Job Discussion Forums

[AdamtheJohnson]

Some people are unlucky in life in that they have very few choices ahead of them. I have the opposite problem.

In searching for answers to the question of adventure after graduation, my list instead has grown even longer.

There are so man countries I want to teach ESL in: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand.

In addition, I am heavily considering joining the Peace Corps which woul send me to West Africa or Eastern Europe for 28 months.

Not to mention the Graduate Degree I am also considering in France.

And that's all on top of pure travel and vagabonding across the globe.

SOO many things I want to do and with any luck I'll be able to do them all. The question now is which one to pursue FIRST and thats sort of the issue.

I realize asking the posters here may not be the best idea since you cant very well TELL ME what to do with my life. But perhaps there are those that have been in similar situations and can offer advice, or perhaps there are those who simply know of ways someone like me can search their soul and find the right path.

The good news is all of these choices are built on the same core values - that of adventure and exploration. Any would enrich my life in ways I surely can't imagine.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[80daze]

Out of the choices you listed above I'd go for the Peace Corps and West Africa. I spent a while as A volunteer teacher in East Africa and loved it, the experience is totally different from Asia or Europe. Naturally West Africa will be different from East Africa but it will be a hell of an experience.

Good luck

[denise]

I've got a few questions for you:

1) How long do you plan on teaching? (This can of course change once you start... I initially set out for a year and decided to make a career of it, but it's still good to have an idea.)

2) What are you applying for in the Peace Corps? Teaching, or something else?

3) What graduate degree are you looking into?

If you're planning on teaching in the Peace Corps and also looking into graduate teaching programs, I'd recommend doing the Peace Corps first. I applied to the PC after I'd finished my MA and already had a few years of teaching experience, and I got the impression that the PC would be a better experience BEFORE grad school.

If you're only planning on spending a year or so teaching, you really need to prioritize your countries of choice (hard, I know, and I imagine you're already working on it), because once you get a full-time teaching job you really don't have much time to travel. You can see a lot of the country you're in, but for globe-trotting, you're better off just traveling. As a teacher, it will take you a lot longer to see all of the places on your list.

And on a more practical note, you'll need to keep in mind certain factors like visa requirements, EFL certification (some jobs/countries require it, some don't), whether or not you will need to save any money--e.g., for paying off student loans, etc., etc.

I've taught in Europe, Asia, South America, and now the Middle East, but I've been doing it for 10 years. In some cases I was lured by the culture/countries (Czech Republic, Chile, Peru), and in other cases I was lured by the job/money (Japan/Oman). Practicalities did interfere: I had to leave Peru because I couldn't make my student loan payments there.

Good luck,
d

[AdamtheJohnson]

[Glenski]

1) How long do you want to teach in each country? Or just as a whole abroad? A few months in Japan is practically impossible.

2) Have you ever even just visited them? Might want to see what it's like first, if you haven't. Tourism is not living/working abroad, but it at least gives you a taste for what part of the country is like. Why did you choose those countries and not other? What fascinates you about them? (No general answers like "oh, I love the culture!" Be as specific as possible.)

3) Find out from people who already live & work there what the living and working is like. Going cold can lead to some terrible disappointments, especially if you have only secondhand info to go on.

4) If you plan to teach as a career, get educated for it.

5) Size up the options for teaching in each country. HS vs. JHS vs. conversation school vs. business school vs. etc. What is each like?

6) Related to #5, find out what the market is for each. (Japan is flooded with teachers right now.)

7) Related to #5, find out if you are even qualified or what it takes.

Decide what kind of money you want/need to save. If you're still in college now, how much student loan payload will you have to pay off per month?

9) Consider what you will have to leave behind (job potential, friends/family/pets/mortgage/car/etc.) and sit down to plan for such things.

[naturegirl321]

About the Peace Corps and the Grad degree. First apply and see if you get accepted. Realise with the Peace Corps that you probably won-t be able to pick the country.

Think about the future too. I thought about the peace corps, but due to money issues, decided against it.

YOu could always do everything on your list, you just need to pick what to do first.

[JZer]

[JZer]

[JZer]

[denise]

There's no age limit on teaching. People start in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc., and stay in it for as long or as short a time as they wish. I started when I was 23, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's better to do it when you're young. I think it is easier to make the move when you're not tied down with a family, home, mortgage, debts, tons of material possessions, etc., but that isn't always tied to age. And depending on where you teach/how long you stay, getting a visa isn't always easy.

If you know that you want to come back to the US and teach, I'd recommend looking at job ads now to see what they require/accept--keeping in mind JZer's post about degrees from outside the US. (I have no idea about that one, but if a degree from France won't be accepted, you will have to rethink...)

d

[AdamtheJohnson]

[JZer]

[Glenski]

There is somewhat of an age limit on teaching. Lower age limit, for certain. Places like the JET programme have a somewhat rigid upper age limit, too.

[SueH]

[JZer]