Job Discussion Forums

mehrlin26 · Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 52 Location: South Korea

I've been thinking about getting out of teaching ESL once I have enough money saved up in a year or two. I was wondering if anybody around here has any experience with that.

Just for context, I tried quitting ESL about ten years ago. I seemed to be making a go of it in another industry. Then a combination of money problems, personal problems, and the great collapse of 2007-2008 scuttled that attempt. Since 2012, I've been back teaching ESL but I can't say it's been getting any easier.

Just wondering, if you or anybody you know has tried to jump ship, where did they end up landing?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I tried, and failed. After a ten-year hiatus went scuttling back to TEFLing and the security of a monthly Saudi paycheque. Now I have retired I often think, "WTF was all that about ?"

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

I work with disabled ESL students in K-12 classrooms. The disabilities range from deafness, ADHD, severe behavioural problems (ODD), and everything else under the sun. It isn't like ESL teaching, but a lot of the skills carry over. I do a lot more report writing and very little lesson planning.

mehrlin26 · Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 52 Location: South Korea

Jeez, Scot47 that's depressing. What other work did you try to jump to?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I thought I could make money writing. In fact I survived with the help of family and friends while doing jobs that are not appropriate for a gentleman !

My big chance to get back to TEFLing came when Saddam invaded Kuwait. No one wanted to go the Middle East. I put my hand up and said, "I can do that !" and so it went.

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

I left EFL *for good* nearly two years ago after about eight years of working in teaching and education abroad. It's been pretty difficult; I'm over $150k in the red in opportunity cost and cost of additional training for breaking into a new field. Plus I have moved constantly in order to accept internships and jobs wherever they're offered. I have been successful in making the transition, but still am not fully settled in my new field.

Barring vast amounts of luck and/or charisma, it would appear to take 2-4 years of concentrated effort to break into a new field from TEFL. I began fully focusing on my career transition around December, 2012 while I was still teaching. During that last year of TEFL I began studying my MA, full time, in my new field, which was quite the challenge.

In the heat of the moment · Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy

Why try to get into another industry now? Is there another which offers;

1. Exotic places to live in!
2. The chance to work with engaged, intellectually curious young people!!
3. A life free from the hassles of the modern day, industrialised cities!!!
4. An escape from the drudgery of the commute!!!!
5. A job where you receive a great salary, competitive benefits and meet people from all over the world!!!!!
6. World-class teacher development programs!!!!!!
7. A workplace with a sense of adventure and community!!!!!!!
8. A great opportunity to learn a new language!!!!!!!!
9. A fantastic way to live overseas and get paid to travel the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Xie Lin · Joined: 21 Oct 2011 Posts: 731

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

EFLing is a lot better than the wage slavery that most people endure for a lifetime. It did not make me wealthy but it enriched my life in many ways.

gregory999 · Joined: 29 Jul 2015 Posts: 372 Location: 999

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

braveheart263 · Joined: 11 Nov 2015 Posts: 3

I am a newbie and really wanted to enter the field as opportunity to explore my interest in teaching and travel. But gosh, this has to be the most depressing and negative post, especailly the newspaper article, that I have read on this website.

In fact, most posts are not positive on this entire site. I find that some people genuinely want to help others, but for the most part, this site is almost anit-english teaching.

I want to leave a unfulfilling career but it seems that I may be jumping from the pan into the fire!.....Idk

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

rtm · Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: US

mehrlin26 · Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 52 Location: South Korea

Yeah, let's stay a little grounded. That article dates from 2004. Every so often someone dusts it off and puts it back into circulation. I think I first read it around 2006 or 2007.

Braveheart263, this job can be fulfilling depending on what you are looking for. As RTM says, treat it as 'working in a foreign culture.' It will be a better experience overall and you might pick up more skills with that attitude. Remember that wherever you go is just as much the real world as the one you left behind.

That said, the experience doesn't count for much back home, as I can painfully attest (then again, post-great-recession, I'm not sure anything counts for very much anymore in most employers eyes). I do want to move on eventually, more for personal reasons (teaching was always more my parents' world than mine).

Also, take care Braveheart263. Do your research and if you hear too many horror stories about a particular place, listen to them; they're likely to be true. Beware the nuttier expats, especially the fantasists, the egomaniacs, and the terminal alcoholics. Above all, remember that there are some real snakes running some of these schools. Don't put anything past them until you get to know them.