Job Discussion Forums

[saint57]

Hey E.R.

How the hell did you survive four years in Pattaya? I would be bankrupt or dead within six months.

[Extraordinary Rendition]

I survived in Pattaya by having steady girlfriends, and occasionally dating shop girls and the like, but I didn't usually find the latter very interesting - they're always at work, the Thai "work 14 hours a day" malarkey. I like my Thai girls speaking a good bit of English and westernized first, with some "knowledge, skills, and abilities" on the side, thank you . Having a steady girlfriend kept costs way down, and constant, thereby "budgetable". Hint of the day: have TWO steady girlfriends, one with her own room, and one to sleep with at night in your room, but be prepared for the consequences when they find out, which they inevitably will.

[Surfdude18]

Yes. I live well, have a decent flat, save money and still have a maid, eat out at good restaurants, etc.

It's a nice setup.

[sashajade]

[quote="The Lemon"]

[Extraordinary Rendition]

In this day of the internet, we tend to forget the printed page. "Teaching English Abroad", Susan Griffith, is a wealth of information, exactly what you're asking for. (Maybe there is an "s" at the end of her name, I can't remember.)

[sashajade]

I've read numerous posts on this site and a lot of people don't seem happy - particularly those in Korea. Unfortunately, I need to work in a country where I can earn enough money to pay bills at home.
I'm trying to choose a country to look for a job, but it seems like in many cases higher pay=less satisfaction. Is this true of your experience?

[sashajade]

Sorry about the last post. I meant to post it as a new subject.

[fat_chris]

[renzobenzo1]

[Kana65]

I've been living and teaching Malaysia for six years and I must say I love it!

I've had a variety of teaching positions since I first came here....From corporate training to teaching at a language school and also at the university level.

The best position I've had in terms of student interaction and classroom experiences is my current one which is teaching at an international school....This is because I can do a lot of things (such as literature, debating, school newspaper) that one can't do with non-native speakers of limited fluency

Regarding the United States (my home country) I just got tired of many of the aspects of life there (materialism dog eat dog etc.) happened to meet and marry a Malaysian woman and decided to give Malaysia a try

Best decision I ever made!

There are so many things I love about Malaysia (the food, the lifestyle, the people, the tropical weather, the proximity to other countries for travelling)....In my mind they far exceed the bad points

[Jati]

I agree with Kana65, Malaysia is a great place if you can get your foot in the door. I have been living and teaching here for 12 years: 4 in KL and 8 now on the beautiful east coast. Bought a house; plan on retiring. Recent election results give hope.

[Sparkplug Spirit]

Kana65 and Jati, what is the teaching market like in Malaysia now? I am looking to move there soon; any suggestions as to what schools i can look into?

I'm currently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. There is a very high demand for teachers, and it pays pretty well; I save about as much as my friends back in the US who make 3x what I do, but have to spend 4x I do. But, the economy is headed for a currency crash, so it might not be the best place to move to right now. Real estate is way over-valued and prices are rising every week. On the other hand, a lot of people (like me) are leaving, which opens a lot for other teachers to come in.

Just don't accept the first offer they give you for salary (unless it's an international school or owned by foreigners). They are keeping it low because they expect you to haggle with them.

[BOBBYSUE]

well so far i have to say I am loving Brunei. It's like a tiny, clean, safe little enclave in the middle of Malaysia and within easy reach of the rest of SE Asia. A good tax free salary, a huge house...and easy hours. I guess the only problem is you must be a state qualified teacher in the UK, Canada, Oz or NZ, even though the job is primarily EFL. This has stopped me getting some of my friends over. But if you've got that, Brunei is a great place. Much more relaxex than HK or Middle East and savings potential, IMO, better.
I was a little worried about it being a dry state and all that, but most of the restaurants let expats bring their own beer or wine (and give you and ice bucket to put it in) everyone has boze fuelled parties in their houses, and it's so easy to get into malaysia for the evening. I'm surprised there isn't more talk about Brunei.

[gajackson1]

Yep - I would second BobbySue's 'new person' perspective. Except for the job portion, everything here has met or exceeded my expectations.

Do be aware, as of the rewrite of the CfBT website, you MUST be under 52 years of age. These are the other listed requirements, and it is an involved application process:

* Degree from a University in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, preferably in English/Linguistics/Humanities.

* Qualified teacher status / teacher accreditation (PGCE, Bed, DipT etc.) or
ESOL qualification (CELTA, DELTA, etc.)

* Minimum 3 years classroom teaching experience including secondary plus EFL/ESL (an EFL/ESL qualification preferable but not essential)

For a time, CfBT/MoE were accepting applications from certified USA teachers. THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE! So, even if you meet all those qualifications, you are kind of out of luck - and, sadly (in my case / the case of other USA-credentialed teachers) CfBT/MoE has the majority of the job postings here. Trust me - I know.

I still have until the end of December . . . I know something will turn up, eventually. I hope it is in teaching, but there are always other options.

Cheers!

Glen

[celtica]

From CfBT recruitment info:

Due to Ministry of Education regulations in Brunei, we are only able to consider applicants who will be less than 55 years of age on initial engagement.[quote]


Changed last year or so.