Job Discussion Forums

[arlalaska]

My husband, teen daughter and I are planning a round-the-world trip, and planning to teach and volunteer along the way (only one parent working as an in-country teacher at a time, plus I will continue to work a US online teaching job via email, a few hours per week, to provide perhaps a third of what we need to pay bills).

Because we want to see several countries, we don't want to commit to one-year teaching contracts. We do both have Masters degrees and some non-ESL teaching experience (husband recently got teacher certification) and both plan to get CELTAs as our first stop, perhaps in Thailand.

In some books--but less so on this site--I've found mentions of people who show up in a country and look for legal short-term positions or freelance gigs on the spot. No doubt, this is a less profitable and secure way to teach, but we're ok with the idea of earning slightly less than we need to live on each month, leaking away some limited savings, but still earning something and having the added experience of interacting with several cultures. In a place like Korea, we'd hope to earn what we spend. In a place like Africa, we'd be willing to volunteer for free for a few weeks.

I'd love to hear from someone else who has chosen more of the temp or multi-country route to teaching abroad.

Are there countries where it easier to find shorter-term positions? Certain specific kinds of jobs or times of year when this might work better in certain places? Tips on making such a trip affordable or more rewarding? Thanks!

[johntpartee]

Yeah, I've done it; I was able to break even, but with a family in tow it's gonna be difficult unless you have a definite plan of action, i.e., some local contacts. Perhaps search the forums for posters who are knowledgeable about a local scene.

Re your user name, are you from Alaska?

[nomad soul]

[spiral78]

I've read a lot of very unrealistic or outdated stuff in books on EFL, to be honest. The world was quite a lot easier ten or twenty years back; visa and other restrictions generally much less stringent than now.

I can speak only for the European region, which you don't mention and perhaps aren't interested in. The Schengen zone countries will only allow you to stay for 90 days legally in the zone - then you must leave the entire zone for 90 before returning. So, for Western Europe, you are limited to 90 days. In this time period, it's very unlikely that any actual school would be interested, and pay in the region is quite low relative to cost-of-living. This is more a place to come with no expectations of earning anything - on holiday.

Central/Eastern Europe still offer some legal options for non-EU citizens beyond 90 days, but outside of Russia, the pay is also really subsistence level, and no way that one teacher could support a family, particularly not on a short-term gig.

Overall, I don't think it's a realistic plan for this part of the world, but again, perhaps you aren't aiming at the European continent anyway.

[Denim-Maniac]

Agree with a couple of the above points really.

Im in China with an internet connection that isnt reliable enough for online teaching. Skype can be very hit and miss for me, and thats just making calls, video??? Not a chance here. People do have better internet connections, but normally that would be people who are staying here and pay for a better service and buy better hardware.

Also not convinced it would be easy to show up in China and find LEGAL work. Cant see anyone going through the visa process for such a short time, and as you may not wish to do so either as it will invariably involve making a trip outside China in order to get the correct visa issued. People can and do work on other visa types ... not strictly legal, and many get away with it, but visa regulations have recently been tightened up here with stiffer penalties which may be more likely to be applied. Volunteer work in China with free board and accomodation is definitely possible though ... my employer offers that kind of thing, but legal paid work for just a few months sounds unlikely to me.

[arlalaska]

Thanks for your replies. I didn't want to write too long a post, but since you've asked, I'll fill in a little more detail. I appreciate the info.

We're mainly interested in Asia for the work, Africa will probably be only volunteering. Europe is definitely not on the list, since we've already done extensive trips to Europe and the Middle East as well as Mexico/Central America(we've been traveling a bit for the last 20 years, which helps us have a realistic sense of travel expenses, and we're glad to be finally traveling to a part of the world that is less expensive than Western Europe).

My online university teaching involves only the exchange of emails, sometimes no more than one per month with graduate students working on long-term projects, thank goodness. I purposefully said no to another more bulletin-board/ongoing discussion forum type job because I didn't want to be searching for places to log on every few days and feeling frazzled about stuttering or absent internet access.

Our possible locations include (we won't hit all of these of course, just listing what we're open to) Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Korea, Japan, South Pacific isles. India and Africa after that, but as stated, I expect that to be tourism with a little volunteering, and we do have a few personal connections for that. I also have family and friends who have worked or lived in a few places in Asia, as recently as a year ago, and once there, found opportunities they couldn't have found while sitting in the US, but I was hoping to stir up some more anecdotes/place recommendations.

But yes, we'll need to be careful about visas -- already have those researched -- and have enough cash to float when employment isn't forthcoming, and also ready to change strategies. We can even take a year-long job if it really does appeal. Keeping a very flexible, open-ended approach with nothing set in stone except the desire to see places and do what works.

P.S. Yes, I'm from Alaska! Funny thing, we tried moving here 20 years ago, applied for lots of jobs all over the country and couldn't get any. Loaded up truck and baby and showed up in AK, walked into a place and got a job on the spot. But there were no visa issues, of course!

[arlalaska]

Re reading the other forums: for about a year I've been scanning the forums and job listings without logging a question. I just thought I'd come out directly with my short-term job question since I hadn't noticed it addressed elsewhere (and maybe I missed it). But yes, I will keep looking at the country-specific forums as well!

As for short-term (like 4 mo) jobs in Thailand, specifically, I know the CELTA we're considering offers to line you up with one as part of the course, and 4 mos is a possibility, but again, was looking for other ideas as well. As a university teacher who has worked with undergrad and grad students, I could also look for a one-semester lecture position of some kind.

johntpartee: You said you had in fact managed to do this (without a family in tow), I'd be curious where you went and which jobs you found easier to get. We do have a "plan" of sorts but spelling out every stop (Thailand, perhaps then Korea, Myanmar etc) always gives the wrong impression, since far above any plan is our willingness to change strategies on the ground. Traveling, we've always picked up so much city by city, talking to other travelers, and we imagine this will be the same?

[johntpartee]

I hit the ground running in Mexico, India, China and Germany (Germany's not an option now; that was over thirty years ago). Kinds of jobs? Language schools, kindergarten, high school, middle school. Language schools are probably best for initial contact nowadays.

Just got out and pounded the pavement.

[nomad soul]

[arlalaska]

thanks for the link help; there were some more encouraging and practical leads there, fyi to anyone else sharing my question later. as for lecturing, i was referring to teaching i.e. adjunct fac lecturing in my field, creative writing or literature, and those listings for university positions can be found via sites like AWP, esp for places like china.just not sure china is in our plans.[/b]

[coledavis]

I think Spiral's point should be taken very seriously. The days of the 'backpacker' being accepted with a fair amount of awe are long gone.

[sunrader]

I would think that visas will be more of an issue. In many countries, it's not even legal to volunteer on a tourist visa much less work for money. And getting a work visa is not always so easy. A single person might scoot by here and there but I wouldn't think you'd want to risk that with a child.

[arlalaska]

Thanks. Yep, visas and legalities are important. Enough said.

[johntpartee]

[sunrader]

Where?

Well, the U.S. for one, if it's something that you would normally get paid for, like teaching. India, for another. Thailand. Ecuador. Sri Lanka. Costa Rica. Mexico. Venezuela. These are just ones I personally know. I suspect it's pretty much everywhere. That's one reason volunteer programs often charge a fee, to get around this. There are distinctions made between the types of work, but that gets a bit complicated. Google "tourist visa" volunteer and the country of your choice.