Job Discussion Forums

[jsbankston]

Yeah, I don't know as it would be easy to hide the fact I'm a 42-year-old (though I don't look--or act--my age) downwardly-mobile (unless the book sells and sells well) writer. The only thing I have of consequence is a huge library, and most of that wouldn't be traveling with me on a TEFL trip, though I'd ship it over if I settled in Europe permanently.

Anyway, I'm not the type to cruise bars and have one-night stands and that sort of stuff. I'm way too old for that, patience-wise--not that I was ever into that scene. I'm not even especially looking for a romantic partner, but kids would be nice to have at some point, if for no other reason than to inherit the vast sums of money I can make doing TEFL.

[spiral78]

You are apparently the burn-the-midnight-oil kind of writer! What time is it in Texas?

If standard of living and building some kind of future is any sort of priority, and you actually wanted to stay in TEFL, that grad degree would eventually become essential. All the positions, whether in Europe or Asia, that you are eligible for with just your BA and a basic certification, will be entry-level. TEFL can be a career (obviously, it's mine - well, my second) but it takes some commitment to furthering your own education. However, I can say that I found MA study to be much easier/more interesting than under-grad stuff, because it was pertinent to what I do on a daily basis. If I can get over my phobia about writing, I will probably enter a doctorate program next year (I HATE to even think about a doctoral diss).

I suggest that you may likely be embarking on a several-step process. Probably first to Asia (and who knows, many people get hung up there because they actually like it!), maybe later to Europe, but if you want to stay in the field, ultimately the post grad thing becomes pretty necessary.

Anyway, first steps first. You might hate teaching.

[jsbankston]

I'm very nocturnal.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but the main thing that's kept me from grad school is a math disability that would keep me from passing the math portion of the GRE. But now people are telling me I'd not need that in some graduate programs, though short of writing every university there is, I don't know how I would go about finding that out.

I'd love to settle in Europe. I love France and have also been a lifelong Anglophile, but I keep reading it's next to impossible to get a legal job there without an EU passport.

I hope teaching overseas beats substitute teaching/doing study halls for spoiled, rich American kids. I did two years of that as a private school librarian.

[jsbankston]

Anyway, writing is my main focus, though no telling how long it'll take before I can support myself that way--if ever.

[jsbankston]

Oh, and it's 3:04am in Texas.

A friend of mine once bemoaned the fact that misfit younger sons like us no longer have something like the British Empire to fall on--a place to go on the other side of the world where we can make lives for ourselves when we fail to make it in our native land.

[spiral78]

Well, Europe's a big place, and you might someday find a niche in some way. But you'll need quals and experience, most likely.
If you decide to do an MA, I can recommend a couple of distance programs through British unis that would be useful in a couple of ways: they don't require any math, and a North American with a British MA is more desirable on the European job market.
University of Birmingham, Surry, and Leicester are all reputable institutes offering distance MA programs. North Americans with 4-year degrees are generally eligible, particularly if they have already a few years of experience in the field. There are fees, of course....but I think likely less expensive than U.S. programs.

[jsbankston]

Certainly my Anglophilic side would enjoy a British degree, or British school time.

[jsbankston]

But at 42, would I be too old for that? How many working years do I have left? There's great male longevity on one side of my family, so that might not matter...I could last for years.

Sorry--a bad habit of mine--thinking of too many sides of a problem at once.

[spiral78]

I finished the UBham MA at 44. Stop overthinking it all!! That longevity factor won't help if you stress yourself into a collapse or a state of inertia.

[jsbankston]

[spiral78]

In my opinion/experience, your friend knows nothing. "Most countries have a caste system, " indeed! What planet is he referring to? There are people in every country who expend the effort to become well-educated, show responsibility, and initiative. And those who don't. This creates something of a divide, but it is by no means a caste system. Caste systems, as in India, are roles that you are born into - and even there, it is possible to transcend them. Europe moved beyond this centuries ago, when the land-owning Lord systems died out.

Anyway, pardon my personalizing the issue, but I and many of my friends are American married to Europeans. And, excuse me, but our spouses are high achievers, and many of us live far above the average - in my own case, on two continents.

I have little to do with the U.S. anymore, just occasional visits to my parents, but my Czech spouse has a well-paid position in Canada, and I work through a Canadian uni on projects in many countries, in addition to having free time to hang out here at home in the Czech Rep, designing courses for my uni in Canada. Under contract,I mean.

There is no more caste system here in Europe (probably much less, in fact) than in North America.

[jsbankston]

Are European women all looking for rich, successful Americans? Are the struggling kind of men pariahs?

[spiral78]

I think most normal people looking for partnerships, regardless of whether they are men or women, are looking for partners with value to offer.

[spiral78]

My earlier point was that European women are NOT especially seeking Americans!!

[jsbankston]

Well, either way, I'm not what you'd call a playboy, always looking to hook up. Far from it in fact. But friendly company would be an added benefit overseas. Still, it's hardly a priority.