Job Discussion Forums

Canuckgirl07 · Joined: 24 Apr 2010 Posts: 4

Hi,

I am a 30 year old female from Canada and have been teaching high school for the past 7 years (which means I hold a valid teaching certificate from BC). I have a B.Sc., a B.Ed. and am working on my masters in educational technology. I don't however have any TEFL training or such. I am open to working with elementary children (I have done a fair amount of tutoring with ESL children), high school or adults.

I have taken a year leave of absence from my job for the 2010/2011 school year and I would like to travel/work in S.E. Asia. Preferably I don't want to spend my entire year in one country, but instead split my time between two or three so that I can experience a few different cultures.

I have one or two places that I would preferably like to end up (I have also posted this message in the Vietnam Discussion forum) and Taiwan is one of them. So I guess my question for you is, are there shorter (3 to 5 month) contracts available? Most of the international schools I�ve looked at seem to want one or two year contracts. I would be looking to come over in August (however, school year here ends June 30th, so really I could leave anytime after that) and be in HCMC until sometime in December. Is there such thing as working at a school for one semester or half of the school year? Are there specific schools/companies that offer shorter terms? Would I be better off looking at English language centers? and if so any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

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

Most schools want longer commitments. There are summer camps in Taiwan. You could do a month winter camp in Korea and a summer camp in Taiwan.

That would give you two months of free housing.

If you want a six month contract, China is your best bet. You could get a 14 an hour a week university job in China for one semester.

Dr_Zoidberg · Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 2:41 pm Post subject:

The one-year requirement is mandated by Taiwanese law. You must sign a one-year contract in order to get an Alien Residency Certificate (ie: A work visa).

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

Canuckgirl07 · Joined: 24 Apr 2010 Posts: 4

Thanks JZer. I will look into China. Are the summer/winter camps usually posted on the same job forums as the one year + contracts? So far most of the summer camps I've heard of have all been by word of mouth. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places?

Shimokitazawa · Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Posts: 458 Location: Saigon, Vietnam

have a look at Westgate in Japan. They offer 3 or 4 month contracts.

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

Aston offers six week as well as six month jobs in China. Go to the China forum and find Aston. Think about how long you would like to work and see what they can arrange for you.

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

Canuckgirl07, this is what Aston is offering for a six month contract.

Six Months 20 Hrs/Wk
Salary 5,000RMB/Month
Hours/Week 20
Teaching Days/Wk 4
OT 100 RMB/hr for over 20 hours per week
Completion Bonus 1,200RMB
Paid Vacation Days 4

Canuckgirl07 · Joined: 24 Apr 2010 Posts: 4

Again Thank-you JZer! This is very helpful. I have spent some time looking through Aston's website and have sent them some information.

Shimokitazawa, I will spend some time looking at Westgate today. Thank-you for the suggestion.

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

You might try coming to Taiwan in the summer for a summer camp and then do a six month contract in China or Japan starting in September. You could apply to work at ALV camp in Taiwan for the summer. If you need more details please send me a private message.

Dr_Zoidberg · Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 3:33 pm Post subject:

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

Daphne · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 119

The job market in Taipei at least is very different than a few years back when
a foreign-looking face was enough to generate a job offer within a day or two of arriving in town. Quite a few experienced teachers have spent weeks and months there in the last year or so without a solid deal.

It's supposedly not as bad outside the capital, but my advice is to have a contract in hand before flying out to Taiwan.

Even for a six-month gig in China, your best bets are the big cities in Guangdong province, Shanghai and Beijing. You'll earn more than what Aston offers and likely have better living and working conditions.

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

Daphne · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 119

Well, I would not disagree with that, but that was not really my point. It was the dearth of employment in the capital.

There are very few (if any) ESL contracts on earth today which provide 100 percent job security, and it seems to me that's the way it should be; as any employer should have the right to get rid of anybody on their payroll they do not see as
a good fit.

The way it works with most ESL contracts is that there is usually a 30 to 90-day probation period during which either party has the right to terminate the deal. After that period the employee tends to have has legal avenues if fired--a lot of times though, the axed teachers just figure it is a battle not worth fighting in terms of the time and money that is usually needed for successful litigation in a foreign land.