Job Discussion Forums

JonathanRossWC · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 36

Hey everyone,

I have been hovering around Dave's forums for a little while now, trying to get a grasp of TEFL opportunities in different countries, and would appreciate some advice on a few countries I am considering.

I am kind of torn between Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Colombia (or other L.A. countries)...strange mix I know, but I really find the cultures of these places fascinating. I would much prefer them to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, or the "usual" places.

I would be heading to these countries with a Bachelor's in Economics and Finance and a CELTA, with no formal teaching experience.

In terms of working legally and being able to support myself on my wages (meaning, not having to dig into my personal savings to survive), where do you think I have the best chance of securing a decent job and living comfortably? I am quite a frugal spender as well, I don't drink or smoke and would eat like a local.

I want to be able to support myself on my wages, but I do not need to make bundles of money. I will be coming with no personal debts or anything that needs taking care of back home in the USA.

I have heard conflicting things about all of these countries...Turkey is hard to work legally, Colombia (and the rest of Latin America) pays peanuts, Indonesia requires a degree in English (is this really the case?), and Malaysia is expensive.

Could someone, anyone, please shed some light on any of these countries and provide some insight as to where I should dive in? I would greatly, greatly appreciate it. Very Happy

In return, if anyone has any questions about life/work in Hong Kong (it's the only country I have thorough knowledge about Confused

), I'll be doing my best to respond to those threads on here.

Thanks a lot,
Jonathan

EFLeducator

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

What kind of time frame do you have? Visas take time to process, and you will need time to find & attend an interview, wait for a response, then decide yourself if they offer it, plus get your home affairs in order should you choose to leave. There is also the matter of when school years begin.

Would you be willing/able to go to that country to job hunt, or are you limited to staying at home and doing it long distance? (I say this because Japan is relatively expensive to get started.)

tttompatz · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject:

OP:
Anglophone passport from a western counter = check
Degree = check
TEFL cert (CELTA) = check

You can LEGALLY work in ALL of Asia.
Wages on the other hand vary significantly.
You can get by on entry level wages everywhere but you won't be living the high life alongside with those on expat packages (you'll be drinking local beer and shopping at the local grocery not dining at 5* hotels)

The best paying options are:Korea, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan.

The easiest to find work are: Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand.

Lowest start-up costs (rental deposits, airfare, living till your 1st payday, etc): Korea, China, Thailand, Taiwan.

The most daunting paperwork (for legal work): Korea, Taiwan, China Thailand.

*we can't discuss Korea here in the international forums. You have to go to the Korean forums for more specifics. Their paperwork is a pain in the butt but they are still gold for newbies to cut their teeth in EFL.

.

JonathanRossWC · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 36

Hi everyone and thank you for your replies so far!

In response to Glenski: I have no real time restrictions. I have a fine job here at home, and have saved up enough money that I could go to a country that I choose and job hunt there. I could probably go overseas and job hunt for 3-4 months before starting to worry about my finances.

Tttompatz and EFLeducator, thank you very much for your insight. I do realize that Korea is ridiculously easy to find work in and get paid well...should I consider it a fall-back, Plan B place to go? I don't mind Korea, but as I mentioned earlier I may prefer elsewhere (if possible).

I'd like to find a place where it's not difficult to work legally (ease of visa things from my perspective and employer's if applicable), and not being tied to one company on a visa is a huge plus, but not crucial.

Thanks a lot,
Jonathan

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

It`s been traditionally Japan and South Korea that have had both the number of openings available and high salaries. I don`t know if that still holds, but if those are the two qualities of job seeking, that would be the way to go.

tttompatz · Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:39 am Post subject:

JonathanRossWC · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 36

In response to tttompatz...whoops! Rolling Eyes

haha, thanks for the reality check. I don't know why, but I thought in Japan your work visa is not tied to a specific employer? I need to do my homework, obviously...

Jonathan

tttompatz · Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:36 am Post subject:

JonathanRossWC · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 36

Thanks again for clearing that up, makes sense to me. I really appreciate your post earlier as well about countries that are easy for start-up and paperwork issues.

Jonathan

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

JonathanRossWC · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 36

Guy - Thanks for your response in the thread! I've been lurking around numerous country forums on Dave's and saw some of your posts in the Mexico forum.

Would you recommend Mexico for a newbie to the TEFL scene? How do you like living/teaching in Mexico?

Thanks,
Jonathan

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I love it here...I've made my home in Mexico and am raising a family here with my girlfriend (we're both Canadian).

One doesn't come to Latin America and Mexico for the money though, especially just starting out. It would be a break-even experience for the first year for you in most parts of Mexico.

I recommend Mexico short term if the goals are to learn Spanish, to enjoy the lifestyle, or to gain some experience. It can be good financially for the long term but not without working on upgrading your skills and education.

I voted Colombia in your poll, since I'm biased towards Latin America. I think you'd find my description of Mexico applies there too for the most part, but you should get some of the veteran Colombia posters to chime in at their forum.

I almost voted for Turkey though...there's a good likelihood we'll be teaching there for a spell in the near future.

JonathanRossWC · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 36

Thanks for the insight on Mexico, Guy. Smile

I definitely am not averse to breaking even in the short term, but would like to be able to save some money in the long term, so that my years are not completely wasted financially. As you said, upgrading skills and education would open the door for better opportunities, which I am all about doing.

About Turkey, I would love to work there...I just hear of a lot of work visa hassles and immigration crackdowns. I hope someone with experience in Turkey could chime in here and address these concerns.

Jonathan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

In Japan, yes, your work visa is tied to a sponsor, but if I might clarify, here are some additional points.

You can quit or be fired and still keep the visa.
You can work other jobs at the same time as the one sponsored by your employer (within limits of the type of work visa you have, or outside those limits if you get special permission).
After a year, you can "self-sponsor" your visa, which still means having at least one PT employer vouch for you.

Come to Japan to ask more specific questions, but please read the FAQ stickies there first.

If you come to job hunt, expect 2-3 months and the need to bring US$4000-5000 to support yourself until the first paycheck comes. Come at a bad time of year and you'll lose time and money in the process.