Job Discussion Forums

[John Hall]

[Will.]

For many of us, returning 'home' after many years away ...having fun and tefling we seem to have forgotten the first time we took a job offer abroad... and why. It was because it was an easy solution to our dilemma at that time. We wanted a job, any job and the chance to get experience or possibly to improve our sklils in the "real world".
Returning back to square one is not just starting again it is going back a step or two as others, who remained have gained skills in areas we have not. It is a struggle to catch up and integrate oneself again but far from impossible. It is not easy to blag a permanent or full-time job in the first weeks of return.

I returned, 7 years ago, after 20 plus years erranting around and went to an interview and got the job on the same day I arrived. I guess I was what was needed, one job followed another. Still here not great, not fantastic... Head above water though and only go abroad for paid 'working holidays' and to be the tourist.

It takes time to get back into the rut. You have to want it and be prepared to compromise on your requirements for a simple life and take simplicity to the limit because the money to do otherwise is quite often not available and you may be unable to do do otherwise.

It is just like going to work overseas...except you've already been overseas.....

[John Hall]

On Yahoo! today, I saw this article about in-demand jobs that one can get into with only a short training course. One of these might be a good idea for those making the switch from TESOL back to the "real world," and needing to get a fairly good paying job soon.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeker/tools/ept/careerArticlesPost.html?post=102

[Serious_Fun]

[QatarChic]

Everyone has a story- I tried to go back to the UK after my 2nd stint abroad- big mistake. I found that people were living off credit cards and working two or three jobs to make ends meet. Of course some people are lucky to find secure jobs, other not so. I decided to go back overseas and have been in the Gulf (Oman/Qatar) since then. I may go back after furthering my education- but not in the near future.

[gaijinalways]

It is difficult to make adjustments to different lands,, but yet many of us do it. My wife and I are still talking about when we will leave Japan, the actual doing might take a while . There are days I love my job, and then there are those other days where faced with schools that skint on tech (wired classroom, dreaming!!!), lack of space and excessive numbers of unmotivated, immature students who make me want to think 'vacation, soon, soon'.

Well, I figure, what other job would allow me some 6-10 weeks offf a year ?

[soapdodger]

I think it is really a question of "If you want something enough, then you'll get it". If living back in your native country is what you really want, then there are always ways of getting it, it's just that you may have to accept a lower standard of living than you want or think you are really worth. If you are after instant gratification, ie high salary and comfort, a couple of things are worth bearing in mind; that these things come at a price, and are they really what they seem to be? Many people do mindnumbingly boring jobs that they are tied to by living off credit to give an outward appearance of having a nice life. EFL abroad, if handled the right way, i.e. alot of DIY and a little slave labour, shouldn't be knocked too much. Most EFL teachers earn more than the national average wherever they are and for pretty cushy hours relative to the ordinary office drone. There's quite alot of variation in the job and you can meet interesting people in interesting situations. In the end it's very much a personal question of what you want from life.

[denise]

Well said, soapdodger. It's really a question of priorities--travel/money/security/adventure, etc.

d

[Zero]

Wow, some really insightful responses.
Nomadder, I hope I don't come across as trying to call you out. But I just can't make heads or tails of your situation because there are more details I wonder about. Your age, your nationality, what country you taught in, what type of teaching, your education level and major, what you might like to do for a career ...
In general, I would say find a high-demand career and get some education to attain it, even if that means some student loan debt. In the U.S., that would be the medical field ... nursing, radiology tech, etc. ... the kind of profession where employers are just begging you to come work for them. It's like one poster said: If you were a plumber looking to change careers, it would be the exact same procedure.

[nomadder]

Well I've been meaning to update this thread so now's as good a time as any. Met lots of people doing the B.Ed. Rumors say it has a small window of opp here as they retire some in the next few years. Who knows? Also heard how there's a probation/substitute phase that could last 5 years. Besides that the chances of getting in here are 25% according to the talk I went to and my teachables may need an update. It went from a 1 year $2000 a year program to a 2 year $6000-$8000 a year deal. There is the possibility of a 1 year thing south of the border(US) that some talk about. Anyway I'm early 40's and don't need all this foolishness and don't want to work for the Gov I've decided. What I liked about teaching abroad was the creative control. Besides, here add the poor discipline of kids and violent incidents and cutbacks forcing teachers to do more and I have ruled it out.

So I'd be happy to teach something else. Following interests in creative world and hopefully that will yield something else-teaching &/or doing. Enjoying it all and developing more skills. Uni is not the only thing.

Interesting to note that I've never had so many interviews that yielded nothing though most of these positions were below me and I just wanted them as starters(ps-don't look my age and dumbed down res but somehow got ruled out). Anyway we'll see what the fates have in mind. As I said I'm taking courses in things I like and couldn't take abroad. Finding out about a new scene but older than the average for a beginner sometimes. Hope I have something good to offer. Status Quo doesn't want me but vice versa.

Like they say-follow your interests. Would also consider opening a business. Anyway doing this stuff now and thinking I still may go back overseas to make money if I have to but where?

[nomadder]

Plus I should add that I'm being interviewed usually by people 10 years my junior now. It probably shows that I'm not the docile 25 year old I used to be.
When I have applied to higher level positions(tho still prob a bit old for them) I haven't heard a thing back.

So I think entrepreneur or learn new things and make new connections. I personally have had enough of uni unless I got a scholarship and preferably for a masters in another country.

Another thing-trying to volunteer-a thing I used to do for experience and references. Even need local references for that now. Catch 22.

I did have a successful interview by phone with someone from another part of the country for something that may happen in a few months and with very few hours. Wonder if I just don't fit in here now. Bit incestual. There are foreigners who move here and many start their own businesses. Hmm?

[gaijinalways]

Have you tried doing anything with Ebay since you got back? Many people do it as a part-time thing, it may help your financial situation until you get back on your feet. It's easy to get started, just go to flea markets and yard sales and pick up stuff you can clean up and resell.

Interviewing can be tough. I run into the same problems here in Japan sometimes, people who think they are 'masters of the universe' rather than simply bureaucrats whose power has gone to their heads !

[jammish]

I'm going to find myself in a similar situation, although I do have a very specific plan, which should still be open to me, of doing a PGCE back in the UK, then returning to China 3 years later and getting one of the really high-paying jobs...

[soapdodger]

If you are thinking about starting a business, why not use what you know and start an EFL business? I don't know about the States, but it is usually pretty easy to do...outlay is simply renting premises and advertising. Schools and colleges are happy to rent classrooms after hours, and if you work out your market right, advertising expenses can be kept to a minimum. Also remember that students usually pay upfront, which means cash in the bank from day 1 ( but don't forget you have to do the work later!) I imagine there are lots of immigrants in the US who need English, and there may even be government money available. Start small, look to giving yourself a living salary, and see what develops. If it's successful you may be able to finance your further ed./retraining. Who knows, quite quickly it might be you who is doing the interviews!

[worldtraveler11]

Hi all,

Great topic! I am a 45 year-old American female who worked in Prague as both a TEFL and Elementary school teacher for 15 months (having a teaching credential affords me a decent salary and makes me marketable not only in the U.S. , but all over the world in spite of my age...it also helps that I look about 10 years younger). My students were great and I met some other wonderful expats and locals, but....I decided to leave because I didn't like Czech culture in general. Since last November, I've been working in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as a 2nd grade teacher. I find the culture friendlier as a whole, but many of the Arab students are rich, spoiled, and have behavior problems.....sigh. Looking at the brighter side, the tax exempt salary, free housing and utilities enable me to pay off my debits; as well as, save a nice bit of change and travel during school breaks.

Although I am enjoying living the expat life and all that it has to offer, I am always thinking about the future and my eventual return to the U.S. As a result, I use SKYPE to keep in touch with friends and family members back home. So that I won't experience reverse culture shock or lose contact with the people whom I care about, I make it a point to return to the U.S. at least once a year.

To ensure a smooth transisition back to the U.S. when my current teaching contract expires in a couple of years (I still love teaching, but am getting tired of dealing with behavioral problems in the classroom...both in the U.S., and abroad), I am spending my summer at a major univeristy in the U.S., and pursing dual online Master's Degrees in Orientation and Mobility/Visual impairments so that I can teach blind or low vision children on a one-to-one basis. I am planning on returning to work in the UAE at the end of August, and will continue to complete my graduate degree courses online.

Since this is an area of special education in which there is a nationwide shortage of teachers, the federal government is paying my tuition. The money that I save while living in the middle east will enable me to transition back to the U.S. and support myself financially while I complete my internship working with the blind children prior to landing a fulltime paying position. Inshallah.

The bottom line is like some of the other posters mentioned, if you know that at some point in the future you want to go back home, you have to always think ahead and prepare for the next step beforehand. Even if it may mean having to go back to school and be retrained in a more marketable field. If you chose a field that is in demand, then the fact that you are a "mature" job seeker - such as myself - will not matter.