Job Discussion Forums

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I chose my present location based on several issues:

1. I had an interest here already (martial arts).
2. I have debts that forced me to rule out all the countries that pay a livable local wage but one that wouldn't allow me to send back hundreds of dollars for at least the minimum payments on bills.
3. I wanted to go far, far away (I have always had this wierd desire to be a Jedi. It caused me to take up martial arts and, just like Japan, Jedi are in a galaxy far,far away).
4. Interest in learning the language.
5. Interest in being in a very, very different culture than the one I grew up in (see number 3).

So all in all, the main choice for me was between Japan and Korea (i have experience in Tae Kwon Do as well as Karate) and I chose Japan because of the scariness of the stories that come out of Korea.

Next, I would like to be somewhere where learning the language is at least a little easier, so that would mean probably somewhere in Europe, Central/South America, or of course North America, (and by the time I've finished three years here,- I'm in the JET programme- back in Japan again).

However, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if I end up in Korea or Taiwan- both countries have lanaguages that seem really, really difficult but... ah well [shrug].

[Boy Wonder]

Next location will be based purely on being in the same place as a particular woman in my life.

I have found they are more important to me than career developement, money and new experiences.

And long may it be so!

[dmb]

BW, hen-picked?

[ChicagoCubMike]

Well my first "destination" was right here at home in the States (well, my adopted new city of Chicago, not my real home of NYC). I managed to get a couple of good gigs at community language schools here teaching to the immigrant Mexican community. It beats the for-profit language-school grind I hear horror stories about, and one of the gigs is pretty well paid for a non-profit ($19/hour, the other being a paltry $10), but isn't many hours.

I got into ESL/EFL as a way to pay the bills while looking for a career urban planning job in Chicago, but now I'm thinking of heading to my real love, Lisbon, to teach. In a way, Chicago is my "working in the trenches" with few resources and, at one school at least, a marginally acceptable work environment. But I've learned a lot that will help my overseas, both in terms of teaching and coping.

I'd say try to teach somewhere you really love. If it doesn't work out, at least you'll be living somewhere that makes you smile. Chicago does that for me, and Lisbon does that about 1,000% more. Don't choose solely based on money or ease of finding a job (although definitely take those into consideration), because with persisitence and self-promotion you can find a way into teaching anywhere. I've never once heard of a labor law or rule that I hadn't also heard of being bent, broken, or officially ignored in some way.

My 2 cents.

[denise]

Czech Republic--I chose it because I had heard wonderful things about Prague, they had a reputable-looking TEFL program (ITC--quite a good program), and since it was at the time (1999) trying to get into the EU I knew that it would be legally off-limits in the future so I went when I could.

Japan--because the program that I worked for seemed very good, professional, etc. (which it has proven to be about 93% of the time) and because I needed a salary high enough to pay back my loans--I have come to realize that money is a crappy deciding factor.

I will base my future choices on some of the criteria mentioned by other posters.

d

[Boy Wonder]

DMB..hen picked but not yet pecked.....!

The call of the female is always a hard one to ignore.

It is like a call to prayer and when I hear it off I hurry...keen to worship those worthy of being put on a semi-pedestal!