Job Discussion Forums

[dialectic]

so kev what are the probs that i have to clear up?

I did just about everything in my power ?

I waiting 5 years to apply for pardon--then waiting 2.5 more years?

I voluntary attended 10 job programs?

I have given up my old buddies and everyone else ?

Saved up 20k to attend university and then took out 30k more in student loans?

I have completed university?

I dont do drugs or drink?

I volunteered for six months with kids?

Im trying to pay my debt but with rent and stuff but its hard making minimum wage?

Im considering all my options?

what am i missing?

[dialectic]

only have one credit card --maxed

so thats only 500 bucks


but the student loan is the prob and not being able to find suitable work is a major prob

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Im single willing and able, will start at the bottom or top, now let me at it and lets see what i can do

[tradinup]

Anyways...

The bottom line is if you want to be an ESL teacher you are going to have to research and find out what is a good situation for you and if you can make it happen or not.

I think Kev is basically illustrating that you are not very good at selling yourself, which I would agree with. If you are going to apply to one of the ESL jobs don't tell them every bad thing about yourself and how hard you have had it. They don't want to sympathize with you and they are not in the business of giving out chances to the underprivileged. You have to sell yourself and tell them why you will be an asset to them. You could start with a really knockout resume and cover letter.

You have a lot of work to do. For starters you are going to have to figure out how to make your resume look good considering you have 5 years of labor jobs POST-graduation. I know that not everyone is dealt an equal hand but you have to play with what you got.

[dialectic]

problem is i have a huge ten year hole in my resume cause of that criminal record and i dont know how to handle it

But your right my timing is a little off---I got to build myself up --im going to do tesl, volunteer teacher esl (if i get the job) and other activities but at least i got a goal to shoot for --but at the end of the 2005 summer ill have the option of going overseas and developing my pro skills rather than sitting around and wasting my talents---

After i get back i would also have more options go into teaching here---go straight over to another positon, continue in the same position and build up their program, use the skills that i gained and go into other business areas such as facilitator positions , employment counsellor, maybe even program director or human resources

but thats at least one years of good solid experience gaining valuable transferable skills
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Lastly, thank you again, your right iam in a serious rut but slowly i will dig myself out---

I just look at what iam going through as a test==every job has challeges that need to be overcome: here in BC most programs are closing or getting downscaled and the challenge is to overcome the lack of funding to provide better service. Every day there are challenges and difficulties to deal with---even in schoool you got to find a way to get it down or your done

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Adjusts attitude and gets on the ball----just do it
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[Roger]

Honestly, dialectic, you should take a long and hard look at yourself and try to place you in a social milieu other than the ones you have been in for the past several years - now ask yourself: do you believe you can adapt and survive without moral support, especially if this milieu is a foreign one?

I personally doubt it!
I am not making disparaging remarks about you; in fact I am on the record here for having encouraged others with a similar biography to teach in a foreign country. But these folks were without debts. I am totally perplexed why people feel debts are insignificant and having debts behind without knowing how to reapy them is not a serious problem. IT is. If you borrow money from a relative or friend and never repay him you have committed theft, pure and simple.
To work in a totally alien environment such as Korea or China, you need to be robust. With those woes of yours I am not sure you can withstand the pressures here. Jobs are unstable and bosses are unreliable. Any weakness in your personality works against you. EIther you lose money to unscrupulous employers, or you lose your job quite quickly without a cushion to fall back on.
I say this although some feel I am being patronising to you, but it is my heartfelt conviction: you should only consider coming to a developing country if you can afford it - i.e. if you don't really need that money.
You should look upon this as an adventure rather than a run-of-the-mill job.
I do wish you to be able to overcome your present hard times, but please, don't dream of a job here! These are not jobs - they are a kind of volunteer engagement that pays handsomely by local conditions though you have to put up with local management, manners and insecurity!

come again in 2 years' time!

[myesl]

Money? Go to Korea, Taiwan, or Japan.

[Santos L Halper]

Hi Dialectic,

As I see it, it depends on how seriously you view your obligations.

Is the fact that you have debts attributable to someone else's actions? How you answer that should guide you.

Myself, I had run up some serious (to me) credit card debt, along with student loans. I determined to pay them off, and then press on with whatever I would like to do. That entailed working for the past 4+ years at a job I don't particularly like and pumping just about every spare buck into paying off debt. I drive a ten year old car, don't take vacations, don't have any expensive hobbies.

On the plus side, I am now much more disciplined in my spending and am free to go wherever I want, and have managed to save a few bucks.

As I see it, I have received the benefit in running up whatever debts I have incurred (school fees included). Therefore, it is incumbent upon me to cover those debts.

If I were in your position, I would suck it up and find something at home. I would do this for 6 months or a year. Keep paying the minimum on your school obligations, but save every spare sou. Squeeze every penny to get the most mileage. You might not have the most exciting job, but there are jobs out there for those who are able and have a good attitude. Then, re-evaluate in a few months, and if you are disciplined you will probably be surprised at how much you have managed to save.

My two cents: butch up full stop.

SLH

[c-way]

Dialectic,

I feel like there's something you're not saying about your criminal record and the five years post college where you had no job.

I myself had a felony drug charge,(from when I was 13). I have volunteered with kids and then been denied employment at the same organization. I have been denied to the Peace Corps and countless other employment and volunteer opportunities.

But I would never use that as the main reason why I could not find gainful employment for 5 years after I graduated, with, what else, a Psych degree.

The debt from your student loans certainly is a hindrance to you being able to get by. But as I find myself working two jobs to pay for my move to China, one as a framer(hard work), and one as a customer service operator(middle of the night), I can't really sympathize with you.

I'm questioning your motivation to get yourself out of this hole you're in.
Have you seriously considered what its going to be like living in a country half-way across the world where no one speaks the same language, has the same customs, culture, etc. This is going to be very taxing on you, and you don't really sound like you're mentally prepared for this kind of change.

I would recommend getting your life in order before you decide to run from your problems and potentially into a whole bunch of new problems.

[myesl]

It is EXTREMELY difficult to get a "real" job in the US if you have a liberal arts degree and no expereince or 'skills' in anything else. They won't let you in the door, though I think are psych friend is a woman which in my opinion opens doors for her at least. Even if you had a drug conviction at age 13, that goes down the toilet when you become an adult.

[dialectic]

Good advice thats why i have asked you kinda folks

I not trying to run just looking into it as a option to get some professional experience.

I orginally planned on working with troubled youths --because of my background and the stuff i have gone through.

But i volunteered and didnt like the physical and verbal abuse i got ---guess i didnt like being abused when i was a kid either

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heres a quick and confusing run down :


Guess i spend too much time at the employment center cause an employment counsellor suggested i try esl just for the professional experience--

Another employment counsellor said its time for retraining and i took a career exploration program ---so thats where radiology comes from

another person said to look for a management program in retail/hospitality

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Sounds confusing---I know it is and i appreciate the input

I wouldnt have this problem if there were jobs in my field but the government slashed all the programs

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if you have any more suggestions i would appreciate any help

Thanks again Danny

[tradinup]

Yes, you can do anything you want. My advice is pick one and get to it.

[marblez]

Well, he said he is 39 now. So if it happened 10 years ago, it's hardly youth. How does one obtain a criminal record for SMOKING pot in British Columbia (I also am from there and believe he is too).

Smoking pot in British Columbia? What about... trafficking? Production? Your story does not make a lick of sense. For a person to complete a Criminal Justice diploma and want to work with youth KNOWING they have a criminal record does not make sense. For a person to get a criminal record for just "smoking pot" at the age of what... 20? 30? does not make sense.

Your whole story sends red flags to me, as someone who has a Criminal Justice diploma (now transferring to teacher education), with a minor in Psychology. Especially being charged with "smoking pot" in BC.

[Twisting in the Wind]

Dialectic,

My hubby and I have been in $30,000 worth of credit card debt TWICE in the last 10 years, but with my wonderful ESL/EFL salary we.... uh, no. We were fortunate enough to have a house, and refinanced, putting the debt into our house payments. I realize you may not be in that position. Student loans are generally low or no interest.. Count your blessings at least with that.

In the US at least if you are certified permanently disabled by a physician the govt forgives your student loans. My husband has the paperwork to prove it. Now, I'm not suggesting you do anything MORE illegal if you are not disabled in fact, but I'm just putting it out there for information. In the U.S. all kinds of conditions can qualify as "disabilities," including Drug Addiction. Now I'm not advocating you get a friend to shoot you in the foot or deliberately start chasing the dragon just to get out of your student loans, but far, far lesser conditions also quaify, such as back problems, etc Check out Canadian law, then get yourself a sympathetic Md. There are also other reasons people can be let out of their student loan obligations, at least in the States. Have you ever talked to a lawyer about this?

With a Psych degree can't you find something more in your field, instead of just a MacJob, such as night caretaker for a group home for mentally-ill adults or something like that?

You'll probably flame me for this, but I'll say it anyway. I couldn't help but notice your aversion to caps, punctuation, and basic good English diction. I realize this is a casual forum, and we are not in front of students, but if that's the way your English truly is, you may have a long way to go to break some fossilized habits you have, and will need to before you expect to start teaching. I suggest you review a good grammar book (free from the public library)before your CELTA course.

You've been dealt some difficult cards, almost all at once. Try not to think about them all or they'll overwhelm you. Try to take care of one problem at a time and the rest will gradually work themselves out.

Good luck!