Job Discussion Forums

athenssoest · Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:23 pm Post subject: teaching as a long term career

Has anyone here made teaching abroad their long term career?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Did you want to know something more about TEFL as a career? Or is this just a head count?

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:23 pm Post subject:

Count me, count me!

(I don't know how long term long term is, but I've been at it about a decade, no plans for any changes...)

Justin

johnslat · Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:36 pm Post subject:

Dear athenssoest,

I TEFLed for twenty-two years mostly in the Middle East (Iran and mostly Saudi Arabia) and two years in Indonesia.

Now that I'm old, grey, and full of years, I TESL here in Santa Fe, part-time at the local community college.

Regards,
John

P.S. I've loved it all, even the Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979) and those nineteen years in Saudi.

athenssoest · Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 11:28 pm Post subject:

I'm interested in making it my long term career as well, i lived abroad growing up and became addicted to it. Is it hard to do it financially (i.e is it hard to save money?)

johnslat · Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 11:34 pm Post subject:

Dear athenssoest,

Depends - if you have the right qualifications and experience, working in the Middle east (Saudi or the UAE, especially) you can save a fair amount.

But in many other parts of the world, the salaries are not so good and saving is much more difficult.

Regards,
John

athenssoest · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:09 am Post subject:

John,

By right certifications do you mean a degree plus CELTA/Trinity/TEFL?
what parts of the world are good paying (i'm not in this career for the money but i would like to save some and put some away for retirement).
Thanks

johnslat · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:48 am Post subject:

Dear athenssoest,

To get a really good paying job in Saudi or the UAE, the degree you need is an MA in TESOL or in Applied Linguistics. You can get a job with a BA and a CELTA, but it likely won't pay as well.
Plus, most places there want two or more years (often three) teaching experience abroad.
For money, the Middle East's the best. Japan can also be good as can Korea, though the pay's almost always below that of the Middle East. And what you can save in those places is less since, among other things, you often don't get housing supplied.

Regards,
John

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Aside from the money issue, getting advanced qualifications is a good idea if you're planning on making a career of this simply because it will open more doors. You can get into curriculum design, assessment, e-learning, teacher training, and other things that would be hard to get into with only a CELTA.

And count me in as another lifer. 10 years so far. I'm currently in Oman, where the pay isn't as good as Saudi, but the lifestyle is far more comfortable for a single western woman. And the salary is still well above salaries in other countries & regions.

d

athenssoest · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:42 am Post subject:

Thanks for the replies!

So I would need to start out in a lesser paying country like China or Russia and then move on as I get my experience? I'm working on a degree in English education at the moment but plan on getting me CELTA as well.

One other question- do most countries only pay enough to get by on?

Thanks

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

I've been doing this since 1988. No plans to stop until retirement (probably drop dead before then).

athenssoest · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:01 am Post subject:

ntropy,

just curious, in which countries have you taught?

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

Athenssoest,

Most of the Gulf countries, Japan, Libya and home in North America.

norwalkesl · Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China

I am making it my new career.

The Plan:
Yr 1: One year of Senior 1/2/3 in China small city
Yr 2: One year of Uni in China medium city
DELTA modules
Yr 3: Business Privates in a large Chinese city with a low contact hours job for visa, apartment and such. 15k - 20k RMB/mo as the goal.
Yr 4-6: ME, oil rotation, big money jobs
Yr 7: shift focus to sitting on a beach one year, working the next.

Learning Mandarin and building contacts to get a non-ESL job also in there as Plan B. If I can get a US-based job in SEA with a USD salary then that pays much more than even the best SEA ESL work.

May even get an MA.

So yes, I am in it for the long term.