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Suggestions for Job Seekers on Dave's
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hod wrote:
nomad soul wrote:
The Cafe isn't a travel agency. It's not helpful to state, for example, that you're looking to work near a beach in a country where the weather is warm year round, and where there are plenty of available singles to date.


What's wrong with that? If someone wants a beach and some nightlife, and these don't affect their teaching, fair play to them. You also never seem to get it that not everyone wants to teach until retirement. Many want to teach for just a few years before moving on. For such people, location will be more important.

As we get older, we have to understand there are young people coming along. Like it or not, employers and students often prefer younger teachers. If teachers half your age want to go snorkelling or whatever at the weekend, you'd best start accepting that very soon.


Let's be realistic. Those jobs near the beach with a lively nightlife and lots of other singles to date are in HIGH demand. If all an applicant has to offer is a non-related BA and perhaps a generic TEFL cert coupled with no experience and no connections.... then good luck to them.

Out of the other 300 applicants for that same great location job will be some certified teachers with certifications in EFL/ESL/EIL and several years of experience. Guess who will get the job?

Some of the applicants will also know someone at/near/affiliated with the school and connections trump qualifications in many parts of the world.

The best advice any of us can give is to focus on the job and let the weekends happen on their own. A shite job in a great location is still a shite job. Any job in a great location that will hire a newbie is also likely to offer a very poor work and remuneration package as a result (supply and demand).

2 good examples are Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand.
Prime tourist locations.
Expensive places to live compared to the rest of the country.
Gereric TEFL jobs pay about 2/3 of what you would earn anywhere else in the country simply because the supply of newbies exceeds the demand for teachers by about 10:1. Newbie teachers are just a renewable commodity (use and dispose) rather than an asset to be valued.

Move 100km in any direction and the situation changes. Cost of living goes down by nearly 1/2 and wages go up by just about 1/3. Don't take my work for it. Apply for a few jobs in tourist destinations and see for yourself.

I know the situation is similar in China, Taiwan, Cambodia and Vietnam. If you want to work by the beach you can expect long hours, lower pay and tourist spots are always more expensive.

.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hod wrote:
nomad soul wrote:
The Cafe isn't a travel agency. It's not helpful to state, for example, that you're looking to work near a beach in a country where the weather is warm year round, and where there are plenty of available singles to date.

What's wrong with that? If someone wants a beach and some nightlife, and these don't affect their teaching, fair play to them. You also never seem to get it that not everyone wants to teach until retirement. Many want to teach for just a few years before moving on. For such people, location will be more important.

As we get older, we have to understand there are young people coming along. Like it or not, employers and students often prefer younger teachers. If teachers half your age want to go snorkelling or whatever at the weekend, you'd best start accepting that very soon.

My full comments were in the context of this thread (i.e., suggestions for newbies seeking first-time job advice) and were as follows:

nomad soul wrote:
Quote:
4. Narrow your focus to one region or a few countries where you have the right quals and can work legally.

Adding: The Cafe isn't a travel agency. It's not helpful to state, for example, that you're looking to work near a beach in a country where the weather is warm year round, and where there are plenty of available singles to date, lots of techno clubs, windsurfing opportunities, yada yada. Seriously. So before posting on the Cafe, do your homework on what countries/region(s) you're interested in (and can legally work in).

I agree with suphanburi: "The best advice any of us can give is to focus on the job and let the weekends happen on their own."
.
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I agree with suphanburi


Thanks for that valuable contribution.

Quote:
Chiang Mai and Phuket


If someone wants to live in either of these for a year and knows the downsides, you have to respect their wishes. For me, both places are overrated, but maybe budding newbies (or their parents) are loaded. Again, not everyone wants to teach for decades. If someone wants to teach for a short while, why would they waste that time in Nakhom Nowhere 100Km from Phuket?

People such as Nomad have done this and that. Well done. Not everyone wants to do the same. I can understand that. Why people can't see other's viewpoint escapes me.
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hod wrote:
Quote:
Chiang Mai and Phuket


If someone wants to live in either of these for a year and knows the downsides, you have to respect their wishes. For me, both places are overrated, but maybe budding newbies (or their parents) are loaded. Again, not everyone wants to teach for decades. If someone wants to teach for a short while, why would they waste that time in Nakhom Nowhere 100Km from Phuket?


The point wasn't the downside but that is something to take into consideration.

The point was that there are 300 other newbies trying for the same job AND there are the downsides to consider. Chances of landing the job are slim.

100km means virtually no competition and only a 1 hour ride to the beach or the hot weekends in the club AND finding a decent job too.

Focus on getting a decent job rather than the weekends and nightlife.

Life as an EFL teacher won't be mornings in the classroom, afternoons on the beach and evenings in the dance club.
It is a M-F, 40+ hour job and then you get your weekends to travel a bit.

Life as an EFL teacher is NOT the same as being somewhere as a tourist in spite of what the TEFL course provider websites would have you believe.

.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deleted by me!

Last edited by nomad soul on Fri Jun 09, 2017 4:22 am; edited 1 time in total
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

#11 Do your own research. Some people throw advice around like confetti despite having little or no experience in the country they're offering advice about. Substantiated advice is great.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This thread deserves a recap. Smile

For those new to teaching:

When asking for guidance on your initial TEFL job, the suggestions/tips indicated on the first page of this thread can help others help you. In other words, when posting your request for assistance on where to go, the more basic info you provide about yourself, your teaching interests, and target countries you can legally teach in, the better others can help with realistic, doable ideas to get you started.

As suphanburi stated, focus on getting a decent job rather on how you'll spend your weekends and on the nightlife. (I think that's tip #10?) Research which countries have the environment and social and recreational activities you want, but that shouldn't be the focus of the job advice on this forum.
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