Job Discussion Forums

guanghoer · Joined: 05 Jan 2012 Posts: 8

Hi there

So at this point, I have a Masters in Education (TESOL focus), am close to an M.Phil. (Speech-Language-Hearing) and have a CELTA and have teaching experience (not necessarily just ESL/EFL) going back to 2005. So with that said, I was wondering:

1. I am not interested in any private language schools. No Berlitz, no Lingua, none of that.

2. I am also not interested in private after-school programs like hakwons.

3. I am looking for Universities, possibly research oriented ones, or international schools of overseas schools. I'd like to make at least 40,000 a year.

4. I am not wedded to ESL/EFL. If you think my quals can send me off on another path, feel free to chime in. Right now, I'm just fishing so excuse the disorganization of this post. What do you think I could do with my quals and where?

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

Got any publications?
What country(ies) were you considering?
Got any second language skills of your own?
What exactly is your teaching experience (subject, age group, no. of years)?

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

And also, which country are you from?
This has a bearing on your visa; the EU is much more difficult for non-EU citizens.
Also, there is a considerable difference between 40K dollars and 40K pounds.

Perilla · Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 792 Location: Hong Kong

And your age? May also be a factor ...

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

One (negative) point. I think Russia is out. Their universities generally want an Applied Linguistics qualification, not the TESOL option. However, the pay is very poor so they would only be of interest to you if you had plans for supplementary earnings.

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Sticking my neck out, I'd say you could rule out western Europe for any ESL / EFL type work at that salary level. Sorry to be blunt, but your quals / length of teaching experience would not be enough on their own to get you a stable Uni job - which are very few and far between. (Spiral might have something to say about Dutch unis, but forget about it in Italy.) You might get lucky for other ESL management type posts, but you'd need good contacts and an excellent value proposition to make that sort of money. (I'm assuming the 40,000 is US dollars.)

International schools may be a better bet for you. There have been tons of posts about these on the forums...

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:13 am Post subject:

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

I do know native speakers working in Russian universities. If you want to earn money, I think what you do is come to an agreement so they get you a visa and you do a limited number of hours teaching. Then you pursue other activities to make a real living. (You would still need to check if they will accept the qualification that you have.)

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:44 am Post subject:

Ah, OK. So they do exist. Still - not of interest to the OP I'd guess.

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

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

Ok. Wildly off in another direction: if you did research as part of your masters, how about research work? Here's an advert for research in Germany (this is no recommendation, just saying it exists).
http://www.research-in-germany.de/main/research-career-in-germany/62394/jobs.html?mc=adwords.E_Russia_E.Research_Career

guanghoer · Joined: 05 Jan 2012 Posts: 8

Hi guys. Thanks for the awesome responses. Now then:

Got any publications?

Yes.

What country(ies) were you considering?

Almost any. I had my fill of Korea. The Middle East is also probably off the table with some exceptions like Oman.

Got any second language skills of your own?

Yes. However it is a very obscure second language.

What exactly is your teaching experience (subject, age group, no. of years)?

I taught kids in Korea for 1 year. Taught college age kids in China (0.5 years), Eastern Europe (2 years) and now in the U.S. (4 years). Those four years are post-M.Ed.

And also, which country are you from?

I am from Eastern Europe. Live in America. When I mean 40K, I am referring to U.S. dollars. Since the dollar is being slowly destroyed, this seems feasible.

As to age, I'm 34. Freelancing is an option but in my experience, you need contacts for that and I don't have any in Russia.

What was your interest in pursuing your second masters degree---the M.Phil in Speech, Language, Hearing? That is, how do you anticipate using/benefitting from this degree (if completed)?

[b] I came back to the states and wanted to do a Ph.D. since my Masters wasn't getting me anywhere. So I veered off to speech and language since I like research and would be perfectly content in a lab as a language or speech science person. Which leads to...

http://www.research-in-germany.de/main/research-career-in-germany/62394/jobs.html?mc=adwords.E_Russia_E.Research_Career

Thanks for that awesome link. It's the sort of work I'd like to do.

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

Free-lancing: you build your own contacts. If you're in an out of the way place, then merely being a foreigner means you'll build them. In a major city with several native speakers, you need to be more outgoing, but it still isn't that difficult. I think most people starting out in Russia come without contacts and build them up within the first year.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 6:14 pm Post subject:

Yip. That's the way of it usually.

guanghoer · Joined: 05 Jan 2012 Posts: 8

True and that usually takes 6 to 12 months. One can't live on beets alone.

I do appreciate the help though. It's just a question of what is practical. A friend mentioned international schools. Without a state teaching license is that an option at all?