Job Discussion Forums

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

good question.

My answer ? Because I generally enjoy it and I know I can do it well.

Best
Basil

fluffyhamster · Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:38 pm Post subject:

At the very least, TEFL certainly beat(s) unemployment; or strictly part-time work; or badly-paid work; or soul-destroying pointless tax-wasting work, all in expensive boring Blighty. That being said, Blighty is probably where I'll have to crawl back to to eventually "retire". Smile

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

If you stay in long enough and make connections you can get a cushy job. I've got my eye on one that pays 2K usd a month, plus housing and you get 3 months paid vacation a year.

The Ever-changing Cleric · Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 1523

when i first started in esl (korea/taiwan) i thought it sucked. 30-35 hours a week in a classroom, commuting back and forth, at times commuting between different towns to different schools and different people's homes. i was spending more time at my early esl jobs than i was in my former job back home and the money wasnt really much better. and time (free time) is valuable to me.

i then moved to china, and it took awhile, but i've now been in the same job for nearly four years. low stress, decent work timetable, decent money, lots of other jobs for the taking if you want a change, and a friendlier atmosphere than i found in a place like korea.

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

I got into ESL (English language teaching in countries in which the medium is English) as a way to combine language jobs and teaching. I also had a lot of interest in other cultures (have had for as long as I can remember).

I left Canada to teach in Japan because I needed overseas experience for jobs in Canada and I had debt. I was also thinking of doing either a one year B. Education or a masters degree in Applied Linguistics (TESOL) after teaching in Japan (in order to get access to better jobs) for a few years and so was basically deciding whether it was English language I wanted to teach or kids I wanted to teach (or adults but teaching them something other than English language).

Decided that it was English I wanted to teach. Decided that I didn't want to really do it in Canada. Decided that I wanted to do it in Japan for the long-term, and not go from country to country. Just finished an off-campus masters degree in TESOL through an Australian university.

So I do it because I consider it my career and I like it. I decided to do it because it sort of just grew out of a bunch of other interests (both professional and personal) that I saw (and still see) as coming together through it.