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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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 Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:33 am Post subject: Fresh out of college, trying to decide on a country |
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To start I'm 22/m currently living in the US. I'm graduating in Dec. and plan on going to Thailand or Vietnam for my CELTA. I was then wanting to start teaching ASAP. My list of countries is as follows:
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Japan
- S. Korea
- Taiwan
(East Europe/Latin America?)
Thailand is at the top of the list because I've already been there and I absolutely loved it, however I've heard the teaching conditions are less than stellar and so is the pay. I'm not trying to get rich, but I will have student loan payments to keep up with on top of living expenses and (hopefully) saving enough to get myself re-situated back home when I decide it's time to return and start my Master's degree. Another thing to consider is I have a DUI on my record from 3 years ago, so I know that essentially eliminates S. Korea and Vietnam.
Also another random question I haven't found an answer to... how much is appearance considered? I am well groomed and put together and all that but I do have shoulder length hair and a nose ring. Will I need to remove the ring and get a hair cut before I start applying for jobs? It's not a huge deal really, I just don't WANT to do it unless I need to.
Again, thanks for any advice and help. I've searched around a lot for answers and I can never get a consensus. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:23 am Post subject: |
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Don't worry about the hair. Is the nose thing an actual ring in the septum? If so, get rid of it. Not just for a position, GET RID OF IT!!!  |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:31 am Post subject: |
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| johntpartee wrote: |
| Don't worry about the hair. Is the nose thing an actual ring in the septum? If so, get rid of it. Not just for a position, GET RID OF IT!!! |
Haha no it's just a small stud in the nostril. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:32 am Post subject: |
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| You can take it out for interviews and the job, no problem? It'll just look like you have a zit on your nose. (I've got a pierced ear [haven't worn anything for years], but I always thought that one of those nose studs would feel like a big booger.) |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:40 am Post subject: |
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| Come to Russia! Very democratic about appearance... |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| Sashadroogie wrote: |
| Come to Russia! Very democratic about appearance... |
It was my understanding that in order to teach in Russia you needed a European passport? |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Gonna bump this with another question.. What country will I be able to save the most money? I'll be needing to make student loan payments (roughly ~$500 a month) as well as cost of living and hopefully putting some into savings for travel/returning home. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| You may as well cross off L.A. and E. E., then. $500 usd equivalent/month plus savings plus travel money isn't feasible in most regions. You've just narrowed your options very considerably. |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| You may as well cross off L.A. and E. E., then. $500 usd equivalent/month plus savings plus travel money isn't feasible in most regions. You've just narrowed your options very considerably. |
Well I'm sure that I'll be able to get my loan payment negotiated down a bit via deferment, forbearance, and consolidation. The $500/month figure is just what they quoted me up front.
SEA is my first choice anyway. LA and EE are both kind of afterthoughts. My understanding is Thailand would be difficult due to low salaries while Korea would probably be the best bet. What about Japan/Taiwan/Vietnam? My only issue with those is I have a DUI on my record. I've yet to send off for any type of CBC, but I'm assuming the charge will show up on an FBI check. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:25 am Post subject: |
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| bansheebeat wrote: |
| My only issue with those is I have a DUI on my record. I've yet to send off for any type of CBC, but I'm assuming the charge will show up on an FBI check. |
Count on it. Even if an employer doesn't require a criminal background report, you may have to submit one when applying for a work visa/permit and vice versa. With that in mind, it's probably best to focus solely on those countries that don't require a CBR and hope that prospective employers don't need one or are flexible. That means you'll have to be flexible as well as to where you can teach. By the way, this topic has been discussed within these forums; do a search for posts on DUI. |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:32 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| bansheebeat wrote: |
| My only issue with those is I have a DUI on my record. I've yet to send off for any type of CBC, but I'm assuming the charge will show up on an FBI check. |
Count on it. Even if an employer doesn't require a criminal background report, you may have to submit one when applying for a work visa/permit and vice versa. With that in mind, it's probably best to focus solely on those countries that don't require a CBR and hope that prospective employers don't need one or are flexible. That means you'll have to be flexible as well as to where you can teach. By the way, this topic has been discussed within these forums; do a search for posts on DUI. |
I've searched for it a TON and read all the threads. Problem is that there doesn't seem to be a consensus other then "No Korea". I've heard mixed things about Thailand and Vietnam. And I've also heard some countries only require a LOCAL check (my DUI doesn't show up on a local check because it occurred when I lived in a different city, but it does show up on STATE and FBI).
I'm highly flexible about where I go. Korea was my first choice due to financial reasons, but giving that up isn't too bad. I'm also heavily considering Thailand and Vietnam, though I keep reading more and more negative things about both. So I'm really kind of at a loss of where to start. Right now my plan is go take the CELTA in Thailand or Vietnam, and then just see what happens after that I guess. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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| And unfortunately, visa and employer requirements can change (and do). So sometimes the best tactic is to just apply to those positions that fit your situation and see what happens. |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| And unfortunately, visa and employer requirements can change (and do). So sometimes the best tactic is to just apply to those positions that fit your situation and see what happens. |
Definitely. That's what I was meaning to say when I said take the CELTA and just see how it goes from there. I'll be sure to have all the necessary paperwork (diplomas, transcripts, cbc, etc) with me. |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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Another thing to consider is I have a DUI on my record from 3 years ago, so I know that essentially eliminates S. Korea and Vietnam.
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1. It does eliminate Korea. Although I seem to recall a member (NatureGirl, I think) posting about a friend with a DUI who was granted a visa by writing an apology to the Korean authorities and promising good behavior!
2. There are teachers with DUI's on their records working in Vietnam. The CBC is required for a work permit, but many, perhaps most, start off working without one; and through networking move up to jobs offering visa/WP assistance. After 6 months, the CBC required is in-country, and an FBI check is not needed.
3. You can work in Japan. I'm not sure about JET.
4. You can work in Taiwan, but not, as I understand it, in the public school system. Also not for Hess.
5. Thailand will refuse you if you apply from within the US; however, some have been successful when applying from a neighboring Asian country.
As others have pointed out, visa laws (and enforcement of laws) can change suddenly, so any of these could have changed in the past year or so, and you need to verify the current situation. Also, stop wondering about whether the DUI will show up on your CBC, and find out for sure--it's only $18. I've known teachers with DUI's in their past who nonetheless had clean FBI checks.
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Last edited by Xie Lin on Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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