Job Discussion Forums

[cbashara]

Hello, this is my very first time to post here, although I have literally lurked off and on for the past 5 years! I've been interested in TEFL/TESL for about 10 years. My original plan was to take the CELTA course after graduation and obtain employment overseas....Well, life happened and I met a wonderful guy, got married and baby followed shortlly after. Now, I'm 30 and have never been able to forget this career field.

Although, I have never taught in a classroom I have 3 years experience tutoring both small groups and one-on-one sessions. In the past year I have built up a moderately successful private tutoring business here in Austin, TX. I currently tutor English, Social Studies and Essay Writing to students from 4th grade through college age. Some of my students are ESL students. Typically, I help these students with writing and grammar although I am not actually "teaching" them the language. These are some of my favorite students.

My plan now is to attend a CELTA course next summer and expand my tutoring business to include ESL as a subject and maybe obtain part time employement in Austin if it is available. My husband's work will most likely transfer him overseas in the next couple of years. I hope to obtain TEFL work while we live abroad although there is no certainty as to where we will be placed. We would be in any given location for 1 to 2 years. We are at the mercy of where his job takes us since it is the job that brings in the "real" money. Further in the future I'd also love to "retire" abroad and continue to teach for as long as I can. My husband and I have included this possibility in our financial planning.

Now for the questions...

I am trying to decide between the San Francisco St Giles CELTA and the Playa del Carmen IH CELTA. Can anyone offer any insight into these programs?

We have one daughter and she is not school age yet, but will be when we make a move. Are there many teachers on the board that have expatriated with children? Or do you know many fellow teachers that have children? If you have expatriated with children are there any specific resources that helped you?

I suppose when I think of TEFL abroad I think of mostly younger single people or retirees with few obligations and commitments. Is my impression true or false for the most part?

Thanks so much for allowing me to introduce myself and I welcome any and all comments, advice, etc.

Chandra

[Glenski]

Your avatar says you are from the USA. With no degree, people cannot get work visas in most countries, and Americans are not eligible for the working holiday visa. If you husband gets a job overseas, you may be able to get a dependent visa (so will your child), and with permission from the government, you would be able to work PT. Otherwise, it's a long shot, but perhaps you could use your teaching experience (although you said it wasn't official and in any classroom) to bypass the immigration rule (in Japan anyway) about needing a bachelor's degree. CELTA alone won't cut it here.

As for your child, you're obviously going to have to deal with daycare and schooling. Conversation schools in Japan will give you fairly bad hours to cope with sending your child to daycare and school, so someone would have to stay at home. If you could select a country, perhaps others in that country could help you out more.

[cbashara]

I'm very new to the forum and didn't realize there was a spot for educational background. I do have a Bachelor's Degree. I graduated in 2002. I understand most CELTA courses require it. Unfortunately, I am not able to focus on a specific country right now...wish I could! The St Giles people have been very encouraging of my goals....perhaps they just want my money for the course though

I am perfectly willing/happy to work part time and evenings both here in Austin and when we live abroad.

[cbashara]

Okay, turns out I can narrow it down a little bit...

The company my husband works for has offices literally all over the world, but the main branches are:

Bracknell, UK
Xiamen, China
Brazil (the state of Rio Grande do Sul)

I am aware that as a US citizen I cannot obtain legal employment in the UK. However, I look forward to opportunities in Brazil and China. Perhaps I will go post on those boards since it seems a bit slow here...But I still welcome any comments/advice here

[viovio]

For what I've heard, China is in real need of EFL teachers.
And I think that English is going to be a compulsory subject from elementary to highschool in brazil soon.

[Gregor]

Of course,
St. Giles wants your money. Every business in the world does. No need for eye-rolling over that. It's the beauty of capitalism - give people what they need, and get something in return. IH in Mexico is the same way. There would be no course providers if there was no money to pay for them.

That said - doing the course in Mexico years ago was great for me - it gave me an introduction to life abroad. It was great, having to deal with being the foreigner myself, and having to learn at least some of the language, and making temporary friends with some of my students, who helped me to get along in their culture.
But then, I was hoping to stay in Latin America. Still, you pick up skills (such as cross-lingual communication) that will serve you wherever you go.
(I'll never forget the amazement I got from my boss in China when I first arrived there. There was a screw-up in picking me up, so I somehow managed to find my way to my hotel, learn about the wonders of bai jiu, a Chinese hootch that WILL ruin your life if you're not careful, and get some laundry and dry-cleaning done before anyone managed to find and help me out. I spoke NO Chinese, and yet I was able to convey "launder THESE things and just fold them, wash and iron these other things, and dry-clean that stuff" with no real difficulty. I don't know how, but I can do it in any country.)
And Brazil IS Latin America, isn't it?

On the other hand, I have heard bad about WORKING for IH. Not about their course. But as a teacher, they evidently like to tear a teacher down and then build him back up in the image they want in a teacher. I really don't know about the course.

But St. Giles is great. I worked for them briefly, and they probably don't like me much (I left after only a couple months because I didn't want to live in San Francisco), but they were great to work for and run a very good course. So there you are.

Get a TEFL certificate of some sort. You can work anywhere. Hell, in China, if things go all pear-shaped, you could support your husband and kids on your salary as a teacher! NOTHING like what your husband will likely be making (I assume a good US salary in China), but I supported my wife AND bought a home in China on MY salary alone. So either way, get the cert. You MIGHT wind up with a fullfilling career out of it.
It will never be big money, but it will be steady work, and you might just like it.

As for who does this - "kids" in their 20s or retirees - yes, that's true, but it's changing. There are some of us who have made a career of it, and like it just fine. I turned 41 years old this year, and I've been in this field for almost 10 years. I met my wife in China (not one of my students), and we bought a home, as I've said.
In other words, don't worry about stereotyping. If yoyu like doing it, then go ahead. No reason you have to be bored while abroad.
Let us know what you decide to do. I, at least, would be interested to hear about it.