Job Discussion Forums

[jsbankston]

I'm 42, single, have a BA with a double major in English and history, and live in Austin,Tx. I don't have a Master's and have no plans of pursuing one. I have been mostly underemployed all my life, doing things that have little to do with my skills. I have, however, worked as a journalist, both salaried and freelance, and worked two years as Librarian and substitute teacher at a K-12 private school, though I really did more baby-sitting there than teaching.

I took my first major trip out of the country six months ago, going to Paris. I met up with an expatriated journalist friend who lives there and he said if nothing else I should look into teaching in Paris. He sent me these links yesterday:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications
/magazine/0411/teaching_english_in_paris_france.shtml

http://www.wallstreetinstitute.com/

www.berlitz.com,
www.oise.com,
www.inlingua-paris.com,
www.els-france.com.

But from what I gather from this site, as opposed to the first article, it's devilishly hard to land a job in Western Europe.

I found Europe very much to my liking and have gotten really tired of suburban America and would like to break away and see more of the world.

My trip was such a big deal to me I wrote a book about it and am looking for an agent to shop it around.

I was thinking teaching English overseas might be an interesting way to live and gather material for future books. I know a little Spanish, French, and liturgical Latin, but have never had much ability with languages.

I'd like to take a TEFL course, though I have no money right now and $7000 in credit card debt (and a cancelled credit card as a result).

I could see myself teaching in Europe, Japan, maybe Argentina, Morocco, or something.

+Are there good TEFL school all over the country, or would I have to move to Chicago or San Francisco for it?

+Would my lack of a Master's be a problem? It sure sounds like a lot of people on this site have advanced degrees.

+I realize I can't take all my possessions with me (I have a huge number of books and movies), but at the same time I have trouble imagining getting 1-2 years worth of stuff into two suitcases. I am mainly interested in transporting books that would not be easy to find. How do you determine what to take and leave?

I no dount will have many more questions, but am pleased there is such a resource here.

[denise]

If you've got credit card debt, Japan would be the best option out of those you listed. Credit card or other debts + visa issues can really limit you.

How long do you plan on living/teaching abroad? If you only want to do it for a year or so and if you are more interested in the "living abroad" aspect (e.g., to gather material for another book), I'd say you don't really need an MA. MAs are great tools if you plan on making a long-term career out of TEFL, but not necessary for shorter stints.

I've never looked seriously into teaching in Western Europe (expanding now to Central and Eastern, sadly!) because of the visa restrictions, but there certainly are Americans living and working there. I think there is still a bit of under-the-table work, but I don't know much about it...

Regarding what to take... I still have boxes and boxes of books in storage somewhere in San Francisco. They just take up too much packing space, and weight limits on airlines seem to be lower every time I fly. Take the ones that you absolutely cannot live without, and make sure you've got a good friend at home who can mail you anything else that you need. Depending on where you end up and what salary you get, you may also be able to order things online. In Japan, I was constantly ordering things through amazon.com and having them shipped overseas. And keep in mind that in big cities there will be English book stores. Expensive, though.

good luck,
d

[jsbankston]

I keep coming across the phrase "Visa issues." What might some of them be for me, based on what I've said about myself? My family has been in America for about 300 years now.

Would credit card debt cause the authorities to prevent me from leaving or something?

I might consider teaching for more than two years. I have little keeping me here in the US.

Is an MA a big be-all, end-all thing I'd need to have? The reason I say is a) I can't afford grad school, b) I don't want to take two or so years to do that, and only then go off and teach, and c) I have a severe math disability, and so wouldn;t be able to pass the math portion of the GRE. My university even waived my math requirement in my degree plan because of this flaw.

Oh, and how long does it take to do a TEFL course? I got the impression they run about $2000.

[GWUstudent]

I just wanted to throw a few things out there. Regarding the debt, it won't prevent you from leaving the country or getting a visa, but Japan would be the only country that would provide a wage that would allow you to easily repay your credit card debt.

Also...if you do plan to make this a long term career, don't let the GRE hold you back. A friend of mine did her MA TEFL at S.I.T. The program is one year of course work and you can work on your thesis afterwards. Of course the tuition is not cheap, but the MA does open up doors.

[jsbankston]

Someone on an non-TEFL board told me that with my double major, and other interests I might be able to teach American/English "culture" courses in other countries. Have any of you heard of such a thing?

I'm an Englsh and history major with interests in art, architecture, film, nature, religion, genealogy, history, gastronomy, travel, pphotography, and music.

[Bayden]

[jsbankston]

Forgive me for my confusion.

What would determine why I would or would not qualify for a Visa? I really know nothing about that.

[wildchild]

jsbankston,

I would tell you to have patience; hopefully the more experienced folks here on Dave's will chime in (not to say that those who have already done so are not; um, well...

You might hear some things such as that you should pack as little as possible except for your laptop, you can get visas in the East but not in Western Europe, and that you should do your TEFL training in the country in which you wish to work because they often have connections with employers in the area.

I say that you should donate your books to the library and go for it! Books can be heavy, as you know. Donating to the lib is a good way of sharing. Just think, where ever it is that you decide to go, maybe someone left all their books there for you!!! Also, packing lightly will allow you to move around easily, if you should need to do so, also, you won't need to be paranoid about anything getting stolen while you're out. So I say, donate the books and either put the rest of your stuff on craigslist or donate it to the local info-shop.

Good luck.

[jsbankston]

Well, amassing a well-selected library is about the only thing I've ever accomplished in my life. I have over 10,000 volumes, so no, I won't be donating anything. It's not like they're a pile of Stephen King paperbacks--this is a legitimate working, reference library. It's about the only thing in my life I care about, and I will want to be reunited with my books at some point. Though I know I can't take them all with me on the TEFL adventure. Can I do without them awhile? Well, I guess so, as most of them are in boxes and not on shelves because my apartment is so small.

And then there are the thousands of magazines, the dozens of boxes of files, over 400 DVDs, several hundred video-tapes, the antique postcard collection....

[tedkarma]

[yaramaz]

I totally understand about the books- I have a vast collection in my parents� basement, waiting for my eventual return...No plans to sell them as the ones I have kept are ones that are very important for me. The same thing in Istanbul- I have an increasingly vast collection of lovely books accumulating there too. Its not that easy to get rid of.

For paying off debts, I know that no one, esp thrifty, will ever believe me, but I have saved a lot of money in Turkey. If you are willing to work in a K12 school (ie kids) or a university prep program, you can save a fair amount and still live well. I was averaging 800-900usd/month in savings this past year, and a few years ago, I was saving about 300-400 pounds per month(thats sterling to you, thrifty). For these jobs you need a BA and TEFL. The holidays were quite good too.

[jsbankston]

I have two main concerns about Korea, though: 1) I hear almost no one speaks English there and you can't find signs or anything in English, so it's rather confusing, and 2) I'm worried Kim Jung Il might flip out and launch a bomb.

There seem to be some people on this board complaining about the wages in different places. Do you at least make enough to live and get some traveling in? I would think it a shame to g all that way and not get to actually see that part of the world.

As for K-12, well, I worked at a K-12 private school in the US, with about 180 students. Some of the students were rotten, stuck-up rich kids, though. I may be naive, but for some reason I think kids in foreign schools might treat me with a bit more respect.

Yeah, I'll have to figure out where to store my store, ideally for free. My parents used to have a storage house at their place in the country, but my mom sold that property. I hate the idea of throwing away tons of money on a rental storage unit.

[tedkarma]

[wildchild]

jbankston says:

[i_teach_esl]

if i may add to the korea vote, you may find an employer who will pay your airfare, or reimburse your airfare if hired while already there, and it is common that they give you free accomodations.

i, as the other poster noted, have heard that in korea, saving $1000 a month and still have a comfortable social life is quite possible. do check out the korea forum.