Job Discussion Forums

[itinerantman]

This is my situation:
I was educated in the UK and am a native English speaker but have an Indian Passport.
I'm 55 years old and in good health.
I have a Bachelors in History but I teach English-I also have a Bachelors in Education.
For personal reasons I need to settle in SE Asia.
I have about 10 years of part time undocumented Home School teaching experience & another 3 years of documented International School teaching experience in Bali.
I would prefer a school teaching job over ESL but am willing to try ESL if required. Online teaching is also an option. I would need at least US $ 1000 + accommodation from my day job.
What would you suggest I do to land a job in Vietnam/SE Asia? I'm aware that many countries will only accept native speakers so I'm looking for any loopholes ie some schools bring in non native speakers under the category of Social Science Teachers and then get them to teach English. Lastly do I need a TEFL Certificate or is my Teaching degree enough? If not,which is the cheapest online recognized TEFL Course?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[mark_in_saigon]

Well, you say you are a native speaker, but then ask what loopholes will allow a non native speaker to get hired. So I suggest you clarify what you are really trying to say so you will get more meaningful answers.

Regardless, all kinds of folks can get work here, I know of one school where about half the teachers are not native speakers of English. I am not saying I think that is a good thing for the students, but it is certainly real.

I think your question about cheapest online TEFL course suggests your goals are not optimal. Of course, a lot of the guys teaching here are that way, how do I get the most with the least effort, or what is the best process to get by regardless of the lack of quality. It sure is going on, but I do not think it is the approach that gives you the best long term quality of life, or skill, or outcomes for the students.

Others may disagree, I think your education (as stated) would probably suffice already. I personally would not do the online TEFL, it seems pretty mickey mouse for someone with 2 bachelors degrees. Probably your biggest issues will be what you sound like (accent), look like (they want us to look Anglo), and the overall presentation you make: professional versus backpacker/non native speaker/whatever.

Hope I did not sound offensive, the judgments these people make are pretty shallow sometimes, so reality is what it is here. I don't think Indians are at the top of the desirability index in VN, I could be wrong, but I think their reputation is not that great over in Thailand, where they get a lot of them, and I suspect that prejudice is in place over here as well. My suggestion would be to know all this coming in, and combat it by displaying a higher degree of professionalism, rather than lower. Best wishes to you, we need all the better teachers we can get over here.

[Dekadan]

I worked with an Indian at ILA. While he did have the accent, his English was impeccable, and he was one of the more popular teachers with the students at the center. Part of this was because, as MIS suggests, he had a greater degree of professionalism when compared to the Anglo-looking teachers. Should you go the TEFL route, I definitely recommend this approach.

I can't comment on needing a TEFL certificate, but it does seem a little redundant when you've got a B. Ed plus experience. I would recommend applying for jobs (perhaps International Schools), and see where it goes from there. If you can't break in without a certificate, well they only take 4 weeks to do, so get one at that point (hopefully time and money is not an urgent issue at this stage for you). You could also do them in Viet Nam and potentially land a job right out of the course. There are some threads on here discussing the CELTA at ILA vs Apollo. You might want to check it out.

[skarper]

I agree that going with a big name school will help get you in front of students where you will stand or fall on your work and not your race.

Get a Cambridge CELTA or Trinity CERT from a good place - it will save you lots of hassle, open doors and you will not regret it in the long run.

The cost is moderate, but it is very hard work. B.Eds sound like they ought to help, but usually don't and can be downright unhelpful.

I have a PGCE which now and then has been useful for getting higher pay, but didn't help at all with teaching EFL.

[mrpoe]

I know of a couple of teacher, one with a French passport and the other with an Argentina passport who have worked in Hanoi. They both spoke English fluently with only a slight accent. Both met all other requirements for employment and were great teachers.

You should get your CELTA. You can fly here on a tourist visa and take a the course. I know Language Link, ILA and Apollo offer the course here through out the year. You can then get an entry level position at one of the McSchools.

I recommend Language Link. I've worked for them and was not disappointed. Great resources and professional staff support, and very positive work environment. After a year of two with a McSchool you will not have trouble finding work elsewhere.