Job Discussion Forums

cozcrew · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

I am considering getting TESOL certified as I would love to teach business english privately abroad.

I am currently working as a Canadian college professor in the business department/program (have 8 yrs. teaching business related courses to college students).

I have a few questions and I'm hoping I can find some answers/advice.

1. I have a young family and it would be impractical for me to travel for long periods of time.....are there any opportunities to teach business english privately that only involve 1 - 2 weeks of travel at a time?

2. If I'm teaching privately and am only in the country for 1-2 weeks at a time, do I need to obtain a work visa or other documentation to be allowed to work.......or would this work be considered self-employed work and not subject to the red tape (other than taxes, etc. in my native country, Canada)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

There might be some US unis that have exchange programmes, maybe yours does.

Ut as for teaching privately only one or two weeks, I don't know of any. Usually you don't need a visa to teach privately, but there are exceptions, such as Korea.

Check www.teachabroad.com and
http://tefltips.blogspot.com/2008/05/working-holiday-visas-and-short-term.html

for some more info.

cozcrew · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

Thanks for the links, I will definitely check them out.

My college does have a partnership with a university in China and does have teaching opportunities there occasionally....however, they are for about 3 months and with a young family, it would be very difficult for me to be away that long.

Are there short-term opportunties for teaching business english privately abroad (anywhere really) and if so what is the average length of time? Or do you generally have to live somewhere before taking advantage of these opportunities/

MO39 · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:04 am Post subject:

I've been doing private English teaching for a while now in Mexico City. I've never had a student who wanted to study with me for one or two weeks at a time. Perhaps someone who was preparing to take the TOEFL, for example, might hire a private teacher for a very short period of time to do some last minute test cramming, but Business English students generally want you available for several months at least. In addition, keep in mind that you do have to be in a country for a while before you find private students, which you can do through on-line advertising and personal contacts. You couldn't just breeze into town and find prospective students waiting for you at the airport! Wink

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I have to agree it' takes time and effort to get privates. BUt I don't understand WHY you only want to go for a week or two. Why not just travel with your family for a vaction or two if you want to see the country? Or do an exchange for a longer time so that you can take your family as well?

parrothead · Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 342 Location: Japan

...not to mention the cost involved. It's highly unlikely that even if you did find privates you wouldn't earn enough to pay for your travel expenses.

MO39 · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:03 am Post subject:

Yes, I was thinking about the travel costs involved too. I'm curious to know where the OP got this idea from in the first place.

cozcrew · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

cozcrew · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

MO39 · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 2:36 am Post subject:

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

I think that for most countries, what you are asking for (2-3 weeks or even 2-3 months) is asking for the moon. Work almost anywhere and you need a visa, but who is going to hire you for such a short period of time? VERY few places, and if that's the longest you plan to stay, don't expect to break even on setup costs in many locations.

Working holiday visa is possible if you aren't too old. Expect 20% tax rate, though.

Most contracts in Japan are for 12 months, and it's easy enough to break them, but realize these points:
1) despite your credentials, your lack of experience in Japan may put you in entry level work (ALT or conversation school).
2) breaking a contract forfeits the end-of-contract bonus which makes up for the airfare (only rare employers pay airfare)
3) breaking a contract perpetuates the feeling employers have about us foreigners being deadbeats and unreliable, so you would be sticking your fellow foreigners by leaving early.
4) leaving early also upsets the employer's hiring plans and the students peace of mind. If you are a serious educator, this should mean something.

May I ask why you want such a short-term experience? What does it gain?

cozcrew · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

As I stated in an earlier posting, the reason for wanting short-term teaching only is because of family committments. With a husband (who would have to leave his job) and young children, I'm not willing to leave them for a year at a time.

I've also stated previously that I would love to take everyone with me, but that would mean my husband would have to quit his job and my children would have to leave a french immersion school program they are in (they spend half their school day taking classes in french) and unless we lived in France, I'm not sure they would be allowed back into the program when we returned.

I wouldn't even THINK of taking on a longer contract and then leaving early (unless of course the conditions were misrepresented and were unbearable) and as I also stated earlier, I was enquiring about the opportunities for teaching business english PRIVATELY to business professionals only.

Are there businesses (corporations) that hire teachers to teach their employees business english and if so how does this usually work? How effective is teaching by telephone or on-line?

I like to teach, I LOVE to travel, I have teaching experience (in a VERY multi-cultural environment....most of my students don't speak english as their first language) and I am trying to find a way of combining all of this (this would have all of the components of the ideal career for me) while still considering my family committments. It may not be possible right now, but I'm trying to gather as much information as I can and hoping I can make it work somehow.

parrothead · Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 342 Location: Japan

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:40 pm Post subject:

Hi there- just my two cents worth, though it may not be what you want to hear.

I've taught business English a fair bit, and been involved in English development plans for fairly large corporations some in recent years. So I've been in touch with a large number of business professionals interested in learning English or improving their English.

And the thing is, that's what they all have in common- a desire to make noticeable changes in their ability to use English. And as a language teaching professional, my observation is that such noticeable, valuable changes are rare enough in a 3 to 6 month timeframe. In 2 to 3 weeks, forget it.

So if they aren't likely to really progress with their English, what would they hire you for? 2 or 3 week gigs do happen- usually if someone is cramming before a conference, prepping for an exam, preparing a presentation, or whatever.

But are these fairly rare 2-3 week gigs going to correspond to your availability? Not often. How will they get in touch with you? They won't- they've never heard of you. THey'll call the local English center they use for their other ENglish needs, and arrange it with them. And that center doesn't need the hassle of a short term teacher, when one of their long term teachers can handle the extra hours and pay for a few weeks.

Simply put, without an infrastructure in your "target country," you're not going to get what you're looking for. And there are already existing infrastructures there, which won't be interested in you. You're not offering anything in terms of qualifications or experience that they can't get out of teachers staying a year- so why will they bother with the hassles of a 3 week stay-er?

There are positions in EFL that offer short term travel with work that more than covers expenses. (I'm a TESOL trainer- opportunities to do well-paid 4-week gigs aren't rare. But qualifying was hard, and took a lot of time in the field.) But to get them, you need to have more to offer than you have at the moment.

And setting up a network of privates that offers significant hours or income takes months if not years. Never weeks.

Maybe there's volunteer teaching work in your area? It wouldn't be travel, but it would be experience.

Best,
justin

cozcrew · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

Thanks to the previous 2 posters for suggesting volunteering and I have thought of that if for no other reason than to get experience. I would probably volunteer in my local community though as volunteering abroad not only doesn't pay but I have to pay to go there. I do love to travel, but unfortunately, can't really afford to do so the way I would like....so voluteering abroad isn't a great option for me right now (but maybe in a couple of years).

I realize that only having 2-3 weeks contact face-to-face won't amount to much, that's why I was enquiring about following it up with telephone or online teaching (and then re-visiting as necessary). Does this sound possible? I also realize it won't happen over night and it will require a lot of work to "get my name out there" so to speak....I'm just trying to figure out if it's something worth even pursuing or if it's so implausible that it's not worth the effort.

Thanks for all the info/opinions everyone has offered so far!