Job Discussion Forums

[jdriso]

I don't see much about the Pacific Islands in this forum! It's true that it's a very small market, but there is work.

I taught English for years in New Caledonia, at all the language schools on the island, so if anyone wants any info, feel free to ask.

[jdriso]

I got a few messages about this, so I'm going to post some basic info about working in New Caledonia here:

New Caledonia is a great place to work, because of the schools, but a work visa is almost impossible to get, because the government doesn't like foreigners, even people from France. If you have an EU passport you can work with no problem. BUT - You don't need a work visa, just what's called a patente from the Bureau de Patentes. It means you're an independent contractor and can work for all three schools on the island if you wish. I'm not sure about the residency visa, though. You'd have to check that out. I have EU citizenship, so I didn't have to deal with that. You may not even need a residency visa for a patente, as long as you pay taxes and cafat (insurance). Depending on your nationality, you can just hop on a plane to Vanuatu or Oz or NZ every 1-3 months...

The pay is good - the absolute lowest is 2000CFP (about 17 Euros) up to 4000CFP (33Euros) an hour. The schools are all very honest and they pay every month.

Either a degree or TESOL is required, and they don't care about experience. Everyone I worked for and with was super. Living there is very expensive, but if you work 20 hours or more you can live decently. And if you know someone to stay with, you can really save some cash. The students are all kinds - Melanesian, Caledonians, and French. In the years I taught there, only a couple of students were difficult. Most of them were lots of fun to teach.

It's a great place to windsurf and kitesurf. It's a beautiful island, in spite of the nickel mining. If you can possibly work out a residency visa or if you can get a patente without one, I highly recommend working there for a few months or so. The school year starts in March and goes to December, but there is always work throughout the year.

[psouthan]

Hi,
Just wondering if someone could clarify something for me. I hold a European passport. Would I be able to stay in New Caledonia indefinitely?

Paul

[scot47]

Only if you learn how to spell 'definite' and its cognates.

[jdriso]

psouthan -

I think so. I'm a French citizen, so I could stay forever if I wanted. I think it's like that for all EU citizens. It's almost impossible getting a work visa, but luckily you don't need a work visa to teach English, only a "patente" which says you're an independent contractor.

[lucerebe]

I am an American who wants to move to New Caledonia but I have no idea where to start with applying for a work visa or patente. Could someone direct me to a website or give me some more information on that subject? Also, does anyone know how long it takes once you apply for one of these for it to be completed?

[jdriso]

I can tell you that unless you marry a local, getting a work visa is nearly impossible, and anyway you only need one if you teach at a state school. It's useless to have one if you want to teach at a language school. A patente takes only a few minutes to get. You will probably need a residency visa and a passport for that. The office is downtown Noumea. For info on getting a residency visa check out the French consulate website in the US. You will have to get one before you go. It will take a lot of time - a few months - because the consulate needs to go through the New Caledonia territory Bureau des Etrangers and they are nototiously slow.

[bjorn]

jdriso, Id like to hear a bit more about how you got your foot in the door. I have been emailing two of the centres on your list, but alas had no reply. I've travelled quite extensively around the Pacific and more than anything I want to work in the region. ESL in Noumea seems to be the most viable option I've come across so far (the Pacific isn't exactly a treasure trove of opportunity when it comes to work). As an Eu-citizen (Dutch) I don't think the visa/patente would be an issue.
Also, I was wondering if you had the contact details for the "English Spoken" school/centre. I have been googling my heart out, but no luck.

Cheers!

[jdriso]

Hi Bjorn,

I think you may not have received a response because you're not a native speaker. I know that both Noumea School of English and SpeakEasy only hire native speakers - no exceptions. English Spoken is your only option - I'll PM you the email address.

[bjorn]

Thanks jd, I'll drop them a line!

[cdc07]

I'm very interested in teaching in the South Pacific (any island), has anyone heard of the website www.southpacificjobs.org??
Any help on getting employment in that area would be greatly appretiated!! I am a Canadian citizen, graduating with a BA in law from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.

[bjorn]

That website seems to be down at the moment, but is it the one that hasn't been updated since '06? If you manage to find work in the Pacific I'd love to find out how you did it. There is some ESL work in the French territories, but I think you'd have to be physicly there and knock on doors to get it. Jdriso has the info for New Caledonia.
Being Canadian you might look into the American dependencies up north in Micronesia. There always seems to be some volunteer teaching (ESL, Maths, etc) going on in places like the Mariana Islands, but it won't pay (well). In fact, most I've seen come with a hefty fee, though I did come across one program that allowed you to work there for a year for a small stipend (and yes, I have forgotten the link/company).
Finally, have a look at the international schools in countries that have tons (comperatively) of expats, like Fiji. Downside is, these schools usually look for teachers with 2-3 years of experience under their belt.

Hope that helps!

[bjorn]

Oh and seeing you're into law, you might enjoy reading "Where the Hell Is Tuvalu?: How I Became the Law Man of the World's Fourth Smallest Country" by Philip Ells. He worked there for VSO for 2 years. It won't help you find a job, but it is a good read .

[bjorn]

Oh (2), thinking of the law angle still. If you don't mind branching out to Melanesia (Papua New Guinea, Solomons, Vanuatu, bit of Fiji), you might want to check if there's any NGO work in that field there. The reason I say this, at the risk of sounding un-pc, is that the amount of corruption and nepotism in these countries can put some of the African nations to shame. There's bound to be some governmental/judicial/transparency development program about. Having said that, you'd want to think twice about living in PNG and the Solomons as its borderline anarchy. There's a bunch of international schools for the Australians in PNG, but I'm not sure if they cater to the ESL/law teacher.
Happy googling!

[nchan]

Hello,

Any chance there's an update from cdc07, I am in a similar position as he. Has anyone recently taught in New Caledonia? Can you recommend a school/place to stay &c? Thanks very much in advance,

Nick