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LGSakers
Joined: 27 Oct 2010 Posts: 4
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:02 am Post subject: Question Regarding Employment |
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Hi everyone.
I am very new to this, so please excuse me if this has been answered and direct me to it (I used the search unsuccessfully).
I currently hold a BA here in Canada, am a native English speaker, and worked a year in South Korea teaching.
Currently I am trying to find employment in the UK, in London preferably, and am having a tough time.
Obviously I would prefer to teach (lack of qualification makes that difficult), but are there are any reliable resources where I might use my experiences and qualifications to land a job (in any field that will pay enough for a flat and expenses)?
Thanks. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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You have no right of residence. Forget it.
Last edited by scot47 on Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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You're trying to compete in a nation full of qualified native speakers, where, as scot points out, you don't automatically have a legal right to live or work.
The Brits who would want to go to Canada to teach face similar problems - no-one is going to hire them and jump through the legal hoops to get them a visa when there are many thousands of home-grown teachers right there.
The same holds true for other jobs - what can you do that thousands of Londoners can't?? Why would any employer need to import you and deal with the legal hassles?
On the 'year in Korea' experience - to be honest, it's not that helpful on a CV anywhere outside of Asia. In Anglophone countries, Latin Ameria, and Europe, it's pretty well-known by most schools that teaching in Asia is quite different from teaching in other regions, and you won't get much credit for this. It just doesn't translate much to other teaching situations. |
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LGSakers
Joined: 27 Oct 2010 Posts: 4
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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spiral78 wrote: |
You're trying to compete in a nation full of qualified native speakers, where, as scot points out, you don't automatically have a legal right to live or work.
The Brits who would want to go to Canada to teach face similar problems - no-one is going to hire them and jump through the legal hoops to get them a visa when there are many thousands of home-grown teachers right there.
The same holds true for other jobs - what can you do that thousands of Londoners can't?? Why would any employer need to import you and deal with the legal hassles?
On the 'year in Korea' experience - to be honest, it's not that helpful on a CV anywhere outside of Asia. In Anglophone countries, Latin Ameria, and Europe, it's pretty well-known by most schools that teaching in Asia is quite different from teaching in other regions, and you won't get much credit for this. It just doesn't translate much to other teaching situations. |
Thanks for the reply, guys. It wasn't what I was what I thought I'd hear, but I figured I'd try anyway. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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I've read your (short) posting history - if you still have the Macedonian passport, you have a chance later on to get jobs in the UK (when Macedonia enters EU). |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: US
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:59 am Post subject: |
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spiral78 wrote: |
On the 'year in Korea' experience - to be honest, it's not that helpful on a CV anywhere outside of Asia. In Anglophone countries, Latin Ameria, and Europe, it's pretty well-known by most schools that teaching in Asia is quite different from teaching in other regions, and you won't get much credit for this. It just doesn't translate much to other teaching situations. |
This was not my experience. I taught for a number of years in Japan (primary, junior high, language school, and university), and when I started teaching in an intensive ESL program in the US, my teaching experience in Japan was very useful (and was recognized by my employer as well). Most of my colleagues also had experience teaching in Korea or Japan. There might be some differences, as there are differences between teaching in any 2 countries, but I wouldn't say that experience in Asia is useless in other contexts.
Things might be different in the UK (I don't know - I've never tried to get a job there), but I can say that experience in Asia isn't useless in all Anglophone countries. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:26 am Post subject: |
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I've got some experience in Canada, both at the university level (myself) and (friends) at the private school level. Experience in Asia, while not considered 'useless,' isn't highly valued in the situations where I've been, where more student activity/participation is expected.
If you are teaching in a context where there are many Asian students, it can clearly be helpful, but in a classroom of more mixed-nationality students (as most in Canada aim to be, at least), using the approaches and methods popular in Asia doesn't often work well.
That said, I've been in contexts including university where students are expected to take a significant amount of responsibility in class, which I understand is not the norm in most of Asia at all. |
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Yorks Lad
Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Posts: 93 Location: England
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:23 am Post subject: |
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I think what really reduces your chances is the fact that you expect, after working full-time, to be able to pay rent on a flat and expenses in London. How unreasonable we EFLers are... Costs in London are astronomical and I wonder how people survive there even working as DoS or Managers. Some hourly paid jobs are scandalous (�8-�12 per hour, bearing in mind that preparation isn't included so it's actually even less than that). |
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LGSakers
Joined: 27 Oct 2010 Posts: 4
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks once again, everyone.
Is there even a chance of simply moving over there and finding work (teaching or not)? The UK is somewhere I am quite interested in, and I'd be willing to work in retail or something for the experience alone. I've seen some recruitment sites and job sites, but as you guys have said... why would an employer to sponsor me or not bother and hire someone there already? They likely wouldn't. But maybe if I am over there already. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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Highly unlikely to work out. The UK is pretty sensitive to who is entering and why - they've been burned with lots of Central/Eastern Europeans and others coming over under cover of work or holiday, but with the real intention to draw benefits.
Do also keep in mind that the economy in the UK is as rocky (maybe more so) than Canada's. Jobs that will pay basic bills aren't abundant, as another poster pointed out above.
The following is from the Embassy website - you can google entry requirements yourself for more info.
A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit the United Kingdom. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of their stay. Canadian visitors entering the U.K. must be able to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds for the duration of their stay and that they have onward travel plans. If they are unable to do so, or if they are seeking entry as a visitor but are found with items indicating that they intend to seek employment, such as a curriculum vitae (CV) or educational certificates, they may be denied entry and detained while awaiting removal from the U.K. |
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Yorks Lad
Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Posts: 93 Location: England
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Canadians used to be able to get a Working Holiday Visa if they had a British grandparent but I don't know of that's still the case. If you did, you'd quite easily get paid work during the busy summer school season. The big advantage of that is that board and lodging are usually included so your costs are minimal. Summer schools are usually hard work as they're so intensive but they're usually fun as well. |
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frogandeagle
Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 15 Location: Australia
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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Actually you should be able to apply for a working visa under the Youth Mobility Scheme, which includes Canada as one of its sponsored countries. However, you have to meet some other requirements such as age, funds, etc. |
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Lemon_Drizzle
Joined: 31 Oct 2011 Posts: 8
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