Job Discussion Forums

Andrew1984 · Joined: 04 Jan 2010 Posts: 5

Hi there !

First a small introduction : I'm 25 years old and from Switzerland...
I never learnt English at school but in 2008 I went to Australia just "for fun". However, I started to learn English and rapidly I made lots and lots of progress. After a couple of months I got the FCE and then the CAE...

Being over happy I decided in october 2009 to start a TESOL Course.... I did it in 4 weeks (with only native speakers) and got the certificate...

I came back to my country one month ago... Now I need your help !

Is it possible for me to teach English ?!

- I'm not a native speaker
- I haven't done any degrees (I have a diploma in Tourism recognised internationally, that's all)
- I have TESOL and I'm motivated (but is that enough)....

So my questions are :

- is it possible to teach English with that ?
- if not, what should I do ? because I really wanna do that
- If yes, where ? I'm keen on Asian culture and would love to go other there.. but is it possible ????

Thank you very very much

Cheers

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

Hi Andrew,

I can't speak for all of Asia, but I taught in Bangkok, Thailand for well over a year and left last summer.

I taught in one of the largest chains of private K-12 schools in Thailand. About half of the "native speaker" teachers at my school didn't have a degree. Many of them were not native speakers at all but no one seemed to care too much. White skin seems to make up non-native speaker English in Thailand.

However, when I left Thailand, the Thai government was in the process of forcing all non-degree holding teachers to attend University. There were a lot of threats to the non-degree holding teachers that they had better starting working on a degree quickly, or look for another job.

So my advice is to plan on doing a degree if you want to work legally in Thailand. You can do it at a Thai university and it shouldn't cost you too much money or effort.

Good luck!

-Shake

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Unless you get 3 years of related teaching experience somewhere else, Japan will not provide you with a work visa. Get the experience, and you still will have to contend with some officials who say that people from non-English speaking countries need 12-13 years of their education totally in English.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

I'm still wondering how that works.

We have an Indian woman teaching ( though her husband has a job as a cook at a restaurant)

a Swiss national (though she went to an American international school)

a Singaporean

a Bangladeshi (who teaches at a junior high school as well)

a Russian (who is a grad student in Japan too)

a German (again, with husband)

So I think it depends on your situation, but as Glenski contends for Japan, they often look at where you went to school to study English. All of these teachers range in level from near native (the Swiss miss) to high intermediate (the Bangladeshi).

Might depend on the program you're hired through, I believe the Bangladeshi is throught the JET program, but I'll double check on that one for you.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

gaijinalways,
With a diploma in tourism and no other degree, it's going to be very tough to get a work visa unless they have at the least 3 years of work experience.

Those people you mentioned probably fall into 3 categories:

married to people who have visas (and therefore qualify for a dependent visa themselves, thus permitting PT work)

people with valid arrangements (like JET or a student visa)

people whose country is recognized as native English speaking (perhaps Singapore, which should be but sometimes isn't)

The OP doesn't seem to fall into any of those categories.

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

They're not if you get caught.If you're lucky, you would only be deported and have a 5 year ban. If not, the stay in the immigration cell could be 'entertaining'.

anyway · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 109

Swiss miss ... love that expression ... haha

Swiss mister, I think there are lots of places which will hire you as a non-native speaker. If you read the job ads carefully, you can sometimes tell if they will consider a non-native speaker. If they say things like 'native or near native English ability', that's a good indication they're open-minded. Sometimes they even list the TOEFL/IELTS score necessary for non-native applicants. Be ready to prove your level.

The trouble is getting hired from abroad. If you find an ad online, the employer is bound to receive applications from native speakers in addition to yours and you'll be lucky to get the job.

However, if you're already in the country and apply for positions in person, well that changes everything. This is your best bet.

If I were you, I would place my resume on serious teachers dot com and see if any employers get in touch. Great way to test the waters.

The vague man · Joined: 12 Jan 2010 Posts: 2

greeting, I hope you will find the job you want in Agia.

robertokun · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 199

I think you could find work in plenty places in Asia, but the quality of the jobs is likely to be terrible. Have you considered getting a college degree from a school in an English speaking country? You could kill two birds with one stone--imporve your English even further by doing a couple of years in country studying at a Uni and then have the degree you need to get better jobs. If it's a real area of interest, you could even do a degree in TESOL . . . But if you just want to have some fun, backpack around, see some exotic places-- go for it. Seemed to work out when you went to Australia "just for fun." Smile

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Andrew1984, your best chance is probably China but I would work on that degree.

As for the degree some countries do not count B.A.'s earned in countries that the official language is not English. Some people have posted about that before on here.

Andrew1984 · Joined: 04 Jan 2010 Posts: 5

yes. I think doing a degree could be a great idea. I'm "only" 25.

You are talking about doing a degree in an English speaking country. That's an excellent idea, but financially isn't it too expensive ????

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Andrew, you would have to get financial support from your parents.

Can't you get financial support for a degree from the Swiss government?

I know that in some European countries governments take care of students well.

I know in Holland students get a living stipend.

Another thought, can you play football? I know a German guy who got a free education in the US. He got a scholarship to play football! He said tapes of his games to universities in the US and I believe got a free education.

Then he got a M.A. in German Education. He was teaching German in the US the last time I heard.