Job Discussion Forums

[Girds]

I'm looking for direction, encouragement or discouragement, advice, honesty and just plain wisdom from those of you experienced in teaching english in a foreign country.

Here's who I am. Im a 46 year old male with 3 kids that are nearly grown. I have been teaching elementary school in Minnesota for 13 years and love it. I am licensed to teach 1st through 6th grade and am nearly done with my Masters of Education degree. I've taught 2nd-5th grades and loved them all. I've also taught community education science classes for kids and thier parents. I communicate and relate to both kids and adults well and am comfortable around each. I enjoy travel and foreign cultures, however, I don't speak any other language but english. The trips abroad have been with Habitat for Humanity and builidng churches or houses with different mission groups. I'm adventourous in terms of travel, experiences, food and living conditions. I don't require many material items but am more into experiencing life and making memories. I am in a difficult situation in my marriage right now and am currently seperated from my wife. It's sad, tragic, but a fact of life. I need a change, I need to get away and teaching abroad is something that I've always wanted to do. I am looking to perhaps finish out my carreer teaching in a foreign location. So..... what other information would be helpful?
Here are my questions:
In your opinion, would I be a good match for teaching english in a foreign field?
Where would I begin in my quest?
What are my chances of being placed in a good school that pays a decent wage?
What are the pitfalls I need to be aware of?
What would you encourage me to do or not to do?
Any other advice would be helpful.
Sorry of the long post but I want to be as thorough as possible and research this possible opportunity as well as I can.

Thanks everybody!

[spiral78]

You're a good candidate for an international school position. But openings in desirable countries are rather rare...You might run a search on Dave's for websites that offer such jobs.

If you give us some hint regarding regions of the world you're interested in, we can give you better/more specific advice.

As regards Europe, I can say that even with your experience and quals, you're not highly likely to land anything that pays more than subsistence level...the vast majority of jobs in the region pay just that, and the few better positions generally require local language skills and contacts.

[Chancellor]

[Girds]

Thanks for the quick replies and advice. I guess I'm willing to go just about anywhere. I would prefer low cost of living, decent wage and reliable schools with 40 hours a week. (Who wouldn't!) I would prefer Mexico, South America and Asia but not limited to those.

[Glenski]

Low cost of living and Asia are not always compatible. Take Japan, for example.

I agree with the others about international schools. Read the FAQ sticky in the Japan forum for a link or two about them.

P.S. Off-topic, you and I may know someone in Habitat for Humanity. Know any ex-chemistry teachers named Gary?

[natsume]

Spiral, I am curious as to what you mean by "desirable countries"? Also wondering if the OPs stated preferences might be what you would consider undesirable?

[naturegirl321]

try www.tes.co.uk and www.ibo.org
You should try to go for primary positions. there are tons out there. You have good chances of getting in a school, though Europe might be difficlut. try also intl job fairs. Expect about 3USD monthly, medical, taxes, airfare, and housing paid.

Pitfalls, not all intl schools are the same, lots of back stabbers out there. personally, after some time in, I'm out. Different pay for local hires and those hired abroad, even if those hired abroad have zero experience. I personally couldn't deal with it.

But, give it a shot. I think it's just Peru that has weird schools

[spiral78]

Sorry, natsume. I didn't mean to sound derogatory at all.

Instead of 'desirable' I could probably clarify this way: in countries where many qualified teachers either already do or want to live, mostly linked to high levels of pay and lower costs of living, and openings at international schools in such countries are fairly rare. Landing such a position often requires both local contacts and local language skills.

Realistic, not derogatory, I hope

[natsume]

Thanks spiral, I understand. Not speaking from experience, but from what I can glean from online research, particularly the forums at internationalschoolsreview.com, the hiring process for international schools may very well be vastly helped by local contacts and local language skills, but the OP seems like a prime candidate for the American/Canadian/British schools that use huge annual regional requitement fairs for much of their hiring, a prime candidate not to teach English, but to teach his own specialty, primary education in an English speaking school. (I have also seen the argument a few times that male primary teachers are usually in demand both domestically and in ISs.) From what I can tell, all of the very best, top-tier schools do use these fairs, although it seems they are beginning to trend towards doing more hiring outside the fairs. I notice you are in Europe and likely know the situation there very well, but for the OP, and myself, both considering work in Asia or LA, it seems like attending these fairs will be crucial in getting a foot in the door, landing that first job. I think from that point one would be able to begin to network in the IS world. The world of TESOL doesn't quite have this international infrastructure of recruitement organizations and fairs.

[Guy Courchesne]

[jdl]

Try the colleges in Oman; CECN and TATI being two of the more reputablr recruiters. Relaxed lifestyle, nice work load, reasonable pay and time to reflect.