suggest that all English teaching in China is "volunteer" work based upon the salary and how many times you do not even get what is promised. lol Laughing

bnix · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 645

What Linda L. says about teaching in China often boiling down to volunteer work is very true.There are positions in other venues,too,eg eastern Europe that "pay' a salary...but it is so small that essentially you are a volunteer.
I am not a Peace Corps recruiter,but if you want to volunteer , I suggest you check them out.They WILL take care of your medical needs(for one thing,they are afraid of resultant lawsuits if they don't) and will provide good support for you....even though the admin is a deadly bureacracy(it is part of the US State Department) and should be avoided as much as possible.
Anyway,again,good luck.Be careful. Smile

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

VSO is a London-based organisation VOLUNTARY SERVICE OVERSEAS.

They do recruit EFL teachers but only people with qualifications. At least a CELTA and probably a DELTA, Trinity Diploma or MA are required.

So if you are not qualified save yourself the bother.

As far as I know the Peace Corps also look for people with qualifications.

jf19 · Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 5

very cool, thanks guys. I've looked at Peace Corps, and indeed they have a US citizenship requirement (I'm a canuck myself). VSO seems to be a good option, and it looks like I meet their requirements.

Linda L., bnix, about the small salaries and near-volunteering, that was my impression as well from some of the job postings I've seen.

you've all been very helpful, it's great to get some thoughts from wiser heads than mine Smile

MELEE · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2003 12:20 am Post subject:

Hi guys,

In regards to World Teach and their fee, I checked it out several years back. Yes, you have to pay like US$5000 up front. I didn't have it at the time so it wasn't an option for me. But with that $5000, they will buy you a plane ticket, arrange health insurance and pay your host school to host you (room and in some situations board) for six months to a year. So imagine that you are a regular person, maybe a high school teacher (I think it is particulary attractive to foreign language teachers) and you are looking to take a year off from regular life. $5000 dollars covers most of your living expenses for that year. Maybe you will find a renter for your house that will cover your mortgage payments. You sell your car because you it's past its prime. You have an unforgettable year that you will one day tell your grandchildren about. You get all that for only $5000 a year. I think you get off cheap.

But if you are a "regular person" say a high school Spanish teacher. Then you are not reading this forum. Obviously, that gig is not for the "career" EFL teacher. But, it may make a few who decide to stick with it and move into the paid side of this field.

Regards,

sandstorm · Joined: 30 Mar 2003 Posts: 4 Location: Seoul, SK

Have you seen this website? Idealist

I think it's terrific. It has a lot of information there for the non-profit/ volunteer sector with lists of positions available around the world, a discussion forum. Check it out Exclamation

cheryl · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Posts: 119 Location: Japan

Hi John,

I'm not sure if Crossroads is what you're looking for but go check them out. Try a search on google. A friend of mine used them to go to Kenya for a year to travel and help rural communties build schools. (They physically built the schools and helped create a curriculum)

From what i understand, some volunteer organizations ask for a fee because they have no money to get volunteers over to which ever country they're going to. Usuall organizations that ask for volunteers are non-profit organizations hence the "no money" situation. I'm in Japan right now and will ask some of my JTE's if they know of any kind of volunteer work if you'd like me to. Which countries were you interested in?

Cheryl

chelsea · Joined: 05 Mar 2003 Posts: 22

john,

don't know if you've made your decision already, but i have a suggestion for you. the international ymca (google it), has some great volunteer placements, some including housing and stipends. e-mail them, as they have more openings than what they have advertised on thier site. the fee is quite low, about $200 - and they have some great positions, social services, esl....in all sorts of countries. i believe they ask for a three month commitment.

good luck!

lclaroche · Joined: 16 Jun 2003 Posts: 21 Location: Seattle, USA

Hello John,

Kudos to you for seeking to volunteer somewhere instead just being a 'traveler'. I don't know if you've left yet, but I thought I'd add two bits worth. (thanks as well for everyone else who's shared info!)

I'm also constantly for volunteer opportunities (due to a bug I caught years ago, when i took time off from college to... travel!), but also find paying to volunteer somewhat against the point.

A few things in general of what I think volunteering is about: helping people in NEED, not those in their surge to get Rich Rich RICH! Thus, teaching ESL in a big city in China would be the later. (This leads to a greater topic about WHICH countried NEED volunteers and which don't. In a nutshell, I'd say China not only doesn't need them, but probably officially looks down on volunteers (communists in general don't like to think they need help, especially huge ones).

Conversely, places like Mother Theresa's organization in India, or dozens of places in India, or refugee camps around the world in truly destitute regions (or even not-so destitute ones). There's a posting right now for working in Thailand with Burmese refugees that sounds AWESOME and what you're looking for- really making a difference in a people and country instead of just one step in someone's self-interest financial aspirations.

(oops! looks like I made a sweeping damnation of the EFL industry. Oh well...)

also check out jobsabroad.com

Good luck! See you in the refugee camps!

Guest · Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2003 10:45 am Post subject:

Hello John
I have only been in China for 3 weeks now and I am living at a Boarding School 3 hours northwest of Shanghai. I wanted to Volunteer in an Orphanage but I took the job at the School (only teaching 10 hours per week) so that I would have a lot of free time for the Orphanage. I only get 2,500 yuan per month, but that is fine. I have a nice apartment on the School grounds and everyone here is nice and friendly (on the surfact anyway).