Job Discussion Forums

[rongey]

Hi all,

My name is James and I am considering entering the fun (insane?) world of ESL. I have been doing some research on the subject while I finish my BPS in Business/Management. So far however, I have been unable to find solid answers on a few major questions. As per the forum rules, I'll give my situation first, and then ask my questions.

Age: 31
Sex: Male
Country: USA (Virginia)
Marital stat: Married
Kids: 3 (2 girls, 1 boy)
Degree: Bachelor of Professional Studies in Business and Management (in 3 more semesters)
Current employment: Hardware Engineer (computer systems)
Teaching Experience: 3 years of instructor duty with the US Navy
Desired countries: open to any

O.K. That said, here are my questions...

1.) What are the rules on bringing dependants to assigned countries?

2.) If the rules differ significantly from country to country, can you guys give me a run down on the rules where you are at or have worked?

3.) My wife and I are practicing Christians, which countries should I avoid?

4.) This question is for other Christians: Are there any ministry/fellowship opportunities in the ESL program?


That's all I can think of for now. Any appropriate responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

[Sherri]

Hi
I'll try to answer a couple of your questions, but bear in mind that it is very hard to be specific because you don't mention any particular country or countries that you are interested in going to.

1.) What are the rules on bringing dependants to assigned countries?

There are no "rules". It all depends on which country and which school you end up working for. "Assigned countries"? No one will assign you, you will be hired. Some places prefer their applicants to be in the country and tend not to advertise on the internet (especially Latin American countries), while some places will only hire people from their home countries (many middle eastern countries). The only place I have heard of being dependent-friendly--that is paying their way over and providing housing and schooling--is in the middle east. But you will need to have a Masters in an EFL-related subject and experience teaching to be hired to go there.

2.) If the rules differ significantly from country to country, can you guys give me a run down on the rules where you are at or have worked?

I work in Japan, and sorry I have never heard of any private language school (probably the only place you would be hired with an unrelated BA and no experience--your teaching experience does not appear to be relevant to TEFL) bringing over dependents or taking any responsibility for them. You will probably be hard pressed to find a school which would hire you from the States and pay your way. It would be next to impossible to survive on an entry-level salary in Japan, with a wife and 3 kids.

As for the Christian qs, sorry I can't help there. Couldn't you ask at your church about any programs they have going?

One other thing I can't help but ask, why have you spent all this time and effort doing a BA in business and management when you want to teach?

[rongey]

Thanks for the reply. To answer your last question, my original intent was not to teach at all. I took a shore assignment while in the Navy that involved teaching electronics and found that I really enjoy relaying ideas and information to others. There is a great deal of satisfaction to be had when you see all the lights go on and everyone is on the same page. However, by the time I realized that I enjoyed teaching I was already well on my way to the Bachelors. I guess I see EFL as a way to get my cake and eat it too. It seems that it may be hard to do with dependants in tow. Anyone else have suggestions?

[Irish]

[naturegirl321]

I'm a Christian too.

Check out the International Association of Christian Schools. There are 150 schools in the system all over the world.

They require a two year commitment for the most part. The pay isn't that good. Many schools require you to raise your own support as well. http://www.iacs.org

I believe most countries will let you in if you are a Christian, just be sure you know the rules about "proslyting" (I know I spelled it wrong.)Some countries like the Middle Eastern ones have very strick rules.

Feel free to PM me with more questions.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Dear James:

It's somewhat ironic that the countries where you would be able to earn enough to support a wife and 3 kids are generally the same countries that would frown the most on any kind of 'active' Christian orientation: namely, Saudi Arabia and a few other countries in the Middle East.

With only a BA (or BPS?) in an unrelated field, you'd have a hard time landing a university job as well, thus compounding your situation somewhat.

As others have already mentioned, EFL salaries are generally only high enough to support one, or perhaps two people comfortably.

Does your wife have any relevant credentials? If the two of you were both teaching, for example, in a country like Korea or maybe even China, you could earn enough to support you and your family reasonably well.

Just a thought.

Yours truly,
kEnt