Job Discussion Forums

[Canasian]

Hi there, i'm a 4th year university student (University of Calgary) about to finish off my BA in Economics. I'm 20 turning 21 in February and I'm looking for some advice for teaching overseas.

During the summer of my second year, I traveled to Beijing (with my cousin) for about 2 months while I learned a little bit of Mandarin on the side. I am chinese and speak Cantonese (as my second language, although I can't carry a serious conversation very well), and the opportunity for me to go to Beijing came, so I went for it. That's the only experience I have living overseas, but I definitely learned alot then, and feel I am better off because of it. I loved that experience so much, that i'm really serious about teaching overseas after i'm done my degree.

Besides the traveling that I would enjoy, I like the fact that I can save some money and the independence (I live at home right now) that would come with teaching overseas. Experience wise, I worked at a Telus call center for a year and a couple of other odd jobs. I don't have any teaching experience. I haven't been certified by TEFL or any of those certificates either.

So based on that here are some questions:

1. What are my chances of getting a job? - i'm looking at Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea right now.

2. I'm not sure if I want to pursue a career in ESL. Right now, i'm looking at teaching overseas as a short-term (1 plus years) option to gain some life experiences. Is this okay? It seems that many of you are teachers and are doing it for a career.

3. How should I go about getting a job? - the only thing i've done is look into the JET program.

I graduate in the spring, so i'm trying to figure out if what I need to do to make it happen. Any thoughts, advice or comments would be great if you posted them up. Thanks!

[Gordon]

1. Chances are good for Japn with just a degree, nothing else is required. I do think a TEFL certificate would help you with your teaching, but many conversation schools don't care if yu have one or not. They want someone young whom they can mold, with a degree and energetic.

2. If you want to teach short-term, that's fine. No one has to teach for X number of years in order to teach. Yes, many of us are doing it as a career, but I would say we are in the minority world-wide.

3. If you want to be a JET, apply now as I believe the application deadline is coming up real soon. Otherwise, go to the job board here or other sites and apply to jobs you think you'd be interested in.

[lagerlout2006]

As a Canasian (I like that term) you might be picking the 3 toughest markets. Hong Kong and Japan are very competitive and Korea is xenophobic (to put it bluntly.)

Perhaps with your languages Taiwan or Guangdong in PRC might be better calls.

But try it--go for it.

[Canasian]

Thanks for the replies.

As for my choics of destination:

Korea - I am considering Korea after meeting many Korea friends in Beijing. I got along with them well. Also, not sure if it matters or not, but many Korean people have told me that I look Korean. I read something on this board about Koreans being quite racial, and I wonder how I would be accepted. Some of the horror stories that I have read off this board are a little concerning though.

Hong Kong - I have a relative who lives in Hong Kong and would most likely have a place to stay - which I know is a big deal with rent being so high.

Japan - I like the fact that it is a first world country and is westernized while it retains alot of it's own unique culture. So I guess I don't know much about Japan, but it just seems like a good destination.

I have also considered Beijing and Shaghai, but already having been to Beijing, i'm not sure I want to go back. The sanitary conditions always troubled me..... and I the three places above seem to be cleaner, and more westernized. This may not be true of Shaghai - i've heard good things - so maybe those are choices too.

Another question: when should I start applying or posting up for jobs? Assuming that I want to have a job in the summer/fall of 2005?

[Canasian]

[Dan_R]

Canasian,

Regarding the safety in South America, Ive travelled in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, and Uruguay, and it's my opinion that if you exercise common sense you shouldnt have too much to worry about. I never felt in any particular danger down there. I found most of the people down there to be very friendly. This is from the perspective of a 31 year old male, by the way.

[Canasian]

Thanks Dan.... the more I read about it, the more it seems like saftey concerns aren't that big of a factor. If you use common sense, like you said, most people seem to do just fine. Thanks for the reply!

[PAULH]

[Canasian]

Hey Paul H, I was born and raised in Canada. I'm definitely a native speaker....... the only time i've been off this contintent was when I was 19. And I speak english at home/school/work. By the sounds of it, Korea might come off my list, since most people are saying that I will be discriminated against.

As for Japan, i'm going to apply to the JET program, but if that doesn't work I may end up there anyways. I'll pm you, because the books that you mentioned seem like a good source of info. Thanks for the reply!