Job Discussion Forums

[Amy-Marie]

I have a few questions about working overseas, hopefully someone will be able to answer them, or offer some advice.

1: What should I look for in a contract? i.e. length, rate of pay, accommodations, airfare, health ect.

2: I have a Honours degree in English, and have also taken an Education class designed to teach methods for teaching ESL, with this background will I need certification to get a job overseas?

3: What about my fiance? He only has a minor in English and a major in Criminology.

4: Are there any countries that I should avoid? Any that I should consider?

5: How much should I expect to make per month Canadian?

6: How do I find positions specifically for couples?

7: I have heard that when teaching younger aged children the job is comparable to baby sitting. I am actually interested in Teaching, what age group should I consider?

8: How many hours should we expect to work?

9: What is the typical mode of payment?

10: Do most schools take care of work visas? Or is that left to us?

Any general advice is also welcomed!

[Chris_Crossley]

Hi, Amy-Marie!

It would take quite a lot of space to answer your questions in any great detail, since there are so many countries to teach ESL in, so many schools to teach ESL in, and what schools offer may be different from what schools should be offering but do not.

This forum is quite extensive, and you may find the answers to questions about specific countries and even about specific schools from fellow posters in here. You may have your time cut out in trawling through the vast amounts of anecdotes and information that we posters generously provide!

Generally speaking, though, the answers to many questions are quite common. I will therefore answer your questions as briefly as I can.

1. See my thread called "Any questions? Yes, LOTS!" at http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?p=180385&highlight=#180385

2. What you have may prove sufficient already, but check with any individual school you may want to work at.

3. Usually, a bachelor's degree in any subject will do for teaching ESL overseas.

4. I have only taught outside of my own country in China (three years now and counting), so I cannot tell you if any countries should be "avoided" - if, indeed, any should be other than for the reason that it may be unsafe for citizens of Western countries to be there (e.g., political or racial tensions). As for considering any particular countries, there are many to choose from and I would not want to steer you to choosing China in particular simply because I teach here. It's up to you, basically.

5. It depends upon what the school is prepared to offer you depending upon your qualifications and any previous TESL experience. I am British, so I am not familiar with Canadian dollars (except when visiting Canada!). As a rough guide, at the primary school in China I taught at until recently, the salary of a colleague who did not have either a degree or a certificate to teach English was making 4,000 CNY per month. You can do a currency conversion by going to http://www.xe.com/ucc and entering 4000 in the "enter any amount" box, then, using the scroll bars provided, China Yuan Renminbi CNY in the left-hand box ("of this currency") and Canadian Dollar CAD in the right-hand box ("to this currency").

6. I would suggest doing a Google search and typing in "couples" as well as something like "teach English" plus any particular country you are interested in. Some ads do say that "couples are welcome" if they both want to teach ESL.

7. I taught at a primary school in the public sector in China for a year. It was a thoroughly rewarding experience. Perhaps children aged 5-11 would be your target group? I also helped out at some classes in the kindergarten section of the same school. They were good, too, on the whole.

8. Anything from 14 to 20 hours per week in the classroom itself. My previous primary school did not require the expats to do extra admin hours, but such hours were expected at the private franchised school I taught at before going there. Check out the ads of the individual schools.

9. Cash, though you could ask for your pay to be put into a (local) bank account if you want.

10. Depends on the school. Usually, you are asked to arrive on a tourist visa (L for China) and then the school arranges for you to have your work visa (Z for China). Some schools may even ask you to purchase your work visa before you leave your home country, but they would have to provide you with proof that you are going to work there, such as a formal letter of invitation. The school would then reimburse you on your arrival. I have been in both situations, and I have never had any problems either way.

If you have any more questions, you can always PM me.

Good luck!

[Glenski]

Amy Marie,

Your question is far too general from the beginning. Every country has its own answers. Pick one and read the appropriate forum's FAQ first. Working / Living in the UAE is not the same as in Japan or Spain or Bosnia.

You must also specify what kind of teaching you are interested in -- university, high school, elementary school, international school, conversation school, etc. Answers to your questions will vary even on these.

JAPAN INFO:

1: What should I look for in a contract? i.e. length, rate of pay, accommodations, airfare, health ect.

General answer: 250,000 yen/month, 1-year contract, possible visa sponsorship, no airfare paid for, 50-50 chance of getting health insurance copaid, furnished housing provided with secondhand stuff (you pay the rent and utilities, but no deposits).

2: I have a Honours degree in English, and have also taken an Education class designed to teach methods for teaching ESL, with this background will I need certification to get a job overseas?

No. An exception is international schools. Another exception is working for a university, for which you are not qualified.

3: What about my fiance? He only has a minor in English and a major in Criminology.
If he has not finished college, he cannot get a work visa. If he is Canadian, he can get a working holiday visa good for only one year, providing that he is 18-30 years old.

4: Are there any countries that I should avoid? Any that I should consider?

Can't tell you whether to avoid Japan or not. Depends on you.

5: How much should I expect to make per month Canadian?
See #1 and convert with the day's exchange rate.

6: How do I find positions specifically for couples?
Those are very hard to find. NOVA accepts them, as does JET programme, ECC, and AEON, but they have their caveats. Mainly, do not expect to be posted in the same city. It MIGHT happen, but don't count on it. Also, with AEON, you are not allowed to live together. Peppy Kids Club has been known to hire couples that are not married. So has MIL in Chiba-ken.

7: I have heard that when teaching younger aged children the job is comparable to baby sitting. I am actually interested in Teaching, what age group should I consider?
Figure what age in your own country would not be considered babysitting. Same here.

8: How many hours should we expect to work?
40. That's 25-30 hours per week in the classroom.

9: What is the typical mode of payment?
Automatic deposit once a month.

10: Do most schools take care of work visas? Or is that left to us?
Most? Hard to say. Times are changing. For those that do, you will have to provide some basic paperwork, then they do the same. It all goes to immigration, and you should expect to wait 4-7 weeks to get it. "Left to us"? You need an employer to sponsor you; you can't apply for a visa on your own without a sponsor. (Exception is the working holiday visa.)