Job Discussion Forums

[jsbankston]

About the only family I have left is my mom. Though she lives only about two hours away, we've not seen each other in 2 1/2 years and often don't get along well. But since I am unemployed and am having all sorts of trouble finding work I am always having to go to her for money.

She is extremely opposed to the idea of me teaching overseas and can't see why I would go to the trouble of going overseas to "teach some Jap kid" and "live somewhere with no air conditioning and no corner store" when I could live and teach here. (Never mind that my math disability has kept me from getting certified.) No one in my family has ever understood why anyone would ever want to travel.

Obviously there are dynamics involved that only I will be able to address, but apart from those, do any of you have any ideas how I might convince her that this is a smart, viable career option and not an expensive, potentially disastrous pipe dream?

[Like a Rolling Stone]

[Like a Rolling Stone]

oh wait.... Of course, if you came to japan youwould need a fairly large initial outlay. Somewhere like 2000 dollars to spend when you get here. Maybe more. If this means borrowing the best thing you can do is look at various websites for companies you want to go to and find out just what you can earn there as opposed to what you can earn where you are

It's tricky to give too much advice here because as you say there are dynamics we don't know you have to deal with.

[jsbankston]

A few points--

1) Sadly, I'm not young. I'm 42 and have been under-employed and under-paid all my life, doing mostly jobs that have nothing to do with my abilities.

2) I think she meant "Jap" as a blanket Asian slur, or maybe it was because I had told her about a friend who had done TEFL in Japan. I am not limiting my choices to Japan, though.

3) I have taken two years of undergrad education work, but even if they did waive the math requirements, it would take two more years to get certified in Amreica. TEFL would take less.

4) I worked as a librarian and substitute teacher at a K-12 private school for two years and it was a miserable experience. Rude students, gossipy administrators and parents, unpleasant teachers, and double-measures of disrespect. I don't know when I've ever been less regarded.

5) Teaching overseas I would think--not too naively I hope--that the students would be a little more respectful than in America, and anyway, I'm really anxious to see more of the world and its cultures than are available in suburban Texas.

BTW, what are the "Big Four"?

[jsbankston]

Well, also I already have $7000 of credit card debt, and the bank cancelled my card. I can't even afford to pay my rent, groceries, and utilities at this point, let alone sok away a few thousand for Japan.

[Like a Rolling Stone]

Well, the Big Four are NOVA, GEOS, ECC, and AEON in Japan.

Look at the search function and find Gordon, he has a mini blog/site that is good for finding info about some places.

If you work in many places you don't need TEFL or CELTA. Don't bother with them yet.

[Like a Rolling Stone]

[ls650]

If I understand this correctly, you want advice on how to convince your mom she should pay off your credit card debts and supply you with airfare and startup money for teaching in Japan.

Or do I have it wrong?

[jsbankston]

Well, the dream job would be Paris, but I know with a non-EU passport that could be a problem. There are many nay-sayers on that board, but an expatriate friend over there encourages me to try.

I would be open to Western or Eastern Europe, Japan, Korea, maybe China and Morocco. Possibly Argentina. Maybe other places if I learned enough about them.

[Like a Rolling Stone]

[jsbankston]

Is650,

No, I'm not looking for advice to convince her to pay that off. She doesn't even know I had a credit card or the debt--she would've given me no end of grief about that. I am looking for a way to convince her that going into teaching English overseas is a sensible course of action and not some silly dream of a half-wit.

[ls650]

I don't understand the problem. You're an adult. Do what you want.

[jsbankston]

Just a sickening case of co-dependency, I guess.

[Like a Rolling Stone]

[JZer]