Job Discussion Forums

[seriouslydog]

In my opinion the three most romantic jobs on earth are that of international spy, nomad ESL instructor, and truck driver (the open road sydrome). And as of yet I have not decided on which one I'd like to be. However, no matter what road I go down -whether it's foiling diabolical plots to take over the world, moving from one exotic locale to the next, or hauling a truckload of cabbage cross country hopped up on zippers and trying to get my load in on time- there comes a time when one has to think of retirement. And so I wonder, living on an ESLer's wages, often times from paycheck to paycheck and scrambling to find extra work:
How do you prepare for down the road? Is retirement a consideration? What about investments?

seriously,

dog

ps I remember one time I had just made the west coast turn around, this was in 77, picked up some palettes in Santa Fe and took a few "co-pilots," the red ones, was talking to the windshield all the way through the Rockies, taking switchbacks in high gear with the pedal to the metal, made it to Jersey in 17 hours. Made the east coast turn around.

ps version 1.1 I have never been a truck driver or taken "co-pilots" or "zippers." Neither do I condone them. Not even the red ones.

ps version 1.2 But man, those red ones, they really take you there. They take you all the way.

[bnix]

Truckdrivers and international spies both make more money(!) than TESOL teachers.
Investments?The only places you make enough loot to afford investments is the Middle East,and some places in Asia. It is important to also have at least one TESOL option in mind.

[bnix]

make that one NON-TESOL option in mind.

[Shonai Ben]

Retirement?Investments?
Are you kidding?I am a teacher not a lawyer.

[denise]

Retirement? Investmets? Preparing for "down the road"?

I'm kinda hoping that if I forget about those things, they will cease to exist for me. (Wasn't there a Bugs Bunny episode in which Elmer Fudd ran off a cliff and didn't fall because he didn't know what gravity was?)

I have no investments, no assets, and loads of debt. And, sadly, no back-up career options--it's TESOL or bust for me. I have a spartan life to look forward to.

d

[Wolf]

I'm still pretty young. I paid off my debts and I'll finish my MA in a couple of years. Plans include taking work where I'll earn enough to put away for that rainy day - provided it ever comes. Acually, I'm kind of hoping that EFL might become a more stable job choice as time goes on. Korea only really opened up in 1995 or so - as I hear. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't remember a lot on the net about China four years ago - so EFL is in its infancy over here too.

I have a hunch that during my working life (more than 30 years to go bare minimum) teaching EFL will require one to have qualifications; and the better qualified/experienced the candidate, then the better the job he/she can get.

If not, oh well, I mean look at all those people who run off nad join nice, safe companies like Enron.

If all goes bust I'll go get a B.Ed, I guess. Or grab an MA in something else and claw my way into teaching "back home."

[SweetOne]

One option, though I am not necessarily planning for it, is to join an Ashram in India.

[nomadder]

I taught in Japan and now have some investments. I plan to make more when possible.

[Paul in Saudi]

Retirement?

Well, were doing fine; comfortable. Thanks for asking.

[senor boogie woogie]

Hola!

I have been doing ESl work for almost three years, in Korea, Taiwan and now in China. I am 36 years old, and I wish i discovered this field when I was in college. I would of been on the first plane out of the USA instead of wasting my 20s working stupid jobs in the US paying the high income taxes, social security, insurance and all that other c r a p.

There are jobs in the Middle East that pays excellent money. There are people who work in the ME and make enough money to travel to Europe of Asia in the off season.

When I was in Korea, I was making over 500 USD a week, without paying for rent, or insurance. Taxi's in Korea were no more expensive than they are in China. Cheap. Food cheap. So, it is not uncommon to save 1500 USD a month in Korea. That is 18,000 USD a year, 180,000 for 10 years. over a quarter of a million dollars in 15 years. That is not bad folks.

Taiwan pays about 1500 USD a month, but you get privates on the side. But you have to pay for housing on the island, and that can get expensive. In Hangzhou, right now, if your settled and can hustle and have the right personality, and learn the language, you can make 15,000 to 20,000 RMB a month (1800-2200 USD). You can do it now because SARS ran off all the foreigners. Learning the language, and meting people is the key. Living in a nice city where one can live well on 3000 a month with rent paid. Housing there is cheap too, maybe 1500-2000 a month.

The problem with my scenerio is that do people really want to live in Korea, Taiwan or China for 15-20 years or longer. I am married to a local here, and hopefully, I will be moving on within 5 years. But a stupid 22 year old kid now can have 300,000 USD by the time he/she is 40, if you play the ESL game right. This is why I hate that I didn't discover this sooner, and was not better trained to do the job.

ESL is not a deadend, but freedom and fun (sometimes)

SENOR

[Capergirl]

My plan is to get my MA in TESOL in the near future and continue teaching for a while. In the distant future, I can see myself possibly starting my own school. (Surely I'm not the only one who has thought about this?) Once my daughter is grown, I imagine I might go to one of the big money countries for a while to teach EFL, save some $$$, and sock it away in a safe place for tomorrow's tomorrow.