Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

I-ve been freelancing for the last year and a half, basically because I-m a local hire, I get offered a third of what expats get. And it gets annoying when expats straight out of uni are getting more than me when I-ve got an MA, six years experience and three NJ certs in education, but that-s the way things are.

Problem is now that I-m trying to leave Peru, it seems like employers really don-t care much for freelancers. Which also stinks because I-ve learned A LOT about curriculum development and motivation during this past year and a half.

So I think I need to change my CV, and instead of "freelance" put something else, I just can-t figure out what. Any suggestions?

[mister tom]

with your expertise maybe you should be looking for consultancy work - call yourself a consultant and ask for an appropriate fee - 100euro an hour minimum here in ireland

maybe some of the more experienced members could comment on this

tom

[naturegirl321]

Hm, I-d love that, here in Peru while I work for top companies and embassies, it seems like the more people many, the stingier they are.

BUT I mean, I wish I could say that I work for X company, instead of just freelancing, but I don-t know how I could do that. Unless I set up a company, anyone else inthe same position_

[Glenski]

[Justin Trullinger]

Rather than freelance, I'd list teachng English in the top companies and embassies- and one of your students in each to agree to act as a reference.

Cause the thing is, as a "hirer," I don't pay a lot of attention to "private teaching" experience, because it's mostly unverifiable. Which means, for all I know, you may have made it up.

If you list who employed you, and have references to prove it, the trouble goes away in a lot of cases.

Best,
Justin


PS- when you come to Ecuador, we'll take you and the bro out for dinner!

[naturegirl321]

[dirimini]

[Teacher in Rome]

I'd write one heading, such as Freelance teacher, and give your dates. Under, I'd list some of the more prestigious companies I'd freelanced for, and rather than just saying "taught general English / business English" write something more interesting that showed specific or quantifiable achievements:
"Coached C-level executives to deliver stunning presentations"
"Designed, wrote and delivered 100-hour course, adopted company-wide"
"Mentored management trainees to improve cultural and communication skills"

If you're going to position yourself as a consultant, it really helps to have a profile on www.LinkedIn.com. Write a decent bio, and start reaching out to ex-students, colleagues etc for recommendations. You can also join professional groups, contribute to their discussions and so on, to enhance your professional profile. If people are reluctant to write you formal references, they may be more willing to write a personal recommendation on linkedin - worth a shot, anyway.

[naturegirl321]

[naturegirl321]

[ESL Hobo]

Hi NG,

I have been freelancing for a few years.
On my resume I put:
ESL Teacher
Self Employed

I list the places I have worked freelancing but since it's a resume not a detailed CV, I didn't list any phone numbers addresses, or references.
It's just to show them I have been busy, I provide professional references from other sources.

[dirimini]

[Laurence]

@dirimini:

'local hire' means that the person was hired when they were living locally, rather than an overseas hire, where employees are residing abroad at the time of hire. Local hires will often be inelligible for flight reimbursement and perhaps other benefits too, and are often paid a smaller salary too.

I think the idea is that some of the salary is intended to support relocating and adjusting to new climes, and that people already 'in country' don't need it, and that since their 'home' is the local country, they don't need money for flights either.

Not saying that I think that's kosher,
just explaining the logic.

[Justin Trullinger]

I'm not defending the (bigoted, intolerant, idiotic) idea about expat vs local hire either, but Laurence explains it very well.

A lot of organisations have policies under which an expat who decides they would like to stay more than a certain period (usually 2 or 4 years) then is considered a local hire.

It probably isn't a great policy.

But the other side of it is- "expats" or employees who will be in the country for a fixed, short period of time can usually be hired under short term contract conditions, which may be well paid, but carry many less statutory benefits. Some situations allow them to be hired under cultural education visas, which means they are nearly tax free.

Whereas for a local employee, whether actually from Ecuador (where I work) or merely married to one, anyone at all who's on a visa not dependent on their work, there are a lot of benefit requirements, including full taxation and social security contributions, paid vacation, high levels of severance pay, which must be set aside in a fund...

Overall, an expat employee costs the employer, under Ecuadorian law, the total of theirv salary and benefits.

A local hire is going to cost somewhere around 150% to 200% of their salary and benefits.

THis does NOT excuse the discriminatory practices of some schools, but it does go a way towards explaining how they evolved.

Best,
Justin

[dirimini]

Justin and Laurence, thanks very much for the clarification.

From your explanations, I guess it makes bottom-line financial sense for the employer; but I can't imagine that the cost in lost productivity due to low staff morale is negligible. Or maybe I'm missing something.

And as you've described it, the system seems to be designed to encourage (rather than discourage) teachers' leaving after short periods. I mean, if I realize that after three years in a country, my salary is going to go down, why stay?