| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:21 am Post subject: I'm having a REAL hard time deciding. Can anyone help? |
 |
|
Hey I'm an attorney in the state of Florida. I have a Juris Doctorate degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. In the US, a Juris Doctorate degree is a graduate degree which requires three years of full time education (it is an undergraduate degree in some countries). In terms of education it should be on par with a Master's Degree (even though many schools require a Master's Degree for some reason). I plan on taking a TEFL course (120 hour course) in the month of May.
I have practiced law as a criminal defense attorney for 5 years and am licensed to practice law in the State of Florida (which means I have tons of public speaking experience). I also ran an import business for five years where I imported furniture from Bali, Indonesia. In the last year or so my finances have taken a turn for the worst, and I felt like it was probably better to get out of the US for awhile until things here start to improve. I ran the import business for five years traveling to Bali so this wasn't a rash decision even if it sounds like it at first.
My problem is... I can't figure out where to teach. I found a class in Phuket and I found a class in Chile which both start in May. I love Latin America and would really like to work in Panama or Chile (I know they are worlds apart). But I have read that it's hard to make money there. So I was thinking about going back to SE Asia and working in Thailand or Cambodia (after I complete the course in Phuket).
I would prefer to work a course where I teach Business English or Legal English to adults. I'm sure I could teach kids, but I'm a lot more comfortable around working adults.
Do any of you have any advice? Have any of you worked in both places? I'm sure some of you have. What do you think the best option would be?
In terms of climate, I do like Chile the best. I'm a big guy and cooler weather appeals to me. That said, I have lived most of my life in either the tropics or sub-tropics so places like Thailand would not be very different to me from what I have already become accustomed too (at least that was my impression in Bali which I assume is similar to Phuket).
I know these kind of questions have been asked millions of times, but I thought I'd ask again. I can be annoying like that.
Oh about my personality. I am in my mid- thirties. I am a big guy and work out. I don't like clubs or go go bars, but I do like bars at the beach or in the mountains or in the city... well I like bars... but not with a huge crowd. I'm a bit put off by some of the party scene in Phuket. It sounds over the top to me. On the other hand, I do feel more comfortable in an area with some night life than I do in an area with no night life. The idea of living in Panama City seemed attractive but I have no clue about working there.
So I was thinking... Chile or Phuket?
Thanks in advance. I know some of you will give me some great advice. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
nstick13
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 104
Location: The Ohio State University
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
| What kind of training are you looking at getting? CELTA? Trinity? Other? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
| nstick13 wrote: |
| What kind of training are you looking at getting? CELTA? Trinity? Other? |
I'm probably just going to get a basic TEFL course with the 120 hours. I don't see any CELTA courses in the areas where I'm going that start in May.
I saw these two programs:
http://www.teflphuket.com/languageclasses.html which has a class in Phuket in May and www.languagecorps.com which has a class in Chile in May.
Is it really necessary to go for the CELTA or will these work?
Like I indicated I don't want to teach college English. I'm not really qualified to do that. But I can teach Business English or Legal English quite competently. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
santi84
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
First time I ever heard of going to Thailand to help get away from financial problems  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
| santi84 wrote: |
| First time I ever heard of going to Thailand to help get away from financial problems |
You've obviously never ran afoul of the student loan collectors. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
Just by reading your post I'd say you're already leaning more towards Chile. You might not save money, but you'll earn enough to live decently.
And no, you don't need a CELTA specifically. There are plenty of other good courses out there.
d |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| denise wrote: |
Just by reading your post I'd say you're already leaning more towards Chile. You might not save money, but you'll earn enough to live decently.
And no, you don't need a CELTA specifically. There are plenty of other good courses out there.
d |
Chile does have a lot of appeal to me, but so does a lot of LA. The more I read up on it... the harder the decision becomes.
Any suggestions on other countries I might like? I'm pretty laid back but also like a little adventure and know how to handle myself (I've spent a lot of time in jails and prison as a public defender). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RollingStone
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
Posts: 138
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:21 am Post subject: |
|
|
| If its that much of a toss-up why do you have the impression you can make a significantly bad choice? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
| RollingStone wrote: |
| If its that much of a toss-up why do you have the impression you can make a significantly bad choice? |
I'm just worried about getting there and not paying my bills... I don't care about saving money, but I do like to live life to the full hilt. I don't care about buying a car or something like that, but I do like to go out a lot. If I arrived someplace and had to live like a hermit and couldn't go to bars and such then I'd hate it.
Also some places just have the right combination to them... you know? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
Well, there are few places where you could afford to buy a car. I did it in Japan and again here in Oman. Everywhere else, I didn't even consider it... (or need a car, either.) Still, everywhere I've lived--including Chile, by the way-- has provided enough of a salary to live well. I also like to go out a lot. I'm not into shopping and throwing money away on material things (since I tend to move countries every couple of years, it's a pain in the butt to have to sift through all that stuff), but I do eat out, explore the city and country, etc., as often as humanly possible. And I could afford to do it quite often in both Chile and Peru--lots of day and weekend trips, restaurant/bar trips, etc.
As for paying bills back home--difficult, if you're relying on a teaching salary to do it. I had to put my loans on hold when I was in South America.
d |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| denise wrote: |
As for paying bills back home--difficult, if you're relying on a teaching salary to do it. I had to put my loans on hold when I was in South America.
d |
I'm not paying the loans back. I'm not in some kind of hold status, I'm in default. It may sound immoral not to pay back the loan, but in my view the government backed loan collector fining me 40,000 dollars for losing my job during a depression was pretty immoral. Plus I already tried to cure the default once. I entered into a repayment plan where I made 9 payments only to find out the bill collector was some kind of scam artist that stole 4,000 dollars of my money. I've found out since then through research that the bill collector DOES have some kind of a connection to the people who own my loan, but still stole my 4 grand. So whatever, I'm done with it. If I'm ever offered the chance to pay back just the loan without all these absurd penalties then I might try to do it (assuming they credit the 4,000 I paid), but otherwise I'm done with it. America is owned by crooks.
Thanks for the info on Chile and Peru though. That's very encouraging and essentially what I'm looking for. I don't care much about material things, but I hate to cook and enjoy spending the evening out and about (within reason of course... I actually gravitate to the cheapest places I can find within reason). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Carll101
Joined: 17 Oct 2008
Posts: 45
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
I don't think you would save more money in Thailand than Chile. So follow
your heart. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| I would prefer to work a course where I teach Business English or Legal English to adults. I'm sure I could teach kids, but I'm a lot more comfortable around working adults. |
You better stick to the capital of a country in order to find that kind of teaching.
If you are lucky you might be able to find some classes teaching legal concepts to international lawyers in some country. Look online to see where that kind of work is. Contact companies and look for leads even know you will probably need to be in country to get the job. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| fladude, why don't you see if you can get a legal job abroad? It would probably pay more. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| I have practiced law as a criminal defense attorney for 5 years and am licensed to practice law in the State of Florida (which means I have tons of public speaking experience). |
I see you are a criminal attorney. Maybe that won't help much abroad but I believe that there is a market for American tax lawyers abroad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
