Job Discussion Forums

amity · Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 72 Location: central Texas

Hi, everyone, newbie here.

I am interesting in teaching medical ESL abroad. I have 8 years of experience as a paramedic, and 4+ years as a medical transcriptionist. My medical-ese is excellent, if I do say so myself. I also have the resources to put together a course. I have taught medical terminology to native English-speaking adults intermittently during the course of my career.

I am willing to work most anywhere, long term or short term. I have a BA from a liberal arts college.

How do I get started in this field?

amity · Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 72 Location: central Texas

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darkside1 · Joined: 16 Feb 2005 Posts: 86 Location: Glasgow, Scotland

I taught in a school attached to a military hospital in Saudi Arabia between 2001- 2003 and they recruited esl teachers (male and female) to teach English to medical staff.

There are several hospitals around Saudi that recruit teachers and also in Kuwait (and probably in other gulf states).

You will, however, need a CELTA or Trinity Cert. at least and probably a masters (should be okay in Saudi with degree + Cert. + experience in the field).

Recruitment via online ads and also recruiters (which may be different in the US to the UK).

Pay and benefits generally decent; but the working environment in KSA can be challenging.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Knowing the lingo is one thing. Being able to teach it to people who don't speak the basic grammar is another thing. I work at a science university with a coworker who has an outside class of nurses. Tough crowd. Look on the teacher forums for someone named Melanie; she has put together a whole program and textbooks herself to teach foreign students in British Columbia.

What exactly do you mean by "I also have the resources to put together a course. "?

What country did you have in mind?

Breaking into such a field will be difficult without some experience teaching abroad, or teaching ESP itself. You will have to prove yourself or be very fortunate. I could point you to a few rare opportunities in Japan, but you don't qualify for the positions.

Look into EFL organizations that cater to ESP. Start with the SIG (special interest groups) of organizations like JALT or IATEFL.

amity · Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 72 Location: central Texas

Thanks for those answers. I am interested to see that even Saudi Arabia could use female teachers. That is good. I lived in Kuwait for a couple of years long ago, working for Kuwait Airways, and I imagine I would be pretty comfortable in such a position.

Part of the problem with me posting here is that apparently one can only register on one forum at a time, so since I registered for the International Forum I cannot post on the ESP forum (yes, there is one here).

I live near Austin, but I believe there is a CELTA program in Houston. I will look into it. Was hoping to actually get myself overseas and then work on the CELTA over there.

When I was a paramedic I taught med terms along with ACLS, etc. to the Fire Department crew I worked with. I have had 4 years of experience teaching secondary school in the U.S. and I hope this would carry over into working with ESL students. Sometimes a good attitude counts for more than experience!

Thanks for your help.

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

amity · Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 72 Location: central Texas

amity · Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 72 Location: central Texas

I just signed up for a CELTA, and also will enroll in what frankly sounds like a better course, a 16-week course, at the Austin English Academy, an Aston school (they say they are a big chain worldwide. Anyone familiar?)

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject:

Not familiar with the school chain-

BUt I wanted to chime in with this; I don't do medical, but have worked in ESP a great deal. (Lots of varied purposes, including law, metal refining, and air traffic control)

Knowing a lot about the field, as you clearly do, is a big help. But it isn't the only thing. Knowing how to create circumstances where students will actually learn what you know is the other thing. And for that, teaching experience is what you need. Even if you don't start in the ESP field. Because the fundamental processes of language learning aren't really different in ESP as compared to general English. So though a year in a bad Korean Hogwan probably won't help you much, a year in a good language institute could. CELTA, or another cert, by itself doesn't get you there- it really takes the cert, plus experience. (Remember that in ESP you'll be taking on a higher level role in the profession, and charging more. They'll want to be sure you're worth it.)

If you want to start directly within ESP, then I would recommend fuller and more robust training than a short course certificate alone can provide.

Best,
Justin