Job Discussion Forums

[Floyd_]

Ok,
well..first off i'm brand new here. And i have to say, what a fabulous community. You do realize your the nomadic peoples of the modern world?

anyway..I'd like to start in LA, i was thinking Chile. I have no experience whatsoever other than a B.S. in Environmental Science. I also do not know spanish

Is there a better LA country to go to other than Chile, one that is more lax on certifications?

Or should I start in Korea instead, get a job. Get some experience, get some certifications (i don't know all of them or what the acronyms stand for)..and then head out for more "difficult" countries?


Tell me what you think guys/gals

[Cdaniels]

I don't know what your interest in Environmental Science is or was. Maybe Costa Rica might interest you, or Mexico. Could you explain a little more about what exactly you're looking for in terms of money, quality of life, etc?
Certification isn't easy to do while working. You would probably need to take time off, probably a month or so, to get a decent, well-recognized cert.
Korea seems to be especially good for beginners needing to earn money, but I hear they're insisting that candidates have certs or other qualifications lately.

[Floyd_]

Well my interest in environmental science doesn't have anyhting to do with teaching english abroad. I just mentioned it so people would know. I see people talking about places that will hire you as long as your a native english speaker and have a degree. I assumed they meant any degree, or do they only mean a degree in english, language or similar?

quality of life doesn't matter so much, as long as i can save enough money to try out another country eventually

[denise]

You're right--"a degree" USUALLY means any degree. You will see the odd ad that wants a degree in English, but not often. A degree + a TEFL certificate (four weeks, 100+ hours of classtime, six hours of observed practice teaching) will get you a job in most countries.

You can find jobs that don't require TEFL certificates, but think about it... without the proper training (and a TEFL certificate is really the minimum), how prepared will you feel? It's not just a ticket to a job. It really will help you with the basics of teaching if you haven't taught before.

d

[Floyd_]

Yeah i have a few friends overseas that have spent alot of money on their english lessons. For some it has been a huge financial investment and i certainly would like to give my students their money's worth.

I had hoped to get a poor job oversees (by poor i mean low paying, since i'm not experienced) to help me get by while working towards a TEFL. Freelancing maybe?

I've seen a few people point out the advantages of getting a TEFL certification in the country they wish to teach. I kind of agree with that.

i guess maybe now i should be asking what is the best country to get a TEFL degree in (cheapest, easiest culturally)

TEFL international seems to be recommended alot, and so that would limit my choice of countries, but thats fine.

(sorry i've backtracked and moved this thread out of the realm of latin america)

[Guy Courchesne]