Job Discussion Forums

[ag644]

My wife and I are professionals in our 40's (with a three year old daughter) who are looking forward to spending our next academic year teaching in Europe to be near wife's sister in Glasgow. I am a published author/playwright and theatre director with some experience teaching theatre at the college and secondary level, while my wife is an established actress/playwright who is also currently working as a credentialed 1st grade public school teacher in California. We're just launching into this process and naturally have many questions.

First off, has anyone had experience teaching abroad as a family? Any tips?

Secondly, we've been told that having TEFL certificates may be preferable for teaching in Western Europe (versus the TESOL.) Is there any difference between the applicability of the two certificates that we should be aware of?

Also, does it matter that we plan to get certified through ITT's online course? Of course we'd prefer taking a classroom TEFL course, but living in Southern California, that is not an option. Given that we both have teaching experience as well as fairly marketable skills in other areas, we're assuming that it won't hurt our resumes too much to get our certificates online. Is there anything we're missing here?

Thanks in advance for whatever guidance you can offer. This board is a gem of a resource!

[lajzar]

Within teh UK, the EFL market is either university work (unlikely for first time EFL-ers, rergardless of public school experience), summer work (underpaid, underappreciated), or in London/Brighton area. None of these are particularly conducive to visiting your sis in Glasgow.

There isn't any appreciable difference between TESOL and CELTA, not that Im aware of anyway.

I would advise STRONGLY against getting online certification, unless of course you only plan on teaching online.

One thing puzzles me. Southern California, I assume, has a large number of immigrants who want to learn English. Apparently they avoid your particular town. But even if that is the case, how come you are willing to travel to the far side of the Earth for a job, but cant travel a couple of hundred miles for the training?

[scot47]

Why EFL when you could perhaps find teaching jobs in the mainstream in Scotland ?

If your wife has US teaching credentials she might be able to teach in a school in Scotland. There are programmes in place to eanble teachers in the two countries to exchange jobs for a year. Check it out.

You could perhaps find something in Further Education or the Tertiary/Adult Education Sector.

I know that from the perspective of California, "Europe" is like one place. It isn't. Getting around is much more expensive than in the US. If you are working in Mainland Europe and you want to just pop in to Glasgow for a weekend, you will be spending your salary on plane tickets !

[lajzar]

Reagrding teaching in the state schools...

England and Scotland have different requirements, and teaching certification in England is not automatically valid in Scotland (although the opposite is true). You could reasonably consider getting a teaching job in the extreme north of England, where English rules apply, but it is still close enough to make regular visits to Glasgow.

As an added bonus, the cost of living is very low (by UK standards) in that area. But avoid Newcastle, unless you feel like learning a foreign language

[Albulbul]

If you choose to live in the North of England a knowledge of one of the Scandinavian languages could be useful. The spoken language there is closer to Danish than to Standard English.

cf the expression
where are the children ?

in Geordie or Newcastlespeak this is

"Wors de byairns ?"

DANISH !

[Gordon]

I agree with lazjar, get a TEFL certicate with a practicum, not online. Why can't you get one in southern Cal? There must be lots of places.

I am teaching in Japan and am with my wife and 2 yr old daughter. What specifically would you like to know about raising a family overseas? Europe is vastly different than Asia. Fortunately, at 3 yrs old, you don't have to find a school yet, maybe a preschool if you want.

Personally, I find it's great having my family with me, but it can be challenging too. I'm so much busier than my single co-workers (nothing new), but I feel more grounded and my life has more consistency than theirs. Home life is home life. Life is far simpler overseas and you have far less distractions. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.