Job Discussion Forums

[Chris Peralta]

I know I am supposed to go and look for these answers throughout other postings.....but I couldnt find anything that directly applies and theres nothing better than acutally hearing it directly from someone else.
So, I am going to be graduating with a science degree in april and I am interested in teaching english just about anywhere, although greece, spain, and italy sound awesome to me. From what i've checked out for positions though, those particular countries dont seem to pay nearly as much as some of the east asian countries. Any higher paying jobs in these countries than what i have been seeing(400-650 euro month with apartment)?
My other, simplier question is... am I supposed to go get language training specific to the country i am interested in before I apply for jobs and go over? or is that part of the introduction to the program in the country? Thanks

Chris

[denise]

If you know exactly what country you are going to, language training in its language will help you personally, although few jobs will require it. (And it wouldn't be necessary for the job--in the classroom you'd use English only.)

d

[Celeste]

Greece, Spain, and Italy are great vacation destinations, which is why they pay peanuts. So many new grads would love to spend time there that the employers have a steady stream of willing wage-slaves. The East Asian countries that pay well (Japan, Korea, Taiwan) are not big tourist destinations. Working in them is not as romantic as working in Thailand (another fabluous vacation destination) but it is steady well-paid work.

There is also money to be made in various parts of the Middle East, but once again, it is perhaps not the first choice of many new EFL teachers.

I suppose you have to ask yourself what your primary goal is. If you need to make and save money, then you will have to go to one of the higher paying countries. If money is not an issue for you and your primary goal is to live in certain areas of the world, then you will go to the areas that interest you the most. Also, how long do you think you might want to teach EFL. There are some places where set-up costs can be quite high, so it is not really worth it to go there for the short term.

As for learning the language of the intended destination, it is not absolutely necessary, but I have found that those wh have taken the time to learn the language tend to stay in the country for a longer period of time. I don't know that there is a causal relationship there or not, but it is something to consider, nonetheless.

[Lanza-Armonia]

Hey Chris,

Well, as you probably know, these European countries have great pros but nasty cons. If you wanna job in the above countries, you are going to be fighting some incredible competition. Also, people are going to be applying with great language skills, and the fact everyone wants to go to these countries, the pay in kinda low. Best bet for a freshie is China, or maybe S. Korea. Just ideas. I've tried the Euros for so long I gave up. It's just so hard....


Hope this helps

LA

[mr pink]

Narrowing down your choices can come down to a few factors, some of which have already been mentioned.

I'd say that the country should have a really strong attraction for you. I picked and have stayed in China because of the culture, the cool places, the food, the people, the language. If I didn't have these things to keep me interested, then I would've left a long time ago.

China has been a good place to get work experience and see alot of unbelievable things. I wouldn't suggest it for people trying to save ALOT of money.

hope this helps,

mr pink

[dmb]

Turkey is a good place for a newbie. It's still Europe and the salaries and the cost of living mean that you can save a bit. Turks are also fun to teach. Add to that the culture, geography, social scene(in the bigger cities) and Food it's a good introduction to this profession

[Brooks]

since you are from Canada, it would be harder for you to get a job in the EU (but not impossible). As an alternative there is eastern Europe, Turkey or Morocco.