Job Discussion Forums

[dillydally]

My husband & I are ready to pursue our shared dream/goal/adventure of living & working abroad. I am hoping for some advice in deciding if teaching English is the right path.

My husband & I are very interested in working abroad. We have pursued Peace Corps, but after a two-year application & waiting period (grrrr� a bureaucratic nightmare placing couples), we are ready to look at other options.

We are intererested in living & working abroad for all the typical reasons - we like to travel, we are interested in experiencing other cultures, we enjoy people, we like to learn ... and so on.

The problem is that I'm not certain how teaching will fit into my long term career plans and interests. I am very interested in community development work and eventually I would like to work in social policy administration or research on developing nations, most likely with a government agency.

We have discussed the possibility of teaching English abroad as a way to gain international working experience. I am worried, though, that this would hinder me in transitioning into another line of work.

I guess my main question is, is it possible to use teaching as a way to transition into government or NGO work abroad? Is it experience that will be considered valuable in this area? Has anyone transitioned from teaching into an area thay may be similar to my interests?

Also, we would like to know if it is difficult for couples to find work in the same area / school?

To note - we are from the US, and we both have degrees but no TEFL or TESL certificate. We are most interested in Africa (sub-Sahara) but understand that we are more likly to find work (need paying work right now) in Asia. Also, we may be a bit older than most. We are in our 30's, and wonder how our age may impact finding a teaching job and our long term career path.

Thanks for any advice or information you are willing to share.

dd

[Mark Loyd]

TEFL experience is only ''valuable'' in TEFL.

Elsewhere it is laughable.

No TEFL cert!

[Mchristophermsw]

I have a MSW (Masters in Social Work) and have done development work.

Heres my perspective (from experience).

A degree in Social Work, Social Policy, Sociology, Political Science, Psycology, Sustaniable development etc are what most NOG's and GOV look for as minumum reqs.

However, if you have a BA in something esle it is doable. I have seen people with four year degrees in other fields work for NGO's. However, to climb the ladder for higher paying jobs will require one of the degrees I specified.

Teaching is human service work (I can make a list of transferable skills such as human capitol management and development, assessments skills, linking students to resources, counseling and referrals etc) See, with the right wording and discription of your experience, teaching can be valuable and transferable.

Not to disrespect any of the others who answered you but as someone who was previously "in the know" in the Human Service field, your teaching experience can be marketed into a valuable piece of your CV.

Also, many NGO's teach Independent Living Skills, ESL and citizen prep courses etc. If you found a teaching job with an NGO, you can kill two birds with one stone as far as experience.

PM me if you want to chat more.

Blessing and MERRY CHRISTMAS

[Guy Courchesne]

I saw a young woman from NY come to Mexico to teach English with similar goals as yourselves. She contacted Amnesty International here and began volunteering her time translating documents. After several months, she was offered a paid position with Amnesty and she had also hooked up with a group called BioPlaneta...something to do with fair trade advocacy in the coffee producing industry. She had a degree in international relations.

I don't imagine it's an easy thing to do, but I suppose if you land where the NGO's are frontline active, opportunities may arise.

[dillydally]

Thanks for the responses.

From what I have heard so far it seems a bit of a mixed bag in terms of transitioning into a different career. Maybe, if I'm in the right place at the right time... or maybe if I can manage to find a teaching job with the right agency.... or maybe I'll be laughed at...

I should have mentioned that I am finishing my MS in Sociology, with a focus on Community & Economic Development (currently writing thesis). I have started a cursory job search but have found that most positions for which I am otherwise qualified (a few years work in non-profit/government before returning to grad school) ask for international experience. Teaching seemed to be a way to gain that experience and maybe network a bit.

At this point we cannot afford to volunteer outright. We could volunteer if our flight & housing was covered. Or we could work a lower wage job if there is a good possibility to transition into a career path.

Mchristophermsw I really appreciate your offer to chat more and will take you up on it. I'd love to hear more about your experience and am open to any advice you may have.

Again, thanks for the feedback.

dd

[Glenski]

As for Asia, Japan specifically, I could give you the names of a very few employers who have been known to hire couples. Otherwise, be aware that it will not be likely. And, for the few that I know, some don't really offer the chance to live in the same city, just a promise that they will "do their best" for placement.

For what it's worth, your credentials are enough for entry level work in Japan, which means conversation schools and the JET programme. Visit the Japan forum for more help.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

I've said this before, but I often see jobs targeted at couples advertised on the Korean Job Board, as well as many esl job sites. Korea may be more open to you and your husband, and you probably wouldn't have to wait so long for a couples position to become available. As for networking, who knows??

[Justin Trullinger]

Dear Dillydally-

SOunds interesting. Where would you like to be, long term? Teaching could be one way to get overseas experience, but I think you'll find it to be a benefit for your overseas experience to be in the same area you hope to work in. I don't know, but some Latin American organisations I've dealt with don't really see a particular advantage in having had overseas experience in, for example, Asia. (I happen to disagree with this, but as is so often the case, hardly anybody is interested in what I think.)

One way to make the transition pretty direct is to look into NGOs with English teaching programs. These can often be found as part of community education programs, particularly where internet based direct marketing of local products is a goal. (THere's more of this around than you'd think.) But if you're stuck on Sub-Saharan Africa, I'm pretty sure you'd be volunteering in the beginning. Another would be to look into organisations that do foreign volunteer placements and also have an English teaching program. It might be possible to combine the two in a half volunteer/half paid kind of way.

In general, compared to a lot of NGO/community service workers I've dealt with, you're pretty well qualified. (Just be sure to finish the thesis!) I would think that with a year or two overseas, some more doors can be opened for you. (Especially if you listen to mcristopher about marketing yourself right!) But go ahead and contact the organisations you're interested in, right now. Some of them may be more flexible about the international experience angle than you think. Or at the very least, they may be able to offer insight into how you should go about getting said experience, and can tell you directly in what light they would view overseas TEFL experience.

If the Andean region in Latin America is of interest, feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Justin

[eslHQ]

[dillydally]

Again, thank you for all of the responses. I have been a bit busy entertaining and visiting friends around the holidays, I haven't had a moment to check the board.

eslHQ - Thanks for the feedback. The example you shared of your friend using his time teaching in Korea to move into a position with the Embassy, with a lot of hard work along the way, is exactly what I hope I may be able to do.

Justin Trullinger - You raised some good points. I am very interested in development work in West Africa but I know that it is very unlikely to find a paid teaching position in that area. I am concerned that if I work in Korea or Japan, locations where I am most likely to find a paid position, this experience will not be considered of much value. If that is the case than I think I may be better off working for a non-profit in the States and, as you have suggested, look into NGOs with teaching programs. I'll do a bit more research in this area. And yes -

[Jazz1975]