Job Discussion Forums

Iceman33 · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 91

Well, I've decided not to go to Russia for now.

It's down to Turkey, Japan, Thailand. I'm interested in Germany, but I think there's little chance (Austria is out of the question LOL).

I speak French and German, and am learning Turkish. I also have some background in Japanese. I've never studied Thai.

liuxun · Joined: 14 Jul 2010 Posts: 1

Hey not to get too far off topic, but why is Austria out of the question? Do you mean the job market is tough, or that everyone there is gruff? haha.

Iceman33 · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 91

Minella · Joined: 22 Aug 2010 Posts: 37 Location: Turkey

I am from Turkey. So I may be able to give you some information about Turkey. If you are going there to work as a teacher, I would definitely suggest Istanbul. There are many language schools there and mostly they are really good as well. One of the good ones are; Discovery English Language School, Prep2 Language School, Avrupa Dilleri (they don't have an English name for this school) and many more...
If you like you can ask me about the schools you have found so far and I can tell you about them as much as I can.
Istanbul is a very nice city, but get ready for a mad crowd, especially if you are going to live on the European side of the city. The Asian side is less interesting but more calm and relaxed. The European side can be dangerous at times, especially at nights. You need to be careful about the places you go at nights. But you will be fine on the Asian side Smile

(that is where I live right now). There are so many interesting places to go and see in Istanbul. If you like nature, you will need to travel to the Mediterranean sea or the Black sea. And they are not too close to Istanbul. You may need to fly to some places. In the summer, you can explore the beautiful beaches and ruins, ancient places with a lot of history etc..but again these places are far from Istanbul. As for people, yes they are friendly like you said. Beware of pickpocketing, always keep your bags close to you. And watch out for getting ripped off, when you buy stuff. Turkish people (not me) tend to be a smart ass sometimes, especially with tourists Smile

. Always bargain!! that is the way to buy stuff there lol.
They don't pay too much salary over here. Something around, net 1200 USD per month. And rents are very expensive. So make sure your school will arrange accommodation for you. Istanbul is an expensive city! It is not like Vietnam or even China. The money you earn, will be spent on food, or socializing or maybe rent as well. But you won't be able to save money here. That is why I am leaving to work in Asia soon. lol.
Hope this helps!! Any questions, just shoot. I am happy to answer them.

Now... I am another confused person. I got 2 job offers. One from Vietnam and one from China. I can't decide which one to go for Smile

Vietnam-Vung Tau is more like a place I would like to be, considering the nature, beaches etc. But China-Hangzhou is more like a small city, looks nice but still far from beaches and it is still sort of crowded I guess. Well the school is an EF franchise so it looks very professional. On the other hand the school in Vung Tau is called Cleverlearn, and does not offer that many benefits and I am not sure if I should trust them!!
Anyone any ideas? I need to make a decision very fast as well!! life is hard sometimes Smile

)

Cheers

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

As I said before, Master's degrees don't seem to have much value in Western Europe. They're seemingly after EU residents/citizens who have completed on-site certficate courses such as Celta.

I am a US MA degree holder and have worked in Europe for more than 12 years now. MAs are respected, and required for most university work. The problem is that simply having a relevant MA is still not enough for most non-EU citizens to successfully get an exceptional visa granted by the relevant national government. You need to have a specialist field that the specific institution requires, and most likely local contacts and reputation.

Anyway, it's simply untrue that MAs are not valued in Western Europe. They just aren't enough to get you in as a non EU member citizen.

Iceman33 · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 91

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

There are folks with Master's in TESOL (from the US, etc) who need to obtain a Celta in order to teach at a basic English language school in Western Europe.

What the schools are realistically looking for is a candidate who has endured supervised teaching practice. An MA without a practical component could be considered insufficient. A DELTA or MA with a practical classroom component would trump a CELTA.

And were an EU resident to have a Master's in TESOL from an accredited US institution, and not a Celta, he or she would still encounter hiring difficulties at many of the language schools across the region (I presume.).

Ditto - it's the supervised teaching practice that is the key.

Iceman33 · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 91

Iceman33 · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 91

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I've been here 12+ years. I work at a uni now, but used to be a teacher trainer and have contacts at both private language schools and unis all over the region. You're wrong, I promise Very Happy

Iceman33 · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 91

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

after having heard a few American MA holders in TESOL say that they could a job at a language school in Western Europe if they were to combine the MA with a Celta,

No, not the whole story. They'd still have to sell themselves as something that no EU candidate for the job could match - imossible for a simple language school gig. Americans with MA and CELTA are still not employable at this level. They would need specialist quals and to be applying at a school with an actual need for specialist quals - most likely a university.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

You said that you've lived in OZ, UK, and France. Were you working when you worked there? Maybe you could try to do the same job in Japan, Russia or Turkey, or Thailand that you did there.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

It did not help in the Netherlands that I am married to a Czech - that only allows me to work in the CR.

I have specialist qualifications in the type of approach and method used at this university. I also had local contacts here. 'Specialist' does not just mean 'higher' - it means specific/particular.

Not a case of 'right place at right time.' I was recruited from Canada.