Job Discussion Forums

EnglishBrian · Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 189

Absolutely. But when you're job hunting be on the look out for some of those smaller, quirkier places which might just turn out to have schools/jobs that are just what you're looking for. A good first job can,of course, make such a difference in determining which way your career goes.

Thinking back to what 31 said earlier, may be a good point about not having debts. I was 30 and debt free (well, small UK student loan I could defer ad infinitum on my TEFL salary) when I went into this. Places that pay enough to repay western college educations probably demand their pound of flesh but are still often more attractive to new graduates than good places with low salaries. Also, tho' it was a tiny one man outfit, my first job was advertised in The Guardian rather the internet. Some of the applications you receive sent out on mass by people on TEFL.com are just mind boggling.

babaoreiley · Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 39 Location: Chaska, MN

25 years old, no student loans, no credit cards, no attachments, footloose and fancy-free! All I have are some clothes, a passport, a few books, and a little cash. I'm ready to roll!

I just sent 21 CVs, cover letters, degree and certificate scans, and photographs yesterday. Hopefully, something really solid will jump up. Already got one positive response, and I think more will be on the way.

Thanks for the encouragement everybody!

Volodiya · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 7:16 am Post subject:

Anybody know what became of babaoreiley? This was his last post. Hope nothing unfortunate happened to him.

You out there, guy?

Cdaniels · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:21 pm Post subject: Slow down Volodiya!

Hmm, why the sudden interest, Volodiya? Does babaoreilley sound like a good catch? Laughing

I don't know how many first-time TEFLers are straight out of school, but back a "few" years ago, my priority (even for work) was meeting girls! Very Happy

Any line of work that brought me close to attractive women was good!
Might that be what newbies are looking for? Twisted Evil

Volodiya · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 3:16 am Post subject:

Yeah, I know, it seems sudden, but I had taken an interest in his efforts to choose a first posting and, some time ago, we had exchanged a number of PMs.

He hadn't picked up a recent PM asking him what had happened to him, so I decided to see if somebody on the forum happened to know.

Cdaniels

Sorry, but I'm not even sure if "volodiya" is a male or female name! Like a lot of Americans, I assume a name ending with 'a' is female, but I know several Russian (and maybe other Eastern European?) male names end in 'a'. You're concern is rather good of you, at any rate. I'm sure babaoreilley would appreciate it.

Volodiya · Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2005 2:53 am Post subject:

That looks like a mighty spicey dish you're planning to serve up there, Mr. Daniels!

Volodiya is a nickname for the Russian man's name, Vladimir. I lived and worked in the former Soviet Union for many years and, in a fit of nostalgia, chose that username.

Many Russian male nicknames end in "a"; I can understand the confusion, as that's not the case with many other languages.

London10 · Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 35

lady z · Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 39 Location: India

I am not sure where I am going for my first job as of yet, but I hope that it will be somewhere at a school that is relatively stable, that doesn't try to rip me off, where the working conditions are somewhat condusive to teaching, the environment is friendly, and there are opportunities to socialize with other teachers and/or local people, and where I can hopefully contribute in a positive way while growing as a teacher. Is that unrealistic for a first tefl job?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

Quite honestly, I was looking for a job that would allow me to get experience overseas and pay back some of the horrendous debt I'd built up living in Canada after a year long university certificate in TESL as a (wannabe) ESL teacher (wannabe because the paying job situation sucked- overseas experience is desirable, a few years overseas should allow an ESL teacher to empathize with what the ESL students are going through more) and working part time at a crappy retail job.

I chose Japan because I knew I could save more money in Asia than Europe (I have a EU passport as well, and speak French to an advanced, though not fluent level and German to an intermediate level) or South America (I speak neither Spanish nor Portuguese, however), I already had some interests in aspects related to Japan (traditional music, culture, martial arts), there was a language course available at my university (which helped enormously, although my actual grade sorta sucked), and Korean employers have such a poor reputation that I didn't want to go there.

I'm now in my third year (of the JET programme) in a fairly rural area (although I can get to a moderately sized city on the weekends by train pretty easily) and am trying to figure out ways to stay in Japan when I'm done (three years is the maximum length of time).

I'd like to do an MA in TEFL (and then probably settle in Japan), but I don't think I'll be able to afford it by the end of this year.

Chancellor · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:10 pm Post subject:

What am I looking for in my first TEFL job? Experience that will lead to improved TEFL career opportunities. I'm expecting to start out at or near the bottom and to work my way up.

As for where I would like to teach, I'd prefer certain Asian countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, perhaps Hong Kong) as I spent a lot of my former Navy career in Asia. I would also consider teaching in Mexico, Central America or South America. Have you noticed a pattern here? Something having to do with tropical climates perhaps?

Mark Loyd · Joined: 13 Sep 2005 Posts: 517

Where is up? I know where bottom is.

Chancellor · Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:16 pm Post subject: