Job Discussion Forums

EricCC · Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 63

All good advice. Thank you. I have taught in a US high school for 13 years, hold two different teaching licenses in my home state, + TEFL cert + near MA in TEFL. My "part time" work was teaching adult ESL during the evenings while teaching HS students in the states. I really don't want to take on a serious job in that is was all a lot of stress. I'm not really interested in international schools at the moment in that I don't want the level of work, planning, marking, and extra curricular stuff.

I'm also nervous about putting my HS reference in that when the old management team I worked for retired, I had a big falling out with the new one's coming in - - and I made my thoughts on their management rather public when my contract was suddenly not renewed after 13 years (I'm confident I became more of a headache when I was gone than when I was there. Oh well).

I certainly don't want to present myself as being an expert in EFL education or that I should just walk into good jobs . . . but I met one guy who offered me work in the Kingdom for over 55K a year (I lost his contact when I closed down an email account). The guy only had a TEFL and perhaps 15 years EFL teaching in Asia. He didn't seem to have a lot training or passion. He was said he was making more than the 55k . . . and I believed him.

Anyhow, I'm just starting to post and ask questions. Thanks for the feedback.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I think it is unlikely that anyone looking at your CV will go back to take up references from a job you were doing five years ago. Can you provide RECENT work-related references ?

If your friend was getting that kind of salary it was almost certainly with a US military contract. Raytheon ? Lockheed (now closed).

EricCC · Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 63

Hello,

Not sure. He was involved in some type of teaching of troops out there. That was less than 9 months ago. I should have kept the contact.

I still have good personal references from the HS, but I don't want to name the school in that they could talk to anyone there . . . and some of those people would have bad things to say about me (like I blew the whistle on them when they were up to no good, then made them look bad for canning me. Funny how those things work in "education"). Anyhow, this is only 18 months ago and I'm only on my first contract since that time.

I guess I'm looking for the faster, easier cash in that Korea is not paying me enough to make debt go way.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

This post shows how deeply ingrained is the myth that huge sums of money can be earned and saved by teachers in Saudi and the other Gulf countries. There was a period (late 70's and early 80's of the last century) when you could perhaps save enough in KSA in two or three years to buy a house in the West. Those days are long gone.

EricCC · Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 63

Two years later and I am once again thinking of the middle east. I hope to make some contacts with people working with good schools / organizations. I work hard and try to get along with people . . . for whatever that's worth.

Eric

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

EricCC · Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 63

Thanks to the previous post. Sadly, cant afford (either time nor money) to be at the job fair you mention. Semester is in full swing here in South Korea. But, I will spend some more time looking at TESOL's website.

Anyone else who has some advice will be of much help too.

Thanks,

Eric

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

I don't think the majority of us got our first TEFL job due to any connections; we got hired by applying for positions the old-fashioned way. For your situation, I suggest looking at employment ads on the TESOL.org site and on higheredjobs.com as well as the various sites recruiters advertise on. Do an Internet search using Saudi jobs English.

When looking at ads, you obviously want to see if your qualifications match the requirements. If you notice that most employers prefer applicants have experience in a particular skill set, such as test design, for example, and it's something you lack or are weak in, then collaborate with the appropriate test design folks at your current place of employment and start incorporating that skill and knowledge into your teaching situation. This may mean taking on extra responsibilities and/or attending additional professional development, but the objective is to enhance and strenghthen your professional experience, thus, making yourself more appealing to the better employers. You're a year away from applying for jobs in KSA anyway, so make the most of that time by preparing yourself for the level of job you expect to get.

Be proactive and do a lot of your own research by scouring through this forum and using the Internet as a resource. Most of the questions you may have about specific employers, visa types, working conditions, direct hire vs. recruiters, living in KSA, gender segregation, etc. have pretty much been answered on this forum. In fact, you definitely want to review those threads you personally started a couple of years ago; you received some valuable advice back then.

BTW, you stated you're working on your MA while teaching in Korea. If you're completing your degree online, it could be an issue.

EricCC · Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 63

Thanks for the Advice,

My MA is from a real university in the States. I completed most of the credits there by 2006 before they even offered the online portion / option. In total, I would say that 20% of my degree has been done online.

In all honesty, online education, from my experience, is not nearly ass good as classroom time . . . nor nearly as motivating.

Thanks for all your advice.

Eric