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Teaching in the middle-east...What is needed?
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real2104



Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 120

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:51 pm    Post subject: Teaching in the middle-east...What is needed? Reply with quote

Hello,

I am teaching in China at the moment, and am finally enjoying it.

The reason I am making this post to ask for advice, to get a few opinions from some much older/wiser experienced ESL teachers.

I am 20 years old, no BA, no CELTA, only a TESOL cert which I paid $1500 for (which I know means very little in the ESL world *sigh*) and a high school diploma.

I like teaching. And plan to do a lot of travelling/teaching for the next few years.

However, I have a few debts at home that need to be dealt with, so I'm wondering would the middle-east be the place to go money-wise?

Of course, I may be hideously under-qualified and not be capable of securing a job here. If that's the case, which other country might I go to?

It seems nowadays all the decent paying jobs insist on degrees. And right now I am not interested in dedicating 3-4 years of my life to study, so please don't suggest I go home and start doing a BA / MA.

A friend suggested I 'buy' a 'life-experience' degree of an internet site, that COULD help me in finding a good paying job - but that does sound rather (as we aussies say) dodgy! Confused

Any helpful advice would be very much appreciated!
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:40 am    Post subject: Re: Teaching in the middle-east...What is needed? Reply with quote

nick2124 wrote:
Of course, I may be hideously under-qualified and not be capable of securing a job here. If that's the case, which other country might I go to?

I fear that you have hit the nail on the head here. In the parts of the Middle East where the pay is good, the demands for credentials are naturally high. So, I'd say that you can cross the Middle East off your list of choices.

Also they will not recognize those bogus degrees. How much 'life experience' could one get credit for when you are only 20. Laughing

I don't know of any country where one can go with no degrees or experience and make enough money to do more than live on the local economy.

VS
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real2104



Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 120

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 3:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haha Very Happy The irony of a 20 year getting trying to secure a $2000US+ month teaching job with a life experience degree just hit me.

Though, will the Asian employers really care so much? So aslong as I show them a professional looking document with the words "bachelor's degree" and "university' on it - won't this be enough?

I'm sure ethics could be an issue to... I don't like the idea of lying/misleading an employer. PLUS, if I were found out I could risk being deported. It's too risky.

I like teaching but am not satisfied on my $1 a month Chinese salary Crying or Very sad
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 3:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you truly like teaching, why not bite the bullet and get the proper credentials? Half the battle in living a happy life is finding a job that you enjoy. No one gets rich teaching, but get a legitimate teaching degree with the proper certification and you can go anywhere in the world and teach for the rest of your life.

VS
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real2104



Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 120

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 5:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Remember a time in your life when you felt young and uncertain about what you wanted to do? How you wanted to live? Where you wanted to go? etc

That's the phase I'm at. Although I LIKE teaching, and deeply care for my students and genuinely want to help them the best I can (and at the same time, often enjoy doing so) I don't feel as though being an ESL teacher is my life's calling.

Because of this feeling I can't simply dedicate several years of my life to study.
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MrScaramanga



Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Posts: 221

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 7:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nick,
Don't get the bogus degree... it's a bad idea all around. Instead, why not study online for a certificate or a bone fide master's. Dave's homepage has some useful links you could check out. I am not sure about time-frame, but I'm sure you could, at the very least, get better credentials while working in China or elsewhere, before you set out to making the big $$$ in the middle east Very Happy
If this is something you simply won't do, then perhaps you should consider a change of careers...
Hope this helps.
MrS
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eha



Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 355
Location: ME

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ha--- many if us didn't think that ESL would be 'our life's calling'! Still, isn't it a good idea to have 'something to fall back on', when the dreams start to fade? (I sound like my mother way back then!) There seem to be lots of legitimate online degrees in Tefling or in Education, if you wanted to branch out a bit. They cost, but then so will any training course you plan to take. Don't look on it as a lifetime commitment, just something that may be useful for a few years... a lot of young teachers have this outlook these days.
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mishmumkin



Joined: 01 Sep 2007
Posts: 929

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's safe to say that none of the employers in the Gulf nations would bother bringing an teaching expat out and forking out all the expenses that go w/ sponsoring an employee who has not obtained a basic undergraduate degree.

The Gulf nations are also the last place you'll want to try bringing a dodgy degree-the process invovled in providing evidence that your degree is legit is lengthy. Hate to beat a dead horse, but the other comments here are dead on. If you're in ESL to make some money, you'll have to dig in and get the proper credentials.
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real2104



Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 120

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MrScaramanga wrote:
Nick,
Don't get the bogus degree... it's a bad idea all around. Instead, why not study online for a certificate or a bone fide master's. Dave's homepage has some useful links you could check out. I am not sure about time-frame, but I'm sure you could, at the very least, get better credentials while working in China or elsewhere, before you set out to making the big $$$ in the middle east Very Happy
If this is something you simply won't do, then perhaps you should consider a change of careers....
Hope this helps.
MrS


I like this advice the most. I've already got a TESOLi certificate (that I paid to much for.j

A change of careers? What else would I do? Any decent job (generally speaking) nowadays that involves good pay and some level of enjoyment often requires a degree.

For now, I'm not at thinking about a change of careers... if I weren't teaching, I'd have no idea what else I'd want to do.

Can you (or anyone) offer me some advice on gaining a degree online? (a legit degree!) Or simply some online course that would give me the credentials I need to get better paying jobs. (like those in Taiwan, Korea, Japan or even Europe.)

Thankyou! (And forgive me for any poor spelling/grammar - it's been a long day.)
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MrScaramanga



Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Posts: 221

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nick,

Check out these links -- taken from Dave's homepage Very Happy

http://www.mastersabroad.com/

http://www.teflonline.com/

Always go with reputable universities when studying online. They may be more expensive and require a bit more, but it pays off in the long run. Afterall, you wouldn't want to throw your hard earned cash to semi-legit institutions! Wink

Hope this helps,
MrS
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would do some research on the requirements to teach back home. If Oz is anything like the US, that probably means a BA. My next step would be to look into a legitimate university to get a degree which gives you a legitimate teaching certification. There are many Australian universities doing distance degrees. Now this is probably going to take at least 4 years. Unfortunately there is no short cut to get to the situation of making money in this field.

The thing about getting a basic education degree is that if you decide later that you want to go home and be able to teach ... say IT... or business... or science... whatever... in secondary school, it is easy to add a major.

Watch out for ESL teaching... while you are pondering what you want to be when you grow up... like many of us here, you will turn around and be pushing 50... still teaching English. Most of us probably still don't know what we want to be when we grow up. Cool

VS
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real2104



Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 120

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I actually can get a job teaching in Oz. Pay would be roughly $500US a week.

I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but I did have a job an ESL teacher in Australia at a reputable language school.

However, due to my own anxiety and lack of confidence I quit before I even started!

But now that the experience of well over 100+ hours in the classroom of 20-30 Asian students, I could handle a teaching job in Oz no problem.

But I don't particular want to spend another 4 years in Australia... is it possible I can work (as a teacher)/study a BA in another country? Any suggestions?
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773



Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 213

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are a lot of hoops to jump through to get your degree authenticated here. Forget about buying a "life experience" degree. It won't get you anywhere. Employers here are savvy and will know that it's a farce before you even tried to get it throuh the authentication process.

I am afraid that without credentials, you will be stuck in low-paying, dead end jobs with less than desirable employers anywhere in the world. If you want to keep teaching, start working toward a degree, even a class at a time by distance. You won't regret it, mate. I have invested a lot of time and money into my education and am reeping the benefits of that now. I have no regrets at all.
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caliph



Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 218
Location: Iceland

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To have your head examined.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe caliph, but think back to when you were 20. Laughing

Nick,

You remind me of my students in the Middle East... in such a hurry. Right now going back home and getting the degree seems like it will take forever. BUT... there are many that get into this field and get hooked on the lifestyle of traveling and bumming around from country to country. Then you find someone you want to marry and you don't have the credentials to get the job to support her and eventual kiddies... or you turn around and you are 47 and realize that you will never be able to retire because you haven't been able to save anything.

If I were you, I would go back to OZ, get that language school job back, and get your BA in education and teaching certification. Then head off to whatever part of the world that you want to live and teach in and work on an MA by distance.

And what if you decide that you don't want to teach anymore? You at least have a BA under your belt and it isn't as hard to add another major and change your field.

But, I am a boringly practical person... Shocked

VS
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