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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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 Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:20 am Post subject: |
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Dude!
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| I'm not really looking to make a career out of Vancouver's eikaiwa's schools. |
In Vancouver, the major ESL schools don't teach 'eikaiwa' or conversation skills. That's not what the students pay for. The significant ones usually have mixed skills classes aimed at increasing the students' grammar, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills so that they can pass TOEIC, TOEFL, university language index tests, and Cambridge certificate programs.
About getting laid off in the winter - I met some teachers who took off for jobs in Mexico and central America for a few months (other industries or teaching English) in the winter, then returned to Vancouver schools when they got busy. |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:39 am Post subject: |
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| Any info on Australia? I guess the situation is not that different. When I do go back I plan on doing a short course so I can work while I do further study. |
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Jon Taylor
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 238
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:57 am Post subject: |
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I have looked into what is required to teach ESL in England.
You have to have a educationally recognised degree and without that it is difficult to find a job. |
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craven
Joined: 17 Dec 2004
Posts: 130
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| Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:04 am Post subject: |
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That's good to know...it wouldn't make much sense to be teaching "conversation" in an ESL environment (as opposed to Japan, where the hour a week you spend talking with your student is often the only exposure to spoken english they get). I love speaking Japanese with friends, but when I go to my lesson, I expect to study grammar, kanji, and in the fall, test-preparation materials!
How open are schools to taking on part timers...as in people not interested in working more than 10 hours a week?
ps. Tokyo Liz, thanks for all this...you're a great source of info!! |
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womblingfree
Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 826
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| Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| craven wrote: |
| ..it wouldn't make much sense to be teaching "conversation" in an ESL environment (as opposed to Japan, where the hour a week you spend talking with your student is often the only exposure to spoken english they get). |
I wouldn't say that eikaiwa lessons teach conversation at all. They teach pattern sentences in a very unnatural way. It's a terrible way of studying.
Also ESL students often live in communities or households where little or no English is spoken. |
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supervisor133
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
Posts: 35
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:57 am Post subject: |
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| markle wrote: |
| Any info on Australia? I guess the situation is not that different. When I do go back I plan on doing a short course so I can work while I do further study. |
Markle, you will need a bare minimum CELTA/TEFL cert. to find ESL employment here. I'm sure someone can point to some random situation where they didn't need it, but this is mostly the deal. The two most common opportunities are with private language schools (around $30-35AUD/hr) or at university-attached language centres (around $50AUD/hr). The majority of the work is casual or emergency teaching work (ET). At the above rates you can probably live off this as a student assuming you get enough hours, of which there is zero guarantee.
It is very hard to find contract work (at a reputable place) here and it's highly competitive. From Nov - Feb just about every language centre is looking for people, due to the impending university year beginning and foreign universities sending their students on "Winter" programs. But often by March the number of students declines, and the majority of the new teachers, barring those that are seen as a worthwhile investment, are relegated to sporadic emergency work.
Also it really depends on the course you are doing as to whether you will be able to work or not. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:36 am Post subject: |
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Craven,
You are most welcome 
I don't know about 10 hours a week...I'd say talk to some of the schools to see how they break down full- and part-time work schedules. Some let you teach only mornings or only afternoons, others have a block schedule.
When I worked part time, it worked out to either 15 hours mornings, or 12 hours afternoons. We taught only two classes, 9-12 and 1-2:30. |
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craven
Joined: 17 Dec 2004
Posts: 130
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| Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:09 am Post subject: |
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Even working up to 15 hours would probably be ok...I suppose if I couldn't make blocks of teaching hours fit my schedule, I could always try my hand at private teaching. Again, since I'd be a student, this would be more to supplement my income than to actually make a living on.
When you were working, did schools allow you to design your own ciriculum/lessons, or were you expected to work from an established program? |
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