Job Discussion Forums

[severian]

Hello,
I'm brand-new to this world of teaching. Just returned from a two-week visit to China, and am keen to return. If teaching english can give me the chance of spending time in differing cultures, I'm intrigued. Currently, I work as a paramedic in Canada. I have the option of taking long periods of time off, with very little loss other than in pay. As a trained medic I don't have a degree. I do have the money to take almost any training I would need too, but would prefer to get active as soon as possible. I am considering taking this program http://www.cclonline.ca/.

So, I'm not sure if this is enough background info and I'm free to answer any more questions. I have read through the forums with a somewhat confused mind, and have seen much seemingly contradictory info.

Here's my questions - what do I do next? do I take this course? a different course? do I go to a foreign country and take a course there? if so, any suggestions on which course? any tips on finding decent jobs? (the pay doesn't matter too much, just need enough for day-to-day - but I don't want to get stranded or scammed)

Thank you so much, in advance, for any help,
Lars

[Glenski]

Have you considered posting this in the China forum?

Just how much is "long periods of time off"? Jobs expect contracts to be fulfilled usually for a whole year.

[severian]

Thank you for the reply. China was great, but I am willing to travel to any other destination. Every where I'm sure will have new experiences, I have no preference. By long periods of time away, I mean indefinetely. I may have to take refresher courses to renew my license, but thats not much of a concern.

[Glenski]

Can't speak for countries other than Japan. No degree and less than 3 years of teaching experience means no work visa. You'd have to get a student visa or cultural activities visa and work PT. Market is very flooded here, though.

[spiral78]

Western Europe is mostly off-limits legally (I'm assuming you are North American, right?).

However, Central/Eastern European countries do still allow work visas to be issued to non-EU citizens (and don't demand first degrees, though a lack of one does put you at a disadvantage as most newbies on the job market DO have one).

It's a bit of a race against time in this region, though --- you need to be here to get a job (reputable employers in this region don't normally hire from abroad) and you have just 90 days on your Schengen zone time clock (google Schengen zone for a list of countries and more info) to get paperwork filed for legal visas to work. If your time limit runs out, you have to leave the zone for 90 days to restart.

The standard newbie-level certification for this region is 120 hours on-site, including supervised teaching practice with real students. Online certs obviously don't cut it. CELTA, SIT, and Trinity are the name brands, but there are some generic courses that meet the standard.

You might also consider (regardless of region where you want to go) taking a course in country. Training in-country offers you a chance to get started in the country/culture while you still have a support system � training centres usually arrange for your housing during the course, airport pickup, and local orientation. Your practice teaching students will really be representative of those you�ll be working with when you start. You can be sure that your certification will be recognized by local employers, and a training centre can give you useful contacts and advice regarding reputable local employers.

I hope this is clear enough - I'm obviously feeling parenthetical this morning. Apologies for the poor writing style.

[severian]

Thank you again for all the replies.! So far, I think my best option is to go to Beijing in August, and take the CERTA course with Language Link.

Any advice for or against this strategy?

[naturegirl321]

Is there anyway for you to start working towards your degree online? It'll open doors.

Short courses are often 1 or 2 thousand dollars. In China, you'll be making about 500 bucks a month. Some places will hire you without a degree though. You could work for ayear, see if you like it and then take a TEFL course. Just don't expect to get rich in TEFL with no degree.

Ok, some poeple have done it. But that's rare.

Trinity, CELTA, and SIT are the big course names.

Decent jobs? Best advice is to get the emails of current teachers and talk to them.

[father Mackenzie]

Have you tried Indonesia?, many language schools will take on new teachers if they have a minimum language qualification but the pay wont be as high. You can as Nature Girl suggested, take a distance learning degree at the same time.

And its got the sunshine all year round. So thats nice too.