Job Discussion Forums

[jd_]

Hello all...

I just turned 30 and need something new in my life... I'm picking up another degree in English Writing and have thought about doing a TEFL certificate.

Right now, I do freelance work, mostly writing and web development gigs. If I were to teach ESL overseas, would I still have spare time to make money doing this?

Basically my biggest thing is, I want to live overseas and try out new countries to help my life experience and my writing... My dream job would just to be a writer/travel journalist and get paid well. That is why I supplement it with web development as it is now.

I also have about 25k in loans now that I have accumulated.

Does anybody just do ESL as a lifestyle, with supplemental income NOT from teaching to make it a bit better?

Also, I would be more interested in jobs in France, Czech Republic, Argentina or Italy... I hear they exist, but how feasible is it to get them? I have heard they have less hours... Which would be great for what I want to do, I just need to get into those countries for longer than a typical visa. Also I think the winters in Korea/Japan/China would get to me.. But I would be up for Taiwan/Thailand also.

Or will ESL take so much time that you can't do other things, or possibly illegal?

[Zero]

Generally speaking, the legal status of that kind of work arrangement is extremely nebulous. Unless you're teaching in North Korea, the local authorities are unlikely to know or care. In a lot of cases, you'd probably want to report the income to your home-country taxing authorities and not those of your host country.

As for your other questions, "that depends." In China it is common to work a 15- to 25-hour teaching schedule. I'd think that would leave plenty of time for other work pursuits.

[spiral78]

Firstly, your citizenship matters. If you are from the UK or another EU member country, you can legally work in Italy, France, and the rest of the European Union. If you are NOT from the UK (and do not have citizenship in any other EU member country), you can basically legally work only in Central/Eastern Europe.

Secondly, jobs in the EU pay at subsistence level. You can expect to make enough to live decently, enjoy the country you're in, but NOT to pay off debts or save up much. This is because there are many teachers here on the ground, and the job market is very much slanted in favour of employers.
Unlike in Asia, employers do not need to offer high wages, airfare, and other benefits to attract a sufficiency of teachers. Nor do they generally hire from abroad - again, there are plenty of teachers here ready for face-to-face interviews and it's not necessary to take a chance on someone sight-unseen - at least not for a reptuable school.

Work hours in the region are generally about 20 contact hours, +/-, per week. Yes, it sounds easy. However - this is in fact a full-time job, as there is prep time on top, PLUS travelling around to the offices of your students (most work in the region is not based at a school, but is focused on teaching businesspeople in their offices; you would most likely need specialist qualifications to get a school-based job teaching children).

I think your dream would be easier to achieve in Asia than in Europe, but if you're up for hard work and just want to experience the lifestyle, the Czech Rep might work. I don't think you'll find that you've got loads of time to do other projects, though. Assuming that you are not an EU member citizen, any school that hired you would have to jump through the hoops to get you a work permit, and they are unlikely to take the time, expense, and trouble for less than a full-time teacher, particularly as there is plenty of competition for jobs.

[jd_]

Thanks for the responses. I would also add basically anywhere in Central/South America to the mix... the key is mostly not a harsh winter, I've been there done that and hated it. Czech would be the exception, I think I would deal with it there just b/c of the preferable side trips (to me)
I would definitely report the income back to the U.S. for instance, I don't think anything would change there. I am a FL resident, so I wouldn't have state income tax and also shows you why I don't want to do the cold weather thing. I checked out some temperatures in Beijing and Seoul and I'd probably be miserable in that. I think Thailand/Vietnam/Taiwan/Hong Kong would all be fine though.
That is quite the bummer on EU countries though, and kind of figure that might be the case.
I just want the ability to make money with short stories/writing/journalism to publishers int he U.S. on the side, as that is my ultimate goal. I just think teaching ESL overseas would be much preferable to working a 9-5 job somewhere in the U.S.

[nomad soul]

Keep in mind that your minimal qualifications---even after obtaining a TEFL cert---will limit where you can teach. And not all of those options may fit your ideal climate.

[santi84]

Don't underestimate how much preparation you may have to do - you might see a job that advertises 20 hours a week and think it doesn't sound like much. You need to consider how much preparation/lesson planning happens outside that time. Many inexperienced teachers can spend twice the "teaching" hours just preparing a lesson. It's really not that much different than a 9-5, except at least with a 9-5, you don't have to do lesson plans at night

[Glenski]

[tttompatz]

[Glenski]