Job Discussion Forums

[RickSwifty]

I'm looking to get into ESL and I'm American. Got a few questions for the group.

I have a bachelor's in political science, and have been working for a few years. Now that want to get into teaching, how do I choose which qualification to get? CELTA seems popular but why not go straight for a MATESOL. Also am considering getting a teaching license and doing social studies. I also hear about Delta. Is that worth doing? Just not sure what qualification to go for. I am interested in Asia or Latin America but have some other areas in mind too. I want to stay long term and I want to save up lots of money and retire early.

I'm 30 and haven't taught but I have pretty much "done it all" in life and wondered what people think. Also, on this forum I will try to chime in when needed based on my extensive life knowledge. I have seen some posters on here with lots of off the wall comments and negativity, and I will try to counteract that when I can.

Peace out.

[Glenski]

Asia has a lot of different standards depending on the country. Can you pin it down a bit?

[naturegirl321]

YOu're going in three different directions. Generally it goes like this.

1. Teaching license = international school job
2. MA = university job
3. CELTA = institute

That's not to say this is the rule, but rather what generally happens. So where do you want to go?

You can't do the DELTA yet, since you need about two years FT teaching experience. As to it being worth it, it depends where you go. IN Latin America and Asia it's not as popular as say, Europe. Unless you work for British institutes, like the British Council, then it would help wherever.

If you're looking at retiring early, get a couple years teaching experience under your belt, and MA and head to the Middle East, after a decade or two there and good money managment, you should be able to retire early.

[denise]

I'd recommend not jumping straight into an MA. Get a couple of years of experience first to see whether or not you enjoy teaching. And having some teaching experience will enhance your applications to grad schools.

Here's the path I took (and it seems to be semi-common):

1) TEFL qualification--CELTA or other recognized course
2) 2 years of teaching in a language school
3) MA
4) university work

(This path is valid only for the EFL/ESL route, obviously, not for social studies--for that, think credential in the US + teaching experience in the US + international schools)

I will echo what Glenski said. Do not expect massive savings and an early retirement! I am in Oman right now and earning decent money, and you can earn even more in other Gulf countries, but still, the numbers pale in comparison to other jobs. If you really want to chase those lucrative jobs, you will need to have a few years of post-MA experience, and you will need to make some major lifestyle adjustments... living in the Gulf isn't for everyone.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

d

[RickSwifty]

Thanks everyone. Basically what I want to do is find a country where I can work without overdoing it, and save money. And ideally it would be someplace where I could build up for permanent residence over time because in 10 to 15 years I plan to retire and I will probably just want to stay in the country where I am because I am the kind of person who likes to settle in one place, get used to it and stick with it. This sounds funny but I am not a big traveler as far as running here and running there. Please none of the negative people say "then stay home, why do you want to teach ESL?" I do want to move overseas, it's just that I want to find a place I like and stay there long term. Because I don't like to travel much and I am a simple person, that should help me save. I want to put back approximately U.S. $1,500 a month and also get quite a bit of extracurricular activity if you know what I mean. Then when I have saved enough, I want to retire. Being near the beach would be nice but not absolutely necessary. I know the money sounds high but I consider myself to be of above average intelligence, with high work ethic, and I know I will find a way, once on the ground in my target country, to earn well above what your typical foreign teacher earns. It's just the way I am. So I am looking for country suggestions.

[Glenski]

[RickSwifty]

[denise]

You could look into Oman once you've gotten the proper qualifications & experience (MA + a few years of post-MA teaching.) With one of the better jobs, you can save that much. Permanent residency, though... not so easy for teachers. Where I'm at now, we're on three-year contracts, with the standard two-year residence cards. Places that hire through recruiters will offer one-year contracts. The only way that I know of to get permanent residency is to buy into the property designed for uber-rich expats (which generally excludes teachers).

But in other ways, it matches your criteria. Good salary, beaches, and whatever "extracurricular activities" you may mean--pubs, clubs, dating (but keep it low-key, no PDAs, and be VERY careful about even thinking about dating the locals), sports, other hobbies/classes, lots of nature to explore, etc.

Many people that work here and are nearing retirement age--which tends to be in the late 50s/60ish, not mid-40s, as you are hoping for--aren't, to my knowledge, planning on retiring & settling here. They earn their money here and then look into places like Thailand.

d

[Glenski]

[RickSwifty]

Realistically, as I said, I have done a lot in life and clawed my way up in business and sales, and accomplished what I wanted, and I feel it is time for a break. I want to have a few relaxing years in something that is not too demanding, so I am looking at ESL. Realistically I don't want to work full-time hours. I want to take it easy for a few years and then phase out of work altogether, into an early retirement.

I guess 20 to 25 hours a week would be enough. Now, if I find a real job, that challenged me, rather than a teaching position, then I could be coaxed into doing more hours. Probably 40 to 50 hours per week. I won't be looking for such, but if it fell in my lap then I would consider it. Not sure how likely that is, as I don't plan to learn a foreign language and frankly, would not be willing to. (Except of course for the basics such as hello and goodbye, and thank you and asking for the bathroom and things of that nature.) But no, my goal is not to put in a lot of hours, though in those hours I do work, I will give it my all, because as I have said, I have high work ethic. In those hours, I will be working smart, and I do believe I can earn well above average, as I have in every position I've ever held.

[denise]

[Glenski]

[artemisia]

[spiral78]

Come on, fellow teachers. Relax, enjoy your half-time jobs and keep on banking all that extra coin you earn every month for the future. Why bother yourselves feeding the troll? Swifty's not likely to be joining any of us soon - it'll take him quite a while to find the kind of ESL job he's seeking.

[artemisia]

Well, you have to admit it was a bit of an entertaining diversion in the midst of all the marking I�ve been doing. As someone on that other thread said: it can be good to prop yourself up with some wine, chocolates etc. So in between some red pen slashes, I was reaching for my glass, devouring the odd chocolate or two, sometimes clicking on the mouse AND occasionally using the remote. I call this �multi-tasking�.