Job Discussion Forums

[Mairi]

Hello to all, and Happy new Year! This is my first post in here Although, I have been lingering for a while just sifting through the threads, there's so much useful information to be found in here, I've learned so much just looking through it all

Well, the reason I'm here is; my partner and I are hoping to leave Scotland at some point this year and teach English abroad. I completed a tefl course with i-to-i last year, and now I�m currently studying my Masters in my free time with the Open University. I�m worried about my partner though, he is currently in his 2nd year of his degree (which is also with the Open University), he�s actually just returned to studying after working with the NHS for 3 years. His highest qualifications so far include an HNC in biomedical science and an HND in forensic science, but he doesn�t have a qualification in tefl. Because we are both relitavely near the start of our Open University courses, which can also be studied from anywhere in the world, and our jobs at the moment are not related to our courses, we decided that now is a perfect time to get away yet still continue our study outside working hours, but we are wondering about our options because he doesn't have the degree yet, and I have no teaching experience yet, which concerns me. However, my degree was in Psychology which required a lot of presentations and teaching exercises.

There is just so many conflicting pieces of information out there about what qualification are required to work in each country and I thought a discussion in here about it might be really useful...

Thank you for any advice you could give me
Mairi

[spiral78]

I'm assuming that you and your partner are from the UK and therefore have the right to work within the EU. I can give you a bit more info about this region, and I'm sure the resident Asia/Latin America experts will be along shortly.

Inside the EU a university degree is not a legal prerequisite to teach at the newbie level, though it's a tough job market and most newbies DO have a degree. Your partner can hopefully offset this lack by ensuring that he/she presents a highly professional and reliable image.

So far as what your degree/s is/are in - unless it's directly related to teaching and language teaching and learning, it's basically irrelevant. Your degree in psychology is just a degree - nothing that will stand out in this field (though in practice, of course it's probably more useful to a teacher than some other degrees, of course - I'm just talking about how an employer will rate it).

So far as TEFL qualifications, for Europe you will need a CELTA or equivalent. i-to-i and similar courses that do not include supervised teaching practice with real students are considered substandard for the region. The standard is 100+ hours on-site, including the key teaching practice.
There are quite a few CELTA and equivalent course providers on the continent, and they really turn out thousands of newbie teachers every year - this is why any qual that doesn't meet the basic standard puts you at a considerable disadvantage on this tight job market.

So, overall, for Europe you would both likely need a 30-day cert course, but lack of a degree shouldn't be an insurmountable problem.
Also, consider timing - most job contracts are Sept/Oct - thru June, so the end of August and early September is the time to start trying to find a job. Finally, keep in mind that jobs in this region are rarely found from abroad, so you should expect to incur start up costs - flying over and taking a course is a good start, but it implies that you'll be supporting yourself for a few months before your first paycheck.

Good luck-!

[tttompatz]

[naturegirl321]

Degrees aren't needed for all countries, but having one won't work against you. ON the contrary, it helps. also, if your partner starts working it only gets that much harder to get a degree. He coudl find jobs, but he'll be at the bottom of the ladder. If he doesn't want to stay and finish his degree on campus, he could still find work, but try to work on his degree in the process. The sooner he finishes the better.

[nickpellatt]

[Glenski]

[artemisia]

The other posters have pretty much covered it except for Latin America, I think. I'll just reiterate that a CELTA or Trinity College certificate would be advisable for both you and partner as they're the most recognised of the TEFL certs. I'm assuming he has a (Higher National?) Certificate and Diploma but for visas in some countries you do need degree status, as already pointed out. Given the degree issue and (presumably) lack of EU visa problems, Europe might be your best bet but I'm afraid lack of teaching experience will most likely be the biggest drawback for both of you. You would almost certainly have to travel for interviews but it's possible you could do the TEFL course in the country of your choice and look for work from there. As Spiral said, you'll need to cover start up costs.

I don't want to sound too off-putting but apart from any possible residence requirements re: OU courses, it's not particularly easy to do long distance study if you start taking a totally new area of work you'll have to adjust to into account. Teaching can be demanding and tiring at the best of times, even without being a totally new teacher and coping with a new country (and language). If you're going abroad to a country you've never lived in before, IMO you might be better off postponing your study for a while (if you can) until you are settled and on top of the job, particularly given you're both near the start of your OU courses.
All the best with your plans.

[naturegirl321]

I'll help with Latin America a bit. People don't go there for the money, but the language is easy enough. If you're a newbie, then Mexico seems the easiest as there's help for the visa. Ecuador is also possible with the 12-IX visa. Check the latin american forum for more info. You could also PM people

me for Peru
Justin Trullinger for Ecuador
Guy Courchensne or MELEE for Mexico

Generally, not usually, it's hard to get the benefits (flights, visa, and housing) that you can get in Asia in Latin America. If you're a licensed teacher, that's a whole different ballgame.

Good news is that degrees aren't required. Bad news is that you'll be working split shifts and may have to work on tourist visas and border hop. Ihave a friend who's been living in peru for four years and border hopping a couple times a year as he can't get a marriage visa since same-sex unions aren't recognised.

pAy is iffy, if that. In Peru, you' could expect about $6 an hour. Up to 10, maybe 15 in some places. I usually tell peple to expect about $600 a month. Housing is expensive there as well. You're not going to save, HOWEVER, you can live well.. Think hiring a maid, eating out, travelling a bit.

Hope this helps.

[Mairi]

Wow, thanks guys, this is all so useful

Excellent point about the OU course, I spent some time in Germany last year and had no problems continuing my study so I just assumed we'd be able to do this anywhere, but since Germany is 'close by', I should've considered further away. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

As for the HNC, HND, these are 'Higher National Cert.' and 'Higher National Diploma', the HNC was a college course and is the equivalent of perhaps the 1st year of a degree. He then went on to Forensic Science and did 2 years of that degree, so he got the HND certificate. I think this is the best way to explain it. But now he's finally doing the degree he wants and he'll be finished this in about 2 years.

I know this might sound strange, but we really were actually using this thread as a way of pin pointing where in the world we would like to go. We just wanted to get as much advice from people who knew the field and decide/research from there. From what I am reading, I think South America sounds wonderful, Asia will perhaps be an option when we are finished studying and better qualified.

I know it might sound like alot to take on with us both still studying, but the beauty of the OU is that, even although it is intensive, it is also very manageable along with work as you don't have to attend a campus. Between work and volunteering, we're practically working full-time and we still always manage the studying, which is why we aren't too worried about continuing our studies elsewhere while teaching full-time, hopefully the OU do allow this.

Again, thank you so much for all your help and great advice
Mairi

[nickpellatt]

Do check with the OU. The course options dont offer study from some countries, but the question is really will you disclose your movements to them or study 'off the radar'. Exams are something to consider, and also book despatch. If you take the grants etc (and the OU offers many of these according to income) not disclosing things is kinda like fraud I guess.

I think HNC and HND are below degree level courses and are more like A levels. Im about 90% sure on that, but this is also something you can check with you OU, if they are equivalent to any type of Uni study you may be able to transfer them and get points as credit. Makes the degree a little bit closer!

[Mairi]

Here is what I've found so far on the OU website FAQ:

"I am a UK National temporarily and unavoidably resident outside the UK. Can I pay UK course/module fees?

If you are temporarily and unavoidably working outside the UK for a period of less than 3 years, and your main place of residence is still deemed to be the UK, you will still be classified as ordinarily resident in the UK and therefore eligible to pay UK fees.

If you are a member of the British Armed Forces or have UK diplomatic status and are using a BFPO address while you are resident outside of the UK, you can pay UK fees during your time outside the UK.

If you work for the FCO, the MOD, the UKTI or a similar government organisation and were appointed to your post whilst resident outside the UK, then you may not be eligible to pay the UK fees even if you are eligible to use a BFPO address.

If you are resident outside the UK for reasons other than work, or you are not sure if you are eligible to pay the UK fee, please contact us on 0845 300 60 90 before registering.

Please note that if you are eligible to pay UK course/module fees:

* If you choose to use a non-UK Home address, you will need to provide us with a UK delivery address for delivery of course/module materials and arrange for them to be forwarded to your overseas address at your own cost;
* Where your chosen course/module has an examination, you may have to apply and pay for an overseas examination if you choose to sit your examination outside the UK. For more information, please refer to Will I have to apply and pay for an overseas examination?
* Where your chosen course/module has an integral residential school, to successfully complete your course, you will either need to return to the UK to attend a face to face school, or, where available, undertake the Alternative Learning Experience. Please note that neither option will incur any additional fees.

To find out more information about what you can study, go to our Studying outside the UK website."

This is likely the most suitable option, it's just a case of our poor Dads having to forward our mail Luckily, neither of us have actual written exams at the end of our courses, it's all continuously assessed and can be submitted online.

Yeah, the HNC/HND stuff is hard to explain. Funny you should mention that, we are actually in the process of gathering all the module information from where he studied so that we can do a module credit point transfer. I think he puts it off because he's afraid his list of varying studies makes him look indecisive

Thanks again to everyone for all the great advice so far

Also, I'd like to thank Sharon (naturegirl321) who has PM'd me some great links to the TEFL tips blog space, sorry I can't reply to you personally yet because I haven't posted enough

Thanks again,
Mairi