Job Discussion Forums

[AndrewR]

OK, I know this question (or variations of it) has been asked a lot, but I still haven't found an actual solid answer for it:

Is there any country where a foreigner from the US w/o a college degree can legally teach, i.e- get a legal work permit?
I know there are countries where you can get illegal teaching work but I'm 40yo and am tired of the "adventurous" lifestyle and all the stress that goes with it. I just want to be able to settle down somewhere and have a stable above-poverty-level career outside the US w/o having to live in constant fear of getting arrested/fined/deported and w/o having to make expensive visa runs every month.

Also, I've read several recent forum threads here & elsewhere where people are saying that the Asian countries are
a)getting flooded with new teacher applicants from America since the sept08 financial crisis, thereby causing supply to exceed demand (which will of course lead to lower wages), and
b)cracking down on illegal teachers and even making it harder for the legal ones already there.

I've read the thread "For those without a degree..." and found it completely useless. All it says is to get a degree. If only it were that easy. I'm in the US. There is no way I could get the tens of thousands of dollars necessary to get a real college degree here. Nor could I get the loans at my age and credit level. Nor do I have the at least 2 years of time to spend earning the degree. Not if I'm trying to get out of the US right now. (I don't want to be stuck here when the SHTF i.e.- further dollar collapse, oil trade currency switches to euros, credit card & business real estate bubbles burst, the next 9/11, etc)

What I do have is enough for a $1200 plane ticket, a $1500 TEFL or CELTA course, and another $2000 or so to live on until I get work. So the advice to "just get a degree" is remarkably unrealistic, not just for me but for just about anyone else asking the question.

So what's the real deal? Is it worth my time, money, and energy to take a TEFL/CELTA course and try to find legal ESL work outside the US or is it impossible w/o a degree? If it's possible, in what countries? Where will they give a foreigner from the US a work permit/visa w/o a degree?

Thanks

[spiral78]

You are eligible for legal working visas in the Czech Rep, Poland, Slovakia, and some other 'new' EU member countries. They DO accept US citizens (though the process is something of a hassle). They DO NOT legally require a degree.

Assuming that you present yourself professionally, you should be an acceptable candidate.

The downside: salaries are subsistence level. You can't expect to save up or to be able to invest in anything significant, like a car (or a motorbike, or a flat....) or to pay off any debt outside the country.

a stable above-poverty-level career outside the US

Not sure what your idea of above-poverty-level may be.

[AndrewR]

Thanks Spiral,

The downside: salaries are subsistence level. You can't expect to save up or to be able to invest in anything significant, like a car (or a motorbike, or a flat....) or to pay off any debt outside the country.

That's fine as long as I can afford rent, healthy food, and a little bit left for entertainment now and then.

Eastern Europe would be my first choice for a destination and there are a couple of TEFL training courses in Prague that look very attractive. I'd apply to one of them right now if I was certain I could get work afterwards.

However, I've read everywhere that EU countries always prefer to hire UK teachers because they're in the EU and the paperwork for approving a US teacher for a work visa is not worth the cost or hassle for them.

Also, does anyone know if Eastern Europe is experiencing the same post-economic crash increase in ESL teacher applicants that SE Asia is?

I think I can ace the TEFL and do a good job as an ESL teacher, but if I'm competing with a lot of BA's for limited jobs that drastically reduces my odds of getting hired.

thanks

[spiral78]

My spouse is Czech, we own a flat there, and I've worked on two teacher training courses in Prague (in the now-distant past) and I maintain quite a few contacts in the city.

UK teachers are not preferred to the exclusion of others.
The economy is tight, and jobs are fewer than in past years.
The typical contract is September - June, so the best time to appear on the job market is first of Sept. to maximise your chances of getting work.

[spanglish]

An undergrad is quite superfluous in Colombia. Get a CELTA, start making contacts, work on your Spanish and you should start climbing the ladder pretty quick from subsistence to a little better.

Since you're 40, I assume you have work experience in various fields. Leverage that on your resume.

[Glenski]

If you have 3 or more years of related work experience, you can get a work visa in Japan without a degree.

Student visas and cultural activities visas will let you work PT if you get special permission (easy), and can therefore build up any work experience you don't have yet.

Marry someone (foreigner or Japanese) and get the appropriate visa, and you can also work without a degree.

[naturegirl321]

there's always Latin America. You can work in language schools without a degree

[nickpellatt]

China without a degree is still possible, and whilst it may be hard (but not impossible) to save for things like a car/pension/property, you can certainly enjoy a comfortable lifestyle in terms of day to day living.

I have two friends in China with legal documentation, and neither have degrees or TEFL qualifications. Rules and regulations may be interpreted differently from province to province ... these two guys are in Haikou, Hainan, and Beijing, two opposite ends of the scale.

Whilst my friend in Beijing holds no qualifications at all, he did have around 2 years experience, and that may have helped secure the correct visa. In terms of comfortable living, he does earn enough to afford to get married, have a honeymoon in the Maldives, and pay for great seats to see Beyonce in concert. (He emailed at the weekend to tell me that)

[AndrewR]

Thanks everyone for the ideas.

Nick,
I've considered China but after reading some of the forum threads about it here and on other sites, it looks very unappealing for a lot of reasons. Everyone says it's dirty and over-polluted almost everywhere, hygene is poor, everyone is smoking everywhere, public transport is over-crowded, and worst of all, and probably because of the above reasons, you can expect to be sick and miss work a lot.
My immune system/white-blood-cell count is already pretty low. I suspect I'd be pretty miserable in China and might even lose jobs or even fail the TEFL course there due to illness.
Thailand looks much better but they require degrees now.

As for the Latin America suggestions, I've looked into that and would consider it. I do hear a lot about how beautiful the countries are and how good and cheap the food is, etc. But I'd still much rather try to get work in eastern Europe if it's at all possible.
Here's why: From what I've researched, ESL teachers are paid very poorly and rarely offered full-time work in Latin America. Yes, I know they don't get paid much in E. Europe either, but poverty conditions are worse in Latin America. So if I go to Latin America to earn poverty-level wages as an ESL teacher, I end up with the worst of both worlds: I'll be just as poor as the locals, but because of my skin color, they will still assume I'm a "rich American" and I will thus be the constant target of pickpockets, scam artists, beggars, and robbers. Whereas in E. Europe, my skin color won't be an issue. If I'm poor in E. Europe, at least I'll blend in a lot easier. Plus, I'll have easy access to visit France. (I'm becoming a bit of a Francophile) Make sense?

[spanglish]

With a CELTA in Colombia, you'll make enough to live a middle class lifestyle. This means sharing a niceish apartment in a middle to upper-middle class neighborhood, having the money to eat at cheap restaurants whenever you want and occasionally at a mid-level nicer place, drink cheap beer (if you're into that), take taxis occasionally and go out with friends.

If you're careful, you'll also be able to save enough to fly back home once a year and travel occasionally by bus on the weekends (now we're starting to push the limits).

I laughed at your characterization of having the worst of both worlds in Latin America. That's quite funny and there is some truth in it. No, you won't be poor like most of the local, but yes you will be targeted by pickpockets, thieves and swindlers (surrounding yourself with 'buena gente' who are your good friends helps avoid these kinds of problems). And yes, people will generally view you as having been born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

[AndrewR]

[Grenouille]

You can find work teaching in Russia without a degree, but you will need CELTA or equivalent. No problem at the moment to come here without a degree, but of course it may change in the future. I've just recently arrived in Moscow to teach English and don't have a degree. The work is legal and the school arranges the appropriate visa, and accommodation.
Good luck.

[anyway]

There is an active thread in the North America forum by someone who was working in Saudi (British Council?) without a degree (but maybe had a cert)... sorry my brain is foggy on the details this morning ...

[naturegirl321]

[HumphreyOmega]

Get a degree.