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[spiral78]

Best of luck to you.

[GF]

I always like it when the inexperienced and unqualified are told to go to Eastern Europe like it is some kind of dumping ground. And the �I am willing to work for peanuts� for �the cultural experience� �under the table� just takes my breath away. I am sure all the hardworking students who need to learn English to either advance their careers or get into a British university will be lining up. All the TEFL teachers who are truly qualified and do this sort of thing for a living will really appreciate another member of the cannon fodder squad to help keep wages in their already depressed state.

Sorry for the rant Ashleyzz but that is how I (and the local friends I showed this thread to) feel. Now I am going to give you some practical advice from a fellow American who has been teaching in Eastern Europe since 1999. First, get a degree. You may, as some posters have already told you, get a job without one but the real problem is with the students. They are not idiots. If you teach adults, they will almost certainly have at least one degree under their belts. They will have NO respect for you if you do not have one. Even if you lie, they will figure it out because it is hard to fake the education you get from a four-year degree program. And God help you if you get teenagers. They will have no respect for you and torment you. I teach in a private high school and many of my students can shred your typical American teenager in both grammar and writing. Nothing is sadder than seeing an American or British �English� teacher being corrected by his or her students.

Second, while you are earning your degree do some teaching in your home city (LA according to your post). There are plenty of immigrants around and you will gain some valuable experience as well as seeing if teaching is really the thing for you. It is a much more difficult job than most people imagine.

Third, never ever take a job under the table. It is illegal, the pay usually stinks and you have no rights. If you get caught, you may face deportation and be shaken down for bribes by the police/local authorities.

Finally, do some serious research on the country you want to work in and try to contact expats already there to get some tips on work and life. Over the years, I have seen many people bail out of their contracts early and run back home with their tales between their legs because life wherever they were wasn�t what they had expected.

I hope you take the time to really consider my advice. I wish you the best of luck no matter what you decide, but until you get yourself properly educated my sympathy lies entirely with the students.