Job Discussion Forums

[William.]

So I've talked to quite a few people about teaching english abroad, and am dead set on doing it in the coming fall. I'll be graduating in June with a BA (history/spanish). I've lived abroad (argentina, 7 months) and traveled extensively. I'm having trouble deciding where to go though!

When I graduate, I will be 11,000 dollars in debt, and will have to start paying it back by january. It would be AWESOME if I were able to pay this back by june of 2009.

I'll have maybe 2000-2500 dollars saved up to get my feet on the ground when I ship out, not enough to get TEFL/TESOL certified probably.

I would REALLY like to go to spain, but it looks like freelancing is the best route for Americans (as we aren't EU citizens) who don't have TEFL certification, and that kind of scares me... and it sounds like there's not nearly as much money to be made in Spain than in East Asia.

So I'm really starting to consider going somewhere like Japan or Korea.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions/comments/or anything for me. Anything would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
~William

[Justin Trullinger]

Don't take this the wrong way. DON'T GO TO SPAIN!

Not with your debts. I love Spain, lived there for quite some time, and rarely if ever had anything left at the end of the month.

I haven't experienced Asia, so won't comment much, but have heard that Korea might suit your situation.

I'd recommend slaving a few months in a bad job back home before you leave, saving another couple of grand, and getting a decent cert. In Asia, it may not help you to get a job, or better pay, but it'll help you to feel comfortable and productive in the classroom.


Best,

Justin

[surrealia]

A good place to start is to read over some of the articles on the EFL in Asia website:

http://www.geocities.com/eflinasia

You will get a lot of ideas for how to find work and some pitfalls to avoid. In addition, there is a page of links to lots of job boards.

[William.]

Justin, thanks a ton for the honesty. Of course I'm depressed as hell to hear that, but it's good to know! As the days go by, spain is looking less and less like a desireable option..

sur, thanks. Yeah, the certification thing is tough. Maybe it would be best to go thru a one month thing in june/july before shipping on out there if I could come across the cash (maybe an emergency loan from the university would be worth it, as it would be going to something worthwhile and if the money is good in asia, I could pay it back shortly...)

I will check out that website!

[Stephen Jones]

I would say Korea is the only option for saving money.

[William.]

Japan doesn't offer as much eh?

[naturegirl321]

Go to Korea and get into a public schools. It's really not that bad, Korea's the best place I've worked in.

[Honky Nick]

Hong Kong is good for saving money if you can get into the NET scheme, although the application process takes a while. Search Hong Kong forum for more info.

[Marcoregano]

Agreed that HK can be good, BUT only if you get a good job. That might sound like stating the obvious but living costs are quite expensive in HK and unless you're in one of the top jobs (e.g. NET or one of the international schools) you'll probably spend most of your earnings on life. I worked in Korea for 2 years and loved it. OK it's not everybody's cup of tea but there's plenty of work (private and public schools - I'd recommend the government's EPIK programme if it still exists), living costs are way lower than HK and you can save relatively easily.

[Glenski]

William,
You've already asked about Korea and Japan in the Asia forum, and so far I've been the only responder, but...

you admitted you have "lots" of friends who have worked in Korea and Japan.

What is it about their experiences that you have not learned? June is around the corner, and you shouldn't expect to get hired and moved immediately. Visa processing along takes 2-4 months.

As for Japan, come to the forum and ask around. Read the 4 FAQ stickies there, for starters. Here's the deal in a nutshell.

You are eligible for entry level work in Japan. That means ALT from a dispatch agency or ALT from the JET programme or instructor in a conversation school (eikaiwa). Since you want to come soon, JET is out. Dispatch agencies usually only hire people that area already in Japan, so you need to find the ones who don't and hope that they have acceptable recruiting schedules & locations (and that you get hired). Otherwise, pack all your money and come here after researching carefully. (People usually advise bringing US$4000-5000 to tide them over for 2-3 months which is what it'll take to get your first paycheck.)

Eikaiwas hire year round, but they peak in March. Kiss an April start date goodbye, obviously, for 2008, and look intensively for the sloppy seconds that follow until around Sept for Oct hires. A weak surge at best.

Dispatch agencies are not the most stellar of employers. Beware who hires you. Ask around (like here, for example) before signing anything.

Salary. Expect 220,000-270,000 yen/month. In USD, that's about $2000 per month. Lose half of that to basic needs (rent, food, phone, insurance, utilities), and you have roughly $1000 a month to play around with, whether to save or splurge. I think you can skimp a lot, but it'll take discipline, but coming up with $11,000 by June 2009 might be tight. Korea may be easier to do that (because they pay your rent), but there are down sides to working there, as I pointed out in that other thread.

[William.]

[Glenski]

People here have posted some pretty basic info, William. Let me turn the question around. What have your friends told you?

[William.]

[Glenski]

[Marcoregano]

What does it matter? Why the inquisition? The guy just wants some answers to a few basic Qs...