Job Discussion Forums

[cspitzig]

I've recently heard about the situation with ESL in Asia. I've got a few questions.

1. Most employers seem to require a passport. I wouldn't have a problem getting one, but don't want to spend the money if I decide not to do this. I've heard that the bureaucracy with getting a passport has gotten worse in the US since 9/11/2001, and now it takes longer. How long does it take now? Will employers not even talk to me unless I have a passport in hand?

2. I'm nervous about scams. When I heard about this situation, I was just talking with someone in a bar. She said this site was reliable, but I also seem to recall something about government registration of the schools. How do I find out about this? Also, I'm wondering about other sources of information about scams. I read through the "SCAM WARNING: ESL ASIA/Jobs Japan/Japan Placements" thread. Similar to this, I've read that contracts in Taiwan, anyway, are "flexible". What does this mean, minor deviations are legal, but a salary being cut in half is illegal?

3. How do people who don't speak the language get around? I know there are buses and cabs, but if you don't read the language, how can you tell where the bus is going? I had problems in Pittsburgh with that last weekend. How can you tell the cabbie where to go?

4. Entertainment/socializing: How is it done? I've read that a lot of bookstores have some English books. Maybe like some bookstores in the US have books in other languages, but is the selection any good? I read a lot, and I can be picky. Would I have to bring over books or order online? For socializing, do most foreign English teachers socialize together or is English popular enough that enough locals speak it enough to socialize with me?

5. Relocation costs: What is the deal with paying for airfare? How many companies pay? When do most of them pay? Also, where are good places to go for cheap tickets? $660 is the cheapest I can find, one way, using the sites I use to travel INSIDE the US. If I can get the price a lot lower, fronting the cash would be less of a big deal, if I already have a job there.

[throwdownyourcrutches]

Dude/Dudette,

You have a lot more research to do and it can all be done on this site.

1. Passport. This is your first show stopper. This is abolutely required by a bunch of different groups. The airlines won't even let you on the plane to leave the country without one. If you happen to get past the airline, no Asian country is going to let you in the country without one. Most hotels will want to see one to rent you a room. To get legal work papers you will need one, etc.....

You can go here

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

to see details about the passport and how long it will take. They are good for 10 years so it is not like it is wasted money. While you are waiting for your passport you can research the answers to the other 4 questions.

There are as many answers as there are people asking questions. It all depends on your wants and desires. Find a place you want to go to and then research the details. Don't do it for the money, because there really isn't any pot of gold at the end of this rainbow!

[Jetgirly]

Come on, this isn't for real.

[fancynan]

Doesn't sound as though you are really ready to leave the country. Perhaps you should try some travel to see if you even like it. As for a passport, most people who love to travel can't conceive of NOT having one!

[Glenski]

1. Passports are good for 5 or 10 years. Wise investment even if you aren't planning to live and work overseas. Who knows if you just might want to travel? From the sound of things, you have done neither, so I'd recommend visiting first.

Where are you interested in going in Asia?

2. Scams exist. Got a question about a place or a recruiter? Ask here. Plenty of people to help.

3. Language. Pick a country and learn a little before you go. Without a country to go on, it's hard for us to help you.

4. Entertainment. Entertain yourself the same as back home. Amazon ships practically everywhere if you want books or DVDs. Just realize that countries may have different regional codes for the DVD players.

5. Relocation. Unless you pick a country, all I can say is "case by case", but in Japan, don't expect any such costs except for rare cases (and usually only for airfare). Most popular place for airfare in Japan is JET Programme, but like I said, it's a rare employer who pays airfare. You gotta be the one to show commitment, which means paying your own way here.

[Guy Courchesne]

[cspitzig]

I don't know why I wouldn't be for real. The post doesn't look like a piece of spam. I've spent several days looking through the past couple of years worth of posts on the newbie forum and the Taiwan forum, and these were the questions I still had.

Visiting first isn't really an option. I can't afford it. I'd already considered getting a passport just to generally "be prepared' for whatever. Not much money being around to waste, I generally try to be conservative with my spending habits, though. So, I'll probably get the passport, but is it necessary to pay the $60 to get the expedited passport, so I don't have to wait months before an interview will even talk to me?

I had heard about the JET program a couple of years ago, and liked it, but I couldn't afford it, because of credit card and student loan debts. Basically, money would've gotten in the way trying it. A friend told me last weekend that Taiwan and Korea actually pay enough and are cheap enough that I could put a nice dent into that debt, which is better than I'm doing now.

The thing I posted about entertainment/socializing was more because I suck at socializing in ENGLISH enough as it is. I've gotten a LOT better, but I'd hate to go back to periods of several days with as little conversation as I had back then. But, yes, maybe the "unrealness" of my post was just because of me venting nervous about being on a precipice.

[Jetgirly]

I think the long and short of it is that if you've never been abroad (as evidenced by the fact that you don't have a passport), have difficulty making friends and a trip to Pittsburgh stresses you out, the last thing you'd want to do is move abroad. First, get yourself a passport and visit a different country. Ease yourself into things. Stay at a decent hotel for the first few nights, then try out some hostels where you can meet new people and practice socializing in a foreign land. Then, go back to the USA, get your ducks in a row and start looking into job opportunities abroad (perhaps while volunteering to teach ESL in your home city).

Have you ever lived outside of your parents' house? If not, that's another thing you would probably want to do before going abroad. I wouldn't say that is necessary for everyone, but let's be honest - you come across as totally naive and clueless, and it sounds like you would need to do EVERYTHING possible to make the transition abroad easier.

[cspitzig]

LOL

I haven't lived at my parents place since right after college(and then for about a year and a half). I haven't lived abroad, but I currently live about 500 miles from my parents, and have for about 7 years. I usually visit for Christmas, and talk to my mother once or twice a month.

A trip to Pittsburgh didn't stress me out. Getting around on the bus system near the end did a little, because I only made the Greyhound home by five minutes, especially since they advise getting there like 30 minutes early. And, I only made it because I ran(with a heavy bag) about a dozen blocks, across a downtown I was unfamiliar with, instead of continuing to wait for the bus. I'm picturing doing the same thing in a city where I don't speak the language, and can't ask people for directions.

Actually, your extreme opinion of my naivete relaxes me a little about the idea of doing this. I've studied Asia more than the average American, but I'd say that I'm probably as clueless and naive about Asia as most people before they do ESL over there.

I may have trouble socializing, but most of the friends that have known me seem to agree that I'm a LOT better than I used to be. Also, I've read that shyness is considered a lot less harshly in Asia. So, I'm less concerned about socializing than I was when I moved here, and more concerned with socializing without knowing the population's language(s).

[tedkarma]

www.TEFLDaddy.com is written for people in the "still thinking about it" and "wondering about it" stages of TEFL.

You might want to try reading some of the 94 pages there - and then you will find that you can ask questions that people can or will want to answer.

The problem here is that when questions are so general, it is almost impossible to answer them without writing a book. Forums tend to work best when people can ask fairly focused questions - in part because most of us have, at times, written very long and detailed answers for people who never even came back to the forum, or who said, "Oh, never mind" or . . . So, you will find that people prefer short focused questions.

We all DO want to help - but you have to help us help you, if you know what I mean.

[cspitzig]

Ah, thank you. I'd looked for something like this on this site, but most of the information I'd found was in the forums--which IS focused in nature. I read through about two years of forum threads for the newbie and Taiwan forums, but most of the information wasn't relevant to me. Like I read about "flexible" contracts and getting airfare paid for in the forums--I'd assumed that most jobs pay for relocation. I'm just saying this because I don't want anyone to think I'm only asking because I'm too lazy to look.

But, yeah, most forums seem pretty focused. I've written out long things on other forums, to get no response, too. Generally, now, I don't type up information that is easy to find by just putting it into google, but I didn't find anything like that(other than this site, since I'd only remembered the name Dave from the bar).

[tedkarma]

[jwbhomer]

[tedkarma]

[cspitzig]