Job Discussion Forums

[Fawnderella]

Hello! I am interested in teaching English overseas but I have no idea where to start looking for a job. Are the jobs posted on this forum reliable sources or are there other places I should be looking? Many thanks. Fawn

[Guy Courchesne]

There are a million possibilities and just as many questions as answers...you'll get more help here from folks if you could add what kind of jobs you are looking for, your experience (if any) teaching, your education, and most important, where you want to go.

[denise]

This forum is fairly reliable. Also check out www.tefl.com.

As far as how to get started...

1) What country or part of the world are you interested in?
2) What qualifications do you have or are you planning on getting? (a BA + a TEFL certificate are good, and often required, for starters)
3) Can you work legally in the countries that interest you? e.g., if you are an American, many EU nations are off limits
4) How spontaneous are you? How comfortable are you with ambiguity? While it is possible to secure jobs over the phone or internet (that�s how I have gotten most of mine), in many countries it is easier to just turn up and start knocking on doors with your CV in hand. Which requires a good deal of nerve and patience!
5) How much money will you have saved up to bring with you? If you don�t have a job lined up before you go, you should plan on supporting yourself for at least two months or so. And even if you do have a job lined up, it�s best to have a financial cushion, because it can take a while to get that first paycheck. As I am discovering in my current job...

d

[Cdaniels]

I'm still a big believer in reading books on the subject! Books on teaching English in Japan are probably the most readily available (in the US anyways.) I started with "Ganbatte Means Go for It! Or. . . how to Become an English Teacher in Japan" by Celeste Heiter
You will be able to ask intelligent questions and not come across as someone too lazy or disinterested to do their own research on the subject. If you try and do all of your research by asking questions on this board you will eventually annoy people!

[tedkarma]

[Chris_Crossley]

One handy thing would be to get some information about countries you might want to live and work in and ask yourself some questions:

1. Can you live in the climate of the country (especially if it very hot in summer or very cold in winter)?
2. Can you speak the language of the country you want to go to, or are you willing to learn as much as you need for survival purposes?
3. Are you prepared to accept relatively low wages compared to what you would get back home?
4. Do you have bank loans and/or credit card debts to pay back? If so, can you afford to repay them on what you might get when you are in the foreign country? Can you negotiate with your creditors for lower repayment terms when you are in the foreign country?
5. Are you willing to put up with some restrictive laws, depending upon where you want to go (e.g., bans on alcohol in some Islamic countries)?
6. Are you willing to put up with possibly unbelievable amounts of bureaucracy compared to what you are used to in your own country?
7. Do you have any contingency plans for getting out of the country in case things go wrong or in case there is an emergency back home?
8. Do you have enough money to survive on, or can you rely on family and/or friends to help you with any emergency supplies of cash? Do you know how to get money quickly (e.g., post office, Western Union) when you are in the country?
9. Do you have any friends or family already working in the school or country you are interested in? What are their own personal perspectives of life and work there? Can you get into contact with foreign teachers at any school you are interested in working at?
10. ARE YOU READY TO GO FOR IT?!

There can be, and, indeed, must be, other questions you could ask yourself, but, by and large, you should be ready, in your own mind, to commit even a small period of your life for something that will stay in your mind for the rest of your life.

Remember, though, even if you are very interested in travelling within the country, you should bear in mind that the school that hires you wants to see a return on what they consider to be an investment, provided that you do go to a good school.

Not all schools are good and not all principals and managers have scruples; there are, unfortunately, some who are just there to do you the dirty by doing things like violating parts of the contract and getting away with it (e.g., making you share an apartment when the contract specifically stated that the school was going to get you an individual apartment, withholding your salary, deducting it for the flimsiest of reasons, etc), so watch out for those by trawling this forum for warnings by fellow posters.

There is plenty of advice on this (newbie) forum as well as plenty of country forums here on Dave's, so I reckon that you are spoilt for choice when it comes to getting information!