Job Discussion Forums

mykrobb · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 13

Greetings everyone,

Like everybody else on this forum I have questions about teaching English abroad. Ok, so here's my story, I'm a recent college graduate with no experience teaching and I don't have any TEFL/TESOL certification. I'm interested in teaching in Costa Rica but I am also considering some place more exotic like Thailand or Japan. I am ready to move out of mom and dad's house immediately and I don't really want to spend a lot of money on certification. Would it be feasible to get a job from one of these countries without certification or job experience or am I trying to have my cake and eat it too?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

As for Japan, it is very possible. You will, of course, have to start at the entry level, which means conversation schools (eikaiwas) or JET programme. There are only a few eikaiwas that hire from abroad and sponsor work visas, so if you are unwilling to deal with those, you will have to pack your bags and come here to job hunt, with about US$4000 in your pocket to tide you over for a couple of months.

Come to the Japan forum for more details.

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

Get certified-it will help in the long run.............

nomadder · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject:

Japan may be your best bet without certification though it's more difficult to get hired from abroad these days unless you go with a big company(not for everyone's tastes). Japan is also the least exotic of the three but if you want money it's the best though probably though the others have warmer climates and cultures-not so isolating. Obviously if learning the local language is important, Spanish will be the easiest. If you check back on the job boards there is a CELTA course in San Jose which could be of interest. Thailand is the cheapest of the 3.

Bethany123 · Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 38 Location: Canada

hey there.

From what I've heard you would be able to get a job in Costa Rica and Thailand without any experience. However, those two places won't provide airfair or accommodations and has low pay - so you're on your own with those, unless you're very lucky. I tried getting a job in Japan, I have teaching experience and a TESL certificate but was unable to because the minimum requirement is to have a bachelors degree.

Anything is possible though, depending on your connections and contacts. I would recommend getting certified because it will help you in the long run. I did mine through Oxford Seminars, and through their program they help get you a job. A month after the course I came to China. You could get a job here easily without any teaching experience. But without any teaching experience, how will you know what you're supposed to do when you stand in front of your classes? or are you looking more for a vacation to escape your parents?

shenyanggerry · Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 619 Location: Canada

You can get work in China if you have a degree, regardless of TESL qualifications. You can get work without a degree but your options as to location and job type are limited.

China is not a place to plan a career in ESL. The pay is too low. It is a great place to come to for a year or two before you start your real life's work. It's however a wonderful and very lucrative place to come after you've retired.

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Actually,
Th OP didn't say anything about China, but it's really NOT a bad place to start or plan a career in ESL.
Now that I mention it, the OP didn't say anything about a career, either.
Still. China's not for everyone, that much is true, and the pay isn't great on a global scale. But the pay is just amazing compared to the local economy. I know, that's sort of a stereotype in ESL, but in China it is totally true. It's not a good place to save much money for coming home, but it IS quite a good place for a career. It may take some doing to get a job that involves real teaching rather than the dancing-bear-tolken-white-face type classes, but if you go to China, you will find a job before you find a roof to keep the rain off. Maybe even literally. Then you will make good money at an easy job while you pursue more meaningful work, which exists.
Then you can work your way up to Senior Teacher, Assistant DoS and/or DoS, and you can even study for your TESOL Dip. if you want to. It's a pretty decent place to do all of that.
Once you have a few years' experience under your belt, you may even be able to find something better than Dairy Queen when you go home, too.

One other misconception about China that bears keeping in mind - the no degree thing is changing fast in a lot of areas, and already HAS changed in others. OP has a degree, so no worries. But as this is a forum, I thought I'd mention it.