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entice
Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:49 am Post subject: Life after teaching abroad |
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| I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither. I am in the finance industry with a degree in economics and business management. I always wanted to travel abroad and being paid while doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers back home because you went and taught English abroad which has nothing to do with your career industry. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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Really, if you have no interest in it (nice of you to say that on a discussion board populated by teachers!) and you think it will hurt your chances in the "real world" back home, don't bother. Save up some money and then just travel. People who have no interest in teaching are less likely to take their jobs seriously or work hard, which just makes life that much harder for those of us who DO take this seriously.  This is actually a job, not just a way to see the world.
d |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Depends how long you teach. If it's only for a bit, you should have no probs. |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject: Re: Life after teaching abroad |
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| entice wrote: |
| I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither. I am in the finance industry with a degree in economics and business management. I always wanted to travel abroad and being paid while doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers back home because you went and taught English abroad which has nothing to do with your career industry. |
So why not travel abroad and teach finance or business management? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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It's a myth that you are 'paid to travel abroad' as an EFL teacher.
Normal contracts are 10 months in one place.
There are very few regions that will pay for your travel costs to get there.
You have to commit to an area, and to consider start-up costs as well, meaning travel, renting a place, etc.
Further, there are very few regions that will hire someone with no training. The minimum investment in training is a one-month on-site course somewhere.
It's a considerable investment in time, energy, and money. Probably not for someone with no real interest in the job. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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As a professional ESOL teacher, I have to say that my experience abroad looks like enhancing my resume for work back home.
Unlikely it would enhance yours- because teaching isn't what you do.
I'm not overly familiar with the world of business and finance- is your specialty area one where it's important to keep up to the minute on laws, new trade practices, and the like? If so, time off may very well hurt you.
If you're in a more static area, likely not. But it doesn't depend on teaching- shame, as there are a lot of experts on that subject here on this board.
It really depends on your career area back home, which I for one know FA about.
Best,
Justin |
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william wallace
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 2869
Location: in between
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:38 am Post subject: |
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| Where is this "earn good money and travel the world' element coming from? It hasn't been anything like that in ESL for a couple of decades. Do recruiters still use those antiquated, and now misleading lead-ins to an advert ? If so, maybe they should throw in "Peace Out" ,"Keep on Truckin" somewhere in their ads;throw in a 2-3 month backpacking vacation through India to get the full nostalgia. |
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entice
Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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| denise wrote: |
Really, if you have no interest in it (nice of you to say that on a discussion board populated by teachers!) and you think it will hurt your chances in the "real world" back home, don't bother. Save up some money and then just travel. People who have no interest in teaching are less likely to take their jobs seriously or work hard, which just makes life that much harder for those of us who DO take this seriously. This is actually a job, not just a way to see the world.
d |
If you read my post correctly, I wasn't asking for comments about how hard or serious I am going to take the job. Well if you wanted to know how serious I am going to take the job, its definitely not going to be my number one priority if I was teaching abroad.
| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| Depends how long you teach. If it's only for a bit, you should have no probs. |
Finally someone actually posting a constructive answer. Thanks that was similar to what I was told by a recruiter too.
| Chancellor wrote: |
| entice wrote: |
| I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither. I am in the finance industry with a degree in economics and business management. I always wanted to travel abroad and being paid while doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers back home because you went and taught English abroad which has nothing to do with your career industry. |
So why not travel abroad and teach finance or business management? |
Language barrier is definitely going to be harder with teaching finance or business, and also it is seems much harder to find a job teaching finance or business management with all the perks included.
| spiral78 wrote: |
It's a myth that you are 'paid to travel abroad' as an EFL teacher.
Normal contracts are 10 months in one place.
There are very few regions that will pay for your travel costs to get there.
You have to commit to an area, and to consider start-up costs as well, meaning travel, renting a place, etc.
Further, there are very few regions that will hire someone with no training. The minimum investment in training is a one-month on-site course somewhere.
It's a considerable investment in time, energy, and money. Probably not for someone with no real interest in the job. |
Actually, I thought the idea of teaching abroad and working to fund my activities while abroad recently and I told my friend all about it. She has no relevant degree in english/teaching. She took a few weekends to get her TESOL/TEFL/TESL certificate from a reputable college and within the next month left to Korea. She got her own fully paid and furnished single apartment which is extremely modern and nice looking, gets paid around 25k/year, free round trip plane ticket, and I am guessing shes going to have severance and pension too. It is a 1 year commitment though. I see a ton of demand similar to what she got and I actually feel like she got the lesser end of the stick. Have you looked around lately? Maybe its not a myth after all...
| Justin Trullinger wrote: |
As a professional ESOL teacher, I have to say that my experience abroad looks like enhancing my resume for work back home.
Unlikely it would enhance yours- because teaching isn't what you do.
I'm not overly familiar with the world of business and finance- is your specialty area one where it's important to keep up to the minute on laws, new trade practices, and the like? If so, time off may very well hurt you.
If you're in a more static area, likely not. But it doesn't depend on teaching- shame, as there are a lot of experts on that subject here on this board.
It really depends on your career area back home, which I for one know FA about.
Best,
Justin |
It is most likely not going to enhance mine, just wanted to know if it would have a negative impact. I keep up on my studies, news, everything regardless of where I am so that would not be an issue for me if I was abroad as long as I have an internet connection.
| william wallace wrote: |
| Where is this "earn good money and travel the world' element coming from? It hasn't been anything like that in ESL for a couple of decades. Do recruiters still use those antiquated, and now misleading lead-ins to an advert ? If so, maybe they should throw in "Peace Out" ,"Keep on Truckin" somewhere in their ads;throw in a 2-3 month backpacking vacation through India to get the full nostalgia. |
I actually have to ask you back where did YOU get "earn good money and travel the world element" from. Did I say I was hoping to get rich teaching abroad and hopping from one country to another?
Anyways as a forum for teachers, I can't believe the majority of the posts I got was nonsense and irrelevant . READ something fully before answering. Teaching abroad for a year is just to postpone my commitment to my career back home. I got job offers which I am hesitant to accept because I am still young and don't want to commit to a career so early. So why not travel to a foreign country, get free housing, free round trip plane ticket, get some funding for my activities there, and have something to do during the daytime/weekdays? Everyone has their own opinions and goals, some of you might be teaching abroad for financial reasons, some of you probably can't get a job at home, some do it purely because they think they are giving back to the world, some like to teach, etc. Go preach about your goals and how much of an angel you are somewhere else. Anyways thanks to those who actually posted a relevant answer to my question.
Last edited by entice on Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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If you read my post correctly, I wasn't asking for comments about how hard or serious I am going to take the job. Well if you wanted to know how serious I am going to take the job, its definitely not going to be my number one priority if I was teaching abroad.
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But within limits, we are allowed to volunteer our thoughts. And Denise clearly thought that you didn't seem dedicated to teaching.
TO elaborate, with some advice you may or may not like.
I've been teaching EFL for around a decade. Have so really good qualifications in it, but had only really basic quals in the beginning. Though it's not exactly "being paid to travel," it is a life I would trade for no other. In the last years, I've lived in three countries, travelled to and seen a lot of others. Met and truly worked with people in all- wasn't just a tourist. Learned some languages, ate some good food, drank some really good booze from all over the place. All the while, doing a job that I feel good about. No regrets at all.
But it's a tough job. Teaching and living where you don't always know the language, where you don't know the culture, where you're not sure what people mean but your job is to facilitate their learning, all the while knowing that, in the beginning, you're living in a city where it's a struggle to go shopping or take a taxi...it's hard. Doing it well is highly skilled.
You seem to want the benefits. There's no reason we can't ask if you're also really willing to do the work.
And I'll add that many newbie teachers I know have their hardest years in their first years. It takes quite a while to get to the point where you're having the kind of fun that Denise and I are having. (Qualified for good jobs, skilled at living in multicultural situations, a handful of languages at varying levels.)
If you're not interested in teaching, I don't know if you'll like it.
And I'll repeat what I said before- the effects it may have on your career back home have more to do with that industry than this one.
Check with them- anyone you know taken a longish career break? How was re-entry?
Best,
Justin |
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entice
Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Justin Trullinger wrote: |
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If you read my post correctly, I wasn't asking for comments about how hard or serious I am going to take the job. Well if you wanted to know how serious I am going to take the job, its definitely not going to be my number one priority if I was teaching abroad.
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But within limits, we are allowed to volunteer our thoughts. And Denise clearly thought that you didn't seem dedicated to teaching.
TO elaborate, with some advice you may or may not like.
I've been teaching EFL for around a decade. Have so really good qualifications in it, but had only really basic quals in the beginning. Though it's not exactly "being paid to travel," it is a life I would trade for no other. In the last years, I've lived in three countries, travelled to and seen a lot of others. Met and truly worked with people in all- wasn't just a tourist. Learned some languages, ate some good food, drank some really good booze from all over the place. All the while, doing a job that I feel good about. No regrets at all.
But it's a tough job. Teaching and living where you don't always know the language, where you don't know the culture, where you're not sure what people mean but your job is to facilitate their learning, all the while knowing that, in the beginning, you're living in a city where it's a struggle to go shopping or take a taxi...it's hard. Doing it well is highly skilled.
You seem to want the benefits. There's no reason we can't ask if you're also really willing to do the work.
And I'll add that many newbie teachers I know have their hardest years in their first years. It takes quite a while to get to the point where you're having the kind of fun that Denise and I are having. (Qualified for good jobs, skilled at living in multicultural situations, a handful of languages at varying levels.)
If you're not interested in teaching, I don't know if you'll like it.
And I'll repeat what I said before- the effects it may have on your career back home have more to do with that industry than this one.
Check with them- anyone you know taken a longish career break? How was re-entry?
Best,
Justin |
Denise is right and I wasn't hiding the fact that I have no interest/dedication in teaching. If I am getting paid, I'll do my role no problem. I just won't put any extra effort say I was working back at home.
The challenge, mysterious, getting lost, etc. being in a totally foreign country and culture is THE fun part for me  BTW my bestfriend who went to Korea shes the ultimate party girl, and I knew the instance she told me she was going to execute my plan to teach abroad that her number priority was not to teach but to have fun there. So her first week there shes already gotten some numbers at the clubs, and after about a month of teaching shes saying its not that bad. Shes a pretty ditsy girl so if shes saying its not that bad I think its going to be a breeze. Anyways shes still having a blast there while teaching so I am not doubting how hard teaching abroad is going to be nor doubting if its actually going to be fun.
I have consulted with recruiters about teaching abroad for a year. What I was told was that it would not have a negative effect when I come back, what would actually have a negative effect would be if I was doing absolutely nothing for 1 year. I haven't decided to commit to start my career yet so technically its not a career break. I still want to play a bit before I end up working 60hrs a week and busting my ass for my career back home for basically the rest of my life in that corporate environment. If I accept a job back home I wouldn't take vacation days so NOW is the time for me to play some more before that.
Anyways I was hoping for some experience teachers who were in similar position or have knowledge about my question. It just seems a waste of time to post irrelevant responses if its not going to help answer the main topic's question. There is a topic of someone asking where a 50yr old new teacher should work at, imagine me going to that thread and say "just tell her not to work shes too old to be traveling and teaching abroad" ..my irrelevant response does not help her at all, so why even post it if I can't help her answer her question? |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| entice wrote: |
Denise is right and I wasn't hiding the fact that I have no interest/dedication in teaching. If I am getting paid, I'll do my role no problem. I just won't put any extra effort say I was working back at home.
The challenge, mysterious, getting lost, etc. being in a totally foreign country and culture is THE fun part for me
I have consulted with recruiters about teaching abroad for a year. What I was told was that it would not have a negative effect when I come back, what would actually have a negative effect would be if I was doing absolutely nothing for 1 year. I haven't decided to commit to start my career yet so technically its not a career break. I still want to play a bit before I end up working 60hrs a week and busting my ass for my career back home for basically the rest of my life in that corporate environment. If I accept a job back home I wouldn't take vacation days so NOW is the time for me to play some more before that.
Anyways I was hoping for some experience teachers who were in similar position or have knowledge about my question. It just seems a waste of time to post irrelevant responses if its not going to help answer the main topic's question. There is a topic of someone asking where a 50yr old new teacher should work at, imagine me going to that thread and say "just tell her not to work shes too old to be traveling and teaching abroad" ..my irrelevant response does not help her at all, so why even post it if I can't help her answer her question? |
Do you at least acknowledge that your initial statement "I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither" might be offensive or, at the very least, of a tone that doesn't exactly endear you to your intended audience? Then there's the attitude toward your prospective students expressed in your statement "I just won't put any extra effort say I was working back at home."
TEFL isn't the fly-by-night, get-paid-while-you-backpack-around-the-world field that it was in past decades. So, excuse the possibility that we might be a bit taken aback when someone not interested in teaching asks about his prospects of being able to teach for a year.
Since you really have no interest in teaching, why not look into doing something overseas in your chosen occupation? Maybe do an internship in a company that has branches overseas. Or maybe something like this: http://www.opic.gov/about/jobs/internship/inern_descriptions.asp or this: http://www.intraxinternabroad.com/request-info?gclid=CLWQubb9wJkCFZtM5QodEylguA. Here's something that might be right up your alley: http://jobs.efinancialcareers.com/Graduates_Internships/Overseas.htm.
If you think teaching what for your students will be a foreign language is something just to entertain you for a year before you settle down to do what you obviously consider real work, fine. I challenge you to go take a basic certification course (there are plenty of them advertised here) and get a job with some language mill like English First; or go thrust yourself upon some unsuspecting third world country where you could likely get hired just on the basis of being a native-Anglophone. Or go check out jobs like this one: http://www.esljobsworld.com/esl-jobs/latin-america/we-make-it-easy-to-move-abroad-and-teach-17991.html or this one: http://www.esljobsworld.com/esl-jobs/latin-america/esl-teacher-15072.html. |
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shenyanggerry
Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 619
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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entice, How old are you, what is your formal education and how many hours a week/how many months do you want to work? These will have a major effect on where you can work, what you can do and for how much.
My personal experience was in China. Because I have a pension, the low salary was no problem - cost of living was also low. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: |
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I am fully capable of reading and comprehending messages. You came onto a teaching board and said that you had no interest in teaching. That's a bit rude. I stand by my post.
Regarding the relevance of my post: I am perfectly happy to help people interested in teaching--for people who are clearly uninterested, and who say that as clearly as you did, my advice is this: don't do it. Leave it to those of us who enjoy it, because odds are we'll put more effort into it. If you want to see the world, then by all means see the world. But find some other way to do it.
There. That's my advice. You came here seeking advice, and you got it. Ergo, my post was relevant.
d |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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| denise wrote: |
I am fully capable of reading and comprehending messages. You came onto a teaching board and said that you had no interest in teaching. That's a bit rude. I stand by my post.
Regarding the relevance of my post: I am perfectly happy to help people interested in teaching--for people who are clearly uninterested, and who say that as clearly as you did, my advice is this: don't do it. Leave it to those of us who enjoy it, because odds are we'll put more effort into it. If you want to see the world, then by all means see the world. But find some other way to do it.
There. That's my advice. You came here seeking advice, and you got it. Ergo, my post was relevant.
d |
I'm glad I wasn't the only one put off by his direct statement that he is really not interested in teaching but he wanted to do it for a year to make money while traveling. The days of the backpacker English teacher with no qualifications to teach are gone and TEFL is coming into its own as a valid occupation. Why is it we don't treat people who teach non-English languages to foreigners as if they're not doing a real job? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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| I have no background in finance or in money management at all and honestly no interest in them either. I am in the ESL/EFL industry with a degree in TESOL and Applied Linguistics . I've always wanted to invest other people's money and being paid for doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers overseas because you went into finance for a while, which has nothing to do with your career industry. |
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