Job Discussion Forums

[ayre1818]

I am a teacher with two years of experience teaching English in the US. I am looking to spend one year (only) teaching abroad.

It seems like many people on here plan to spend or have spent many years teaching abroad, and I am wondering what the best options are for someone only looking to teach abroad for a year.

I am nervous after hearing about the downsides of the 'big 4' but I also dont think I will have time or money to spend just flying over and finding a job.

Any advice would be great.

[Glenski]

By mentioning the big 4, it appears that you are interested in Japan. If that's the only country, you might want to drop by that forum and ask specific questions.

If you want to teach only for a year, that's not a problem. Most contracts are for a year anyway. JET is one way in that pays airfare. International schools pay more than typical entry level jobs, and you don't have to worry so much about the local language, plus they usually only accept people like you (experienced certified teachers).

The big 4 conversation schools do most of their hiring in your home country, so the expense would be for you to attend the interview there, not in Japan. Time should not be a factor if you are serious about this, but conversation schools would be a major step down from a regular teacher.

[Justin Trullinger]

My experience is that, for entry level jobs, most teachers only stay a year or so.

Where do you want to go? I can't think of anyplace that staying for "only" a year would be limiting.


Best,
Justin

PS Ecuador rocks, for example!

[naturegirl321]

[Glenski]

If he is referring to big four in Japan, he means the biggest four conversation schools: NOVA, AEON, GEOS, and ECC.

[denise]

Every now and then you'll see contracts for two or three years, but the norm is one year, or one academic year. Since you're a qualified and experienced teacher, you really shouldn't be limited in terms of where you can go (unless you have debts to consider).

d