Job Discussion Forums

[Qaaolchoura]

OK, so I'm in Turkey, and I'm not entirely happy with how things are. It's a good place to live, but not a great place to work. This is mainly because I feel like in dealings with schools, most are trying to rip me off, and partly because it seems hard to find a job with a decent pay:cost of living. (It's not the hourly pay that's the problem, but the hours, and I'm still kicking myself for turning down the one school that seemed to treat me with the respect and professionalism I tried to show them and gave me decent pay and hours. I turned them down over the fact that I'd be expected to teach children one day a week.)

In a few years, I'd like to get a job in the Gulf States (by far, preferably Oman), where I can save enough money to pay back what I've borrowed from my parents, and then save money for whatever my next stage in life is. But those tend to require about 3-5 years more experience than I have.

Now I'm wondering if there exists a country where:
1. I can get a job with TESOL, degree, and one year experience.
2. I can save enough money to travel internally and buy a plane ticket home and back (or where the plane ticket is paid). I don't drink, smoke, or engage in vices other than gluttony, so my cost of living is probably lower than for a lot of expats.
3. Find a job where I'm not dealing with being ripped off (which I hear is the problem with China, which otherwise meets my criteria).
4. Ideally, teach adults. Failing that, teach children who are easier to deal with than Korean children.

Thanks and regards,
~Q

[artemisia]

How long have you been in Turkey? I haven't worked in either Turkey or the Middle East, so I�m just going to make some general comments. You�ll find that all countries and all workplaces will have their drawbacks, some of course more than others. The question is to what extent you�re willing to compromise to get (a) sufficient experience for where you�re aiming for and (b) sufficient qualifications.

The risk of continually uprooting is that you�ll (not you personally) never get settled long enough to make decent local contacts and get the experience you need to move onto something better in the place where you�re currently working. It may not look great on a CV either, though it probably depends where you ultimately plan to be. Unless Turkey is proving to be unbearable I�d think about sticking with it for a bit longer and doing the hard yards. There�s no reason you couldn�t get back in contact with the school you liked and let them know you�re now available. You�d have to compromise on teaching children, but a day a week is not too bad. Otherwise (and in any case) just continuing to look for other work might be a better move before considering changing countries.

If you can get work with a reasonably low number of hours, then you could start looking at a higher qualification. I think some Turkish universities offer MAs in TEFL but there are always online options, though they may limit you in the ME. You should read those boards for more information on quals as that�s where you're hoping to work. I�m afraid it�s unlikely that a degree, TESOL cert and one year�s experience will give you huge options, but other posters might have ideas on the better country for work you�re seeking in the interim (before going to the Gulf States). In the end it usually comes down to who you�ll be competing with.

[voltaire]

Artemsia's advice is sound, but I think the whole reason for being an ESL teacher is to express that gypsy in your soul, and to go where the hankering takes you Or in the words of James Dean, to 'Just go...'

As for your points, Qaaolchoura:

[spiral78]

[ecocks]

As others point out, many EFL teachers "wander" a bit before either returning to the world for regular jobs or settling in for an extended period in a more comfortable situation. Not many land their dream job right out of their CELTA program or completing their MA, Then again, neither do most people in any other profession.

A part of the EFL process is getting you feet on the ground in a location and learning how thing work that first year or two. After the first year most reasonably social teachers have made contacts among schools, other teachers and their student communities to pick a better place to work the next year or build their own group of private students. Moving to a new country every year delays this settling down a bit obviously.

If the thirst for adventure is yet to be quenched then spend another year or two drifting. Reading these boards should tell you the story on the school owners/managers and general working conditions. Finding that magic, golden employer who values you, pays you well, backs you in disciplinary decisions, schedules you when you want (but still finds you 20 hours or so), whatever, is the mythical dream many are pursuing.

I also prefer teaching adults, loved having control of my own schedule and getting to cherry-pick who I would work with as students, but it tool me three years to get there and then a family health issue screwed it all up. You're simply going to have to prioritize your wants/desires and develop a plan to implement them. That seems to be the process.

Best of Luck.

[naturegirl321]

I used to think that travelling every couple of years would be great, but now that I have a very good job offer in a nearby country I'm contemplating staying put. Why? Becuase I don't want to deal with the move, meeting new friends, having to find my way around a new place, etc. Not to mention start-up costs.