Job Discussion Forums

[north_time]

I'm looking for a teaching post for the first time. My age -- 'mature', seems to be a bit of a road block. I do have a degree and my experience is all business related. Any suggestions?

[slayer6719]

Keep trying!!! there are many "mature aged" teachers here.One place will be uninterested in a mature aged teacher, another wont care. The school i work at has 2 mature aged teachers and one of the Universities in this city has 1 in his early 70's and another in his late 60.s. Just keep applying.

[nickpellatt]

Is your degree related to teaching or English?

Do you have any EFL teaching experience, or even any subject teaching experience?

Do you have any TEFL certification ... CELTA/Trinity/SIT or even a lesser known certificate?

It may not be just age that is serving as a barrier to employment. My employer is looking for teachers...but if someone applied and they answered NO to all of the above, he would have to wonder (rightly so) if the applicant can actually do the job. And thats before he considers age.

I do work with an older teacher, she is 62 ... she did get certification and many months of volunteer EFL experience before applying here though. If age is against you, then it would make sense to consider getting some training, or experience to make yourself a lot more employable.

[Greg 09]

Do you have a TEFL cert or are you planning on getting one? That would help a lot. It depends on your interests, but I'm focusing Bus. English and adult teaching. I've turned down a couple of offers as I'm not in a hurry. You have to sort through loads of ads aimed at the kids, but jobs for over 50ers are out there.

Like slayer said, keep trying.

[north_time]

Many Thanks,
Thank you all for your responses. I do have a TEFL certificate and my degree is in history - Canadian.
I find it hard to find real schools to apply to directly.
The school I received my TEFL from has placement service, n/c so I admit I have been relying on them.
I really appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks again
P.S. my age is 60/61

[nickpellatt]

http://www.omeida.org/

This is where I am. They are often recruiting, and need teachers now I think. Details are on the website. Wages are not exactly high, but hours are favourable, classes are small, and the lifestyle is enviable.

[Zero]

If it is your first time, I would suggest going very slowly. Do as advised above for as easy an entry as possible. Still, things may be pretty tight. I suggest you try second- and third-tier markets, because they may not be as heavily penetrated by other teachers. Do not pay for opportunities. Be patient and wait for the right one to come along. You will know when you have found the right position. The fit will be perfect, and pretty soon you'll be going full-throttle!

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[sojourner]

Mature-Aged, a humanities degree, no EFL exp - mmm - might seem a hopeless situation to some, here in China ! However, . . . . .

In my own case, I am a bit older than the op, and have been teaching in China for 7 years.The op would be well advised to forget about the usual popular destinations of the EFL set (eg Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Yunan Province,etc) and to focus on smallish cities that are a "bit off the beaten track". Also, he/she should not just apply for 2 or 3 jobs - rather, it would be necesseary to apply for at least 15 jobs; resulting, I'm sure, in (at least) 3 or 4 offers. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, rather than just rely on recruiters or job ads, a job-seeker would be well advised to do a google search for colleges and schools in those areas/cities that happen to appeal to him/her, and then to enquire from those institutions' FAOs about possible vacancies. In my own situation, three of the four jobs that I've had were obtained through a recruiter - I used her services because I was too lazy/busy to do a google search.But, if the op has pleny of time, it might be more fruitful for him to a search than to rely upon recruiters.

It would appear that most of the FTs in China are teaching Oral English. But, as "the Cleric" touched on, with a degree in History you might well be asked to teach courses in "British/American Societies" or "Western Culture" . In my own case, with a BA (History/Religious Studies), B.Ed. CELTA, Master's in Applied Linguistics and a Master's in Economic Studies, as well as many years experience in public administration work, I have been very fortunate in teaching not only Oral English, Br/American Societies and Western Culture, but also Inter-Cultural Communication,Business English, Management and Marketing ! I think that the op mentioned something about having had some business experience. Thus, he/she should keep his/her eye out for vacancies for teachers of Business English, Management, etc . Better still, when doing google searches for jobs, pay particular attention to those unis/colleges that happen to have departments/faculties in business/economics fields - and, to mention his/her business background when communicating with the FAO !

So, one should not be too discouraged by rumours of ageism - rather, a mature-aged person should try to find as many strings to his/bow as possible, and to emphasise those strengths/skills when dealing with FAOs/recruiters - don't just rely on one's BA + CELTA !

Good luck !

Peter

[lyallben]

Email me- I might have something.If you are still looking

[lyallben]

my email is - [email protected]

[north_time]

Many many thanks for the feedback.
I'm going to follow up accordingly.
What other good web sites are out there, for searching down opportunities?
Where are you located 'slayer6719'?
Thank you all again; most appreciated.