Job Discussion Forums

[bdawg_2]

[Zero]

This thread is really getting good! Some of the previous posters have made some fantastic points that go to the heart of the dilemmas that ESLers face when arranging their lives.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried having the best of both worlds. To me that would mean having a "back-home" career that is sufficiently in demand that one could leave it and return to it as desired, and which also paid decently. Maybe something like nursing or something technical. And then take a year or two off now and then to teach ESL abroad. Being a certified teacher who can work in international schools may be the best route, since you can do the same profession at home and abroad. I'd like to have a full paid-off house in my home country and the dual career tracks described above. To me that would be the ideal combination of stability and flexibility.

[nickpellatt]

I think I am trying to have the worst of both worlds, does that count?

I have one foot in England, and one foot in China. Of course, this does offer many advantages, and I get to spend time with my son which is really important, but it also offers major disadvantages.

In China, I cant really get the plum jobs, build a reputation and keep negotiating for a higher salary and leaping up the pay ranks. Im just not there enough, and Im unlikely to ever commit to a full year contract. Dipping in and out makes a long term EFL abroad goal quite difficult to chase. It also means I am very unlikely to be able to marry abroad because I a) have no intention ever or remaining, and b) dont have anywhere near enough money to bring her home. TBH, I dont always see that as a bad thing.

In the UK, I am quite lucky in that I have quite a good 'in' with a busy local student organisation. Although the work is seasonal, I am one of the longer serving teachers and get priority for a lot of the work available. It means that from April to later October I have TEFL work in England anytime I want it. The downside to this of course, if similar to China, in that I cant really get my foot in the door at the better employers on longer term, year round contracts as I am a) not in the UK enough and b) not prepared to turn my back on the work I do have to try and get in the door in other places.

rock - nickpellatt - hardplace

[nickpellatt]

Im also going to add this....I mentioned earlier I wasnt interested in teaching subjects to native speakers, although this is something my father has been harping on about with me this year.

Well, I have also got some part time work as an exam invigilator in local schools...You know, I watch students complete their GCSE exams and check they dont cheat. I had my first day doing this today, and it was interesting to see the well equipped school that no one ever sees in TEFL. When I went for lunch in the teachers staff room, there were about 30 teachers in there. I didnt hear one single conversation about the next class. There was none of the checking materials that I often do, there was no brainstorming about how to present the TL, or any teachers swapping tips for stuff like I try to do in my work environments...it was all a bit lacklustre TBH.

Then when I came home I was visited by my 15 year old niece. She asked me about my job and suggested I would make a good teacher in her school. I tried to explain to her why I would prefer to teach English to non-native speakers and the joy I believe exists in learning a language....naturally, she didnt get that! LOL.

But I also asked her about her learning experiences, especially after noting the teachers behaviour in the staff room. Her experience is the classroom offers few surprises, and lots of 'open your book to page 45 and complete the task'. There is never any music to elicit a concept, there are no games to re-inforce something, there is rarely short video to set schemata. And there is a lot of Teacher>Student lecturing.

I may not be going anywhere with my 'career', but hey, I do love what we do, and I dont want to swap it for the dull old life that regular school teaching seems to be!

[MotherF]

Having spent most of my TEFL career in Mexico, I'm suprised how many people think their birth country will take better care of them in their old age than their adopted country.
My birth country--the good old US of A is not well known for taking care of it's seniors. But Mexico, on the other hand actually has socialized medicine. Sure it's not perfect, but I've seen people go through it and fair very well--much better than they would have if they had been in the US. My brother-in-law sustained a serious head injury in a car accident last November. He is self employed (informally) and the state healthcare here saved his life. All we paid out of pocket was an ambulance transfer, because the free ambulance was on another call a couple of hours away.

I have no plans to go back, nor to move to another country--Mexico has been good to me, I have a retirement plan, I'm 20 months away from paying off my no-interest mortgage, job security, healthcare that will continue after retirement, why would I go back to the US and try my hand at teaching in the public schools there? Like naturegirl, I suspect I have no credit history at all--and frankly, I don't care.

[JZer]

[bdawg_2]

[PC Parrot]

[nickpellatt]

Just over five years PC Parrot.

[Sudz]

I myself have been teaching in Vietnam for the past 6 years, and plan on starting my MA TESOL in the next year. Would be in my 30s by the time of completion - should I choose to go through with it.

I mention 'should I choose to go through with it', as I've been having some ambivalence going through with this for a couple of reasons: First my father - while in fairly good health - has just hit the 80 mark. I realize that this MA will set me back financially for a little while, and that my next visit (after the coming summer) might be a ways away. Another reason is that I have some desire to change career paths sometime in the future (would like to get my BSN for nursing....interesting that a couple of people have mentioned nursing in this thread). Definitely a good career to get into at or past mid-life, provided you have the desire to do it. Anyways I've been debating saving up while I can now, and finishing this program back in Canada (where my parents, and most of my close friends are as well). However, I don't feel ready to go back for an extended period of time as of now - and who knows, maybe not for a while! Something worth noting is that I currently don't have an undergraduate degree, and that even having a nursing degree would open up some esl doors for me - as silly as that is.

So before I wander TOO far off topic. I guess the answer for me is nursing after ESL. Who knows though, should I choose to go through with this MA TESOL I might end up with a few cushy jobs in the next decade or so (wherever they may be), and choose to stick it out. I'm not convinced that I want to do this forever though, and moreover I'd like the option of returning home one day. The ESL opportunities look sparse in Ontario, while nursing is (and probably will continue to be) in demand for some time. Could always find a nursing gig in a country like Singapore as well.

[MotherF]

Sudz,

If you are seriously interested in nursing, you should do it. Part of the reason why nurses are in high demand is there are a lot of people out there, like me, who have no interest in it. I know a lot of nurses, and I know that the field offeres a lot of interesting career options. But I could never do it myself. So in turn, I think anyone who could should.

So why not, instead of studying towards an MA in TEFL, study a foriegn language intensely while teaching English abroad. Especially a language in demand in the US--a nurse who speaks Spanish, or Chinese, or the like, would be even more in demand than a plain old nurse.

[bdawg_2]

Sudz,

I obviously have a bias toward retraining (only for those who are shaky about their present situation) but go for the BSN. You won't have any problem accessing funding for such a program, especially if you are from Ontario. I don't know what kind of student loans you are eligible for if you choose an MA TESOL, it might have to be totally self-supported. I took out 25k to supplement my own savings (lived well on that too)...the payments are easily manageable once you find a job and you would be surprised how simply you can defer payments (I did it twice). I believe your only concern would be earning a slot in one of the programs. Nursing is really hot right now.

I know that TEFL life is sometimes romanticised as being infinitely superior to life back home. I've seen it in numerous threads here...most recently over in the China forum regarding inflation and cost of living. For many people, TEFL is the superior choice. Their posts are genuine and they express sincerity and honesty in their decision to make TEFL a rewarding and fulfilling career over what they did in the past. Still, many others propagate considerable amounts of nonsense about home countries (in my case, Canada). If you have the skills or retrain and the appropriate attitude, life back home doesn't have to be the horrid, crime-ridden, poverty-stricken, soul-less and grinding existence that it is often made out to be. It may even turn out to be way better than you could have possibly imagined. I certainly see parallels between TEFL newbies looking to make the hop abroad and old-hands strongly considering a move back home.

I don't mean the above paragraph to come across as a 'rah rah rah, get the f*ck out of TEFL, you suckers". It's not. Like I've said previously, I loved my time slinging verbs. Hell, I even re-registered here to see what has been happening in the biz over the years (still the same old Dave's...). Like some though, it just wasn't going to be my life's work.

It is a big decision. I know. It took me two years to set the appropriate gears in motion, another two to retrain, and final very boring year to find work.

One item though, that I can say for 100% certainty. You will feel like a new person once you make a decision.

[demitrescou]

Nice post bdawg

[JZer]

[JZer]