Job Discussion Forums

[misstexas]

Hi All,

This may or may not make sense, but how viable is TEFL as a career? As a lifestyle?

By that I mean the following:
a. if one wants to have self-determination in their career, is it possible on this path? I've wasted about 10 years in corporate america, hoping to make it back overseas (studied abroad for a year and hated coming home). Everything I have done for about five years has been in pursuit of an international career. I figure that, if I am lucky, I could land a job in another country in, oh, 20 years. So I view TEFL as a shortcut to get where I want to be (out of the states). How realistic is it to think this way?
b. what kind of social lives do single western women have in other regions of the world? I'm happily unmarried and I'm not looking to get hitched to a foreign man, but I can't imagine going year after year without a nice dinner date or the occasional wild night with girlfriends. I'm very concerned that other countries don't "allow" this kind of behavior from 30 something women, or that it could somehow compromise my career. "Did you see the teacher kissing blahblah at the pub the other night? We have to fire her.", etc.
c. what about credibility? The only organization that I can find that seems to offer a structured career path is International House. Because I would be doing this for a long time (5 - 10 years), I need to worry about how to make my career move from continent to continent with me. I think.

I know that this is about teaching, and that I will be working while living abroad. That is fine. I enjoy work, most of the time. The fact that I get to do it in another culture is what's most alluring about TEFL. But this really requires an informed decision. So tell me what's what. Please. Any input would be MOST appreciated.

[Guy Courchesne]

Your post will generate a lot of different opinions..brace thineself.

In Mexico, and perhaps most of Latin America, I think you can achieve self-determination in a TEFL career, though it is much work, and takes a lot of flexibility. Starting out as a humble english language teacher/coach/instructor can open other doors if you look for them.

In Mexico and Latin America, you would likely have a very active social life . That's what this region seems to value most.

Structured career path and self-determination seem to be in opposition to me. Again, doors open when you look for them on your own. Otherwise, you don't necessarily need to join a large organization to make a career. I would argue that smaller orgs would offer more freedom or a faster rise up the career ladder.

2 cents

[ls650]

[denise]

What qualifications do you have? A TEFL certificate (generally four weeks, 100+ hours, supervised teaching practice) will qualify you for jobs in many countries. Some jobs and countries will ask for more--a DELTA or an MA. If you're interested more in living abroad than teaching, then these higher qualifications might not be worth it for you. I imagine that you can do quite well moving from country to country with just a TEFL certificate, although you might not move beyond teaching in private language schools.

As far as your social life--I've heard (mostly from folks here at Dave's!) that living in rural Japan means that your life is an open book and people know everything about you. I live in small-town Japan (not as rural as these other folks), and I have never had any problems. Sure, the foreigner community is very close here, the town knows we're all here, and gossip travels faster than the speed of light, but... Well, crap, this is sounding a bit dire now. What I meant to say was that it is still very possible to enjoy a little companionship without putting your job on the line. If you're worried, I'd recommend sticking to big cities. And not getting involved with co-workers--that can get messy.

d

[CDN Gypsy]

Im going to be swamped with read the boards more closer with this ----but

Can u work in Taiwan with a 2 yr community college degree and an accredited TESL course
How about Korea/ indonesia./ Malaysia or Thailand

Can the postions be set up from Canada or just do the walk in method for the job searches
If this can be set up from Canada ---what is offered, meaning wages, accomodations, flight buraries/ etc

Sorry guys--had to ask---so much on the web with conflicting stories, Im hoping someone has some answers

Thx so much

[marblez]

With careful planning, I believe you can turn an TEFL career into a TESL career based in your home town/country, specifically in a public high school or college setting.

It involves ensuring that your degree is in a relevant subject and qualifies you for professional teaching certification. I am not sure about all native-English speaking countries but in Canada, the pay is quite good.

This is the route I hope to take.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[sojourner]

Misstexas,

There is thread entitled "is TEFL a farce ? - have you browsed through it yet ?

I'm afraid that in many countries, properly-qualified TEFL people are not always highly regarded by many employers, esp. those that run "McLanguage"-type schools, as such teachers would not only have realistic demands re salaries and conditions, but would also be able to see through such schools' BS ("corporate vision", "teaching philosophy", etc).

Also, have a look at the postings re low rates of pay, etc, in many European schools. One could argue that such exploitation, etc, is merely the result of employers taking advantage of the Law of Supply and Demand. There must be 100s of 1000s of TEFL hopefuls wandering around the world, with CELTAs safely in their travel packs - some even deluding themselves that they are "professional teachers" ! Because many such people are grossly under-qualified, prospective employers will often treat them with utter contempt. Anyway, properly qualified language teachers (ie those holding a good generalist degree; a teaching qualification, such as the PGCE or Grad.Dip.Ed.; and either a DELTA or a Master's in TESOL/Applied Linguistics) would probably not want to work in most "McLanguage"-type schools - where one may be expected to use outdated SLA methodologies, with little opportunity for improvisation by the teachers.

So, if one wants merely to have an exciting time, for a couple of years, in some exotic corner of the earth, before returning to the "real world" (of "proper" career paths, mortgages, suburbia, etc), then TEFL work in language schools might be ideal. For the better type of language school, a basic qualification, such as CELTA or the Trinity College equivalent, may be necessary. Sometimes, a BA may also be required. But if you are looking for a definite career path in this field, you may need to look beyond the narrow confines of basic SLA, especially within a language school context - which, in turn, means working towards the appropriate tertiary qualifications.

Have you had any TEFL experience ? If not, why not do some voluntary tutoring work, with immigrants ? Then, if you feel that you enjoy doing such work, enrol in a CELTA or Trinity certificate course. That should qualify you to work in the better class of language schools. At the same time, you may wish to enrol in an online Master's programme in TESOL or Applied Linguistics. What then ? Of course, you could work in universities, teaching "advanced" English conversation, etc. But, there are other alternatives for you to consider, besides strictly SLA work. In your posting, you mentioned that you have had a number of years experience in the corporate sector. Do you happen to have a pertinent tertiary qualification, such as an MBA ? If so, you could combine such skills and knowledge. with, say, a Master of Applied Linguistics, by working in the field known as EAP (English for Academic Purposes), such as instructing business undergraduates in the intricacies of effective annual report writing ! On the other hand, if you happen to enjoy doing normal SLA work, you could advance in that field by doing either a DELTA or a Master's in TESOL - you would then be qualified to work as a D.O.S. in one of the better language schools.

Good luck.

Peter

[High Plains Drifter]

There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with wanting to travel, have fun and meet members of the opposite sex for romantic adventures in exotic places. You only live once (actually I don't believe that, but you get my point). That's certainly one of the main reasons I got into this field. North American, British, and Australian women can have a lot of fun in Latin America. Just be careful.

BUT, the problem is what to do 10 or 15 years later. For some sobering thoughts on that, I suggest you have a look at this thread in the Newbie forum:

Advice for newbies: CHANGE CAREERS BEFORE IT�S TOO LATE

[sojourner]

HPD,

The OP is, indeed, in an advantageous situation, in that she is still quite young - and is female ! In the world of ESL, it appears that there are far more male than female teachers; although, another poster to this thread has warned about becoming involved with colleagues.

You also mentioned something about the folly of spending too many years in this profession. In China, I have come across several female FTs in their sixties. Do you think that ESL teaching is meant only for those who are under, say, 45 ? Possibly, in many "McLanguage" schools, mature aged teachers may be perceived as being "unable to fit in well", such as in relating to their younger colleagues, or as seen as being incompatible with the modern, youthful image as per the schools' publicity material. Fair enough. Many mature aged people, due to their life experiences, have developed very sensitive BS detectors - thus, rendering them somewhat intolerant of crap emanating both from their gee whiz colleagues, as well as from management. But, at least in China, there is no need for anyone, of any age, who holds a degree, to work in a language school.There are plenty of jobs in the college/uni sector for graduates, especially for those who have had work experience in other areas besides ESL.



Peter

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[sojourner]

GBBB,

I doubt very much whether Canada is commonly regarded as being one of the most exotic centres for ESL work ! Go to China, Sth Korea, Indonesia, etc - the majority of teachers appear to be male.

Peter

[ls650]

[Guy Courchesne]

On that...

In Mexico, I've seen and met slightly more female teachers than male

[Deconstructor]

I've done TEFL for ten years. I did it only because I wanted to see and understand the world, and I couldn�t care less about having a �real career�. Besides, TEFL is not one. Working at a high school in Toronto and New York, that�s real teaching and a career. I wanted to be free and make easy money. What could be easier than teaching, especially grammar? When I found out that there was a market for this "profession", I felt I had found gold at the end of the rainbow! You mean I basically have to do absolutely nothing but speak my own language and explain its structures while MOD EDIT, drool over me because I was the first Westerner they had ever laid eyes on? PERFECT!!! One day (the day after graduation from university) I packed and left.

After I got to my destination, met all the crooks who had set me up, gave them their gifts (Mr. Jack Daniels), I finally met my DOS. She gave me the book Side by Side and sent me to class. That was the only book that I ever used for 13 months! Need I say more? Teaching in a small language school where rats were always in and the DOS out, naturally, I spent more time "teaching" in pubs then in class. It was a 13 month long party with pay.

I�ve been to, and have "worked" in, almost every continent and have met every nationality in the world. I can tell you this: I AM THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN THE STUDENT AND NEVER THE TEACHER. Anyone who wanted to learn English was welcome to hang with me. I always told them that the best place to learn English was outside class. In fact, the class was the worst place.

It�s been great; but when it comes to TELF, I saw that it was a dark place where the blind leads the blind. (I was of course one of the blind). What a joke of a profession some of whose members are those who couldn�t cut it back home, and having failed and exhausted every possibility, decided to become a TEFL teacher. Anyone can do it two minutes after birth. Anyone who takes this profession seriously takes him/herself way, way too seriously.

Having said all this, it doesn't mean you shouldn't get into this profession because clearly you want to see the world and, as I said above, TEFL is the best way to do that.

JUST KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN MIND:

Never call yourself a teacher.

Never get upset when your DOS is clueless, monstrous, can�t complete a sentence in English, and yet tells you how this language is learnt.

Don't be surprised to find that one thing most teachers absolutely CAN'T do is teach.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:
DON'T EVER DO THE CELTA BECAUSE IT'S AN EXPENSIVE SCAM. You will do your job much better if you don�t have the garbage put in your head by the so called CELTA trainers who epitomize cluelessness and are thicker than icebergs. Besides, your life is in danger of being sucked out by the boredom that they ensue.

Have a nice trip!