Job Discussion Forums

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

Hello Teachers,
My name is Amina. I would really appreciate your insight and experience about my situation.
I will tell you a little bit about myself and my educational background.
I`m 25 years old , I `m originally Moroccan and I currently live in OMAHA , NE in USA. have a bachelors degree in English Studies and Pedagogy from Morocco, I also have obtained a Masters degree in Science of education, curriculum Instruction and communication arts from Wayne State College, Wayne , Nebraska. I recently earned a certificate in Tesol. I have had a little experience teaching, I taught ESL in Washington DC for a year, I also taught Arabic as a foreign language for one year.
The main area i want to teach at is the middle east( Qatar) because Arabic is my mother tongue and i just think im ready for a chance after a bitter divorce. However I do have some concerns.
Given the fact that I`m not a US citizen and I do not have a license from any state in USA would that affect my chances in getting an ESL teaching job in the middle east ?
I also want to save money, i have read in so many posts that korea is the best place for saving money. If I happen to go to korea, would it be easy for me to transition to the middle east?
Pleasse give me your ideas about my situation and where I can start my teaching abroad journey.

SecretAgent69 · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 31

Unfortunately, I think it will be difficult for you to get a GOOD PAYING efl job without English as your first language. That is unfair and not right but that is the way it is. People have their ideas, however erroneous.

My advice to you if you want to make a career of teaching and traveling would be to get teaching certification in the United States and then apply to teach at an international school abroad. With that you will be very independent and able to get a job anywhere, anytime for good pay with excellent benefits and perks.

Here is a good program to consider because you can do a lot of it online and during the summer vacations:

http://fasttrain.gmu.edu/

Yearly international school hiring:

http://www.uni.edu/placement/overseas/osfair.html

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

Thank you for your response. By teaching certification, do you mean a state one? If that is what you mean, I have looked into that and found out that I would have to go back to undergraduate studies and study another teaching undergraduate degree( Which already have from Morocco) to get one.
Honestly, i do not think I can or want to do that for so many reasons, I could go for PHD instead :S
My masters in science of education , curriculum instruction and communication arts is from USA. Do they consider that at all?
Thank you for the website suggestions Smile

I might go the recruiting fair since it is not so far from me.
BTW , one day i posted my resume here and i got some job offers in japan and korea. My resume does not mention that my nationality is Moroccan. Do you think the moment they know I`m not American they will run away?

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

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

Nomad soul , thank you for your advise. The more I learn , the more I feel clueless Smile

. I have a loooooooong way to go !

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

That's why I suggested in my other post that you teach Arabic in the US instead, even though you said it didn't excite you as much as TESOL. But I understand why it's important to feel passionate or at least interested in what you choose for your career. Don't give up---there are TEFL jobs out there for you. You may have to be flexible about where those jobs are, however.

(I think you mean "advice.") Smile

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

Oops, the result of too much multitasking lol . What if i change my mind about Korea and the middle east, where do you think i could end up with my qualifications ?

SecretAgent69 · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 31

Amina, youre still very young so you have plenty of time to make a life plan. You maybe need to sit down and think hard first about what you want to do.

1. What level do you want to teach (primary, secondary, tertiary)?

2. Can you be competitive as an English instructor at the tertiary level (personally I think you will be discriminated against unfortunately. Yes you could get work but I suspect they wont be the best jobs).

3. Can you be competive as a secondary teacher at international schools (I think you can and programs like the one I linked you to only take a year or two).

4. Is there something other than English that you could enjoy teaching?

5. Would you rather get your Phd and teach at the tertiary level as a professor, researcher, etc?

MotherF · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:42 pm Post subject:

I find it a little hard to believe that the only way for you to get a state teaching credential from the US is to go back and do a BA--contact someone at Wayne State--which for some reason, I always thought was in Michigan--and see what you need to do to add on certification to your MA in education.

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

@ secretagent69 I prefer teaching adults and I have taught adults before, however Im willing to consider other levels as well
I `m now aware that the pay might be lower because of my nationality, but I just need to get my foot in the door and I`m confident I can prove myself.
Where I`m from 25 years old for an Arab woman is old :S but i still feel young Smile

@ MotherF. I have contacted Wayne State college in Nebraska- which is different than wayne state university in Michigan- and was told the same thing. Because my Bachelors degree is from Morocco , i would have to get another undergraduate degree from Morocco to get a certificate.

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

I wish i could go for a phd but I need to make money and get on my feet again. My ex husband refused to let me work and I kind of lost two years of my life being a desperate housewife. Now I`m ready to go back to work and take over the world Very Happy

MotherF · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:56 pm Post subject:

You might want to look for a state that has an alternative crendital path in place, such as http://www.texasteachers.org/ if you are open to moving. It just seems crazy that an MA in education will not give you that option--usually you need to do a semester of student teaching--no matter where your BA is from.

How long have you been in the US and what's your status there? If you are eligible to naturalize, that would probably be a good idea, before you go out and tackle the world, if nothing else to make sure you don't lose your green card for spending too much time outside of the country.

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

I`m on an asylum pending case, I have been here for five years.. I can legally work or study in USA. I do not know how long it could take me to be naturalized. I know this is too complicated !

MotherF · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:26 pm Post subject:

So the very first thing you need to ask yourself is--are you willing to risk losing your asylum status to "take over the world"?

And two, would you consider Morocco as an option? I have a friend who worked there for a while and she liked it.

Amina12 · Joined: 27 Jan 2012 Posts: 12 Location: omaha , NE

Morocco is definitely not an option for some personal reasons.
I`m hoping to save some money here and then i will be ready to take over the world. Thank you soo much for taking the time to answer my questions.
I appreciate it.