Job Discussion Forums

[tyroleanhat]

My brother has a master's in ethnology (which includes sociology, psychology, history).
German is his first language but his English is on a near native-speaker's level.
He is a drummer on a fully professional level, plays often in concerts and was played in radio stations with his several bands.
He loves teaching (no matter what), he worked a lot with kids in jobs other than teaching (for example worked in a refugees asylum)

He is a good lad but here in Europe people tell him that teaching witout an educational degree is impossible and that he can wipe things with his ethnology degree. But with 33 he doesn't want to lose another three years to study for an educational degree.

In theory I see lots of possibilities for him in Asian countries, but where exactly and how and what could he do?


Thanks in advance for any advice.

[doogsville]

I'm genuinely not trolling here, but has he considered seeing three years studying for a degree in education as an investment in his future, rather than a loss? If he really does love teaching, then that three years will open far more doors for him than three years working here in China ever would.

[nomad soul]

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

In a smaller manufacturing city where I worked, there were a number of German engineers who were married to locals and found themselves laid off. They found teaching jobs because of their excellent mastery of English and because of their education.

With a masters degree, he shouldn't have problems in a tier two or tier three city.

[nomad soul]

Plus, why not focus on teaching his native German? That could be more marketable than English, which is his L2.

[rattie]

He could consider teaching German or Music at a liberal arts university (Normal University). I work at one, we have majors of half a dozen languages, German among them, music, drama, photography, and even football!

A Normal University is basically a teachers' college...and speaking English is by no means the only skill that can find a person a decent job.

Suggest that he thinks outside 'the box'
R

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

He'd have to find a university that has a German Language program already in place. Not many schools will rush into starting a new language program with the arrival of a new teacher.

Though much petty negativity has been expressed about the university, he might want to check out Jiangnan University. It has/had 42-45 foreign teachers that taught a pretty wide range of foreign languages.

[tyroleanhat]

Thanks for the input.

What are his prospects at teaching (one day) at an international school? (he doesn't really care which subject he will teach ultimately)
Considering that he doesn't really have teaching experience per se -
Rather than studying for an educational degree, wouldn't it be wiser getting teaching experience onto his CV, by teaching in a country with loser regulations - and then trying to get into international schools? Or does he need a degree in education for that?

He told me that studying for a masters in education will raise problems in getting classes accredited, so it will probably take 2 or 3 years.

[nomad soul]

[lugubregondola]

He could eithet become a qualifief teacher at german schools
Sekunfarstufe or do a PGCE in the uk which is one year not three.
you don't need more than a year extra once you've got a degree to teach
in the uk. He will have to do his nqt year after getting a PGCE
but then he could apply to international schools. They accept uk teachers with a degree pgce qts and a few years experience