Job Discussion Forums

[james_tesol]

I'm 27 with a Masters in Business, another one in TESOL, a CELTA and 4 and a half years experience with 2 of those years in universities. Just wondering if any non-US teachers have worked there and could tell me about the visa/work permit process and requirements.

Cheers,

[lozwich]

For Australia, check out the Dimia website for working holiday visa and/or skilled immigrant program. http://www.dimia.gov.au/immigration.htm

Might as well get it straight from the horse's mouth.

[eslstudies]

You could come in as a skilled worker on a temporary visa, provided you had a sponsor. A holiday visa allows 18-30 year olds to take incidental jobs [eg, seasonal, hospitality], but nothing of a permanent or semi-permanent nature.
All the major cities have English Colleges and university ELICOS programs, though I don't see a lot of job ads.
Try www.careerone.com.au using ESL as a search term.

[G Cthulhu]

Search the archives for more posts than you can shake a stick at about work in NZ.

Failing that, spend thirty seconds on google with a search term like "working in NZ" and take a look at the NZ government websites that tell you what you need to get a work and/or residency permit in NZ.

[psouthan]

I came to NZ five years ago and missed the boat getting my residency, I should have got it when I had a job teaching EFL.

I am from the UK and my advice to you now is forget it, in 2003 the job market for EFL teachers collapsed and you won't be wanted here.

[Insubordination]

Get a working holiday visa. Go to the EnglishAustralia website and find a list of colleges. Most of these places are happy to hire 'backpackers' (sorry, you might be called that by the local teachers). At one place I worked at, almost 50% of the teachers were from the UK or Canada.

You work at one college for 3 months and then move onto another. It's common practice. The only way to make decent money on that kind of visa because the hourly rates are higher than a normal job.

Your poor students won't be so lucky and will be working at hotels, restaurants and other *cough* establishments when they are not in class.

Your experience will mean that you'll get a higher rate. Unfortunately, some colleges have a reputation for hiring inexperienced teachers as they are on a lower 'step' (wage scale).

[cjw714]

to clarify, with a working holiday visa in oz you are now allowed to work for 6 months in one job and if you are working on a casual basis this is defined as 180 days.

[Baroque]

I personally know of one Brit who is a co-ordinator in AMES .There are many Brits in Sydney and Melbourne. The Australian Government has mutual employment agreements with the UK, however it all depends on what Visa you will be elligible for. You might like to peruse the Australian immigration sites on Google.com.au.

Whether you get an ESL Teaching position is questionable as I am having difficulty finding a Teaching job myself and I am an Australian citizen. However, try the above mentioned employment sites, vacancies are pasted on them by the minute.

[bule_boy69]

I guess it depends on how long you wanna stay.

If you are just wanting to have a working holiday then obviously a working holiday visa is the way to go. It's easy to get and you can work at one school for 6 months and then move on. If you want to spend 3 months on a farm, picking fruit and the likes, you can apply for a second visa.

However, if you are intending to migrate here, and you have any relevant recent experience that could be related to your masters in business, you may be better off trying to do that now.

The immigration department does not consider ESL teaching a skilled occupation for migration purposes. It was taken off the skilled occupations a few years back.

There is work - a lot of it in dodgy schools in my opinion - but I understand the money and cost of living compares favourably with the UK. Although in some schools there is a high turnover of staff, I would be surprised if many would consider sponsoring you. It may be a better deal than teaching ESL in the UK, but the game here is highly casualised and I can't see that changing