Job Discussion Forums

[Fitzgerald]

This is an updated version of a topic I posted in the General Asia forum, but with the core question -- What countries would be best for me to apply for university jobs in? -- expanded to include the test of the world as well.

My qualifications are: a Bachelor's degree in American History and Literature from an Ivy League university; two master's degrees in English Literature and Education from a top 20 university; extensive experience teaching English, journalism, history, and the social sciences at American high schools, and at university level as an adjunct. I have also worked in corporate education and I was a businessman before I became a teacher, so I am very familiar with the business world. I am currently teaching adult conversational classes at a private academy (hagwon) in Korea; it was a quick way to get overseas. I am 52 years old, healthy, and single; my only dependent is my cat, who came with me to Korea. I am male, white, and very professional in appearance; I always wear a jacket and tie. I tend to interview well. I don't have any academic publication history, but I have written professionally for magazines.

With these credentials, I know I can obtain a renewable visiting lecturer position in an English department in a Korean university. The class duties would probably include 10-20 hours of instruction in conversation, composition, and literature and culture for university students. It might also include classes in the university's adult language academy, and in their summer and winter English camps for students from middle school through university age. I would probably get 4-8 weeks of paid vacation per year. The pay would probably be in the 2-3 million won range (about $1,700-2,550 per month) with overtime potential. The apartment might be provided, might not, but if not, there could be a housing allowance folded into the pay.

Allowing for understandable differences in duties, compensation, and perks, this description is a good baseline for what I would be looking for in a position.

Private lessons are not legal in Korea, but I would be interested in teaching them in any country where they were legal, in order to augment my income.

The two factors that would most likely push me to another country are superior housing options and the ability to teach private lessons legally. Renewability is also important to me. I don't want to have to relocate every year. If a university is pleasant and the job proves agreeable, I would like to be able to stay for five years or more.

The two factors that would most likely keep me away from another country are a lifestyle tending toward third world conditions (which might depend more upon the specific location rather than upon the country per se) and difficulties over my pet.

So based upon my particular circumstances, what are the best countries for me to consider? Good money (in relation to cost of living), good quality of life, and a reasonable prospect of stability all matter to me. I suspect that Korea is in the top group, and it represents the path of least resistance since I am already here; but I am interested in assessing and comparing all my options.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]