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dmk1967
Joined: 19 Aug 2014
Posts: 19
Location: USA
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 Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 12:36 am Post subject: Never taught children, should I be afraid? |
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Hi all, another newbie here, been debating posting here for a few months (since I got my CELTA) but kept "chickening out," but after some traumatic stuff happening to me today I really need to talk to some nice strangers...
My background: I'm a 47yo woman in the US, got both BS and CELTA, single, no kids, worked 17 years as a graphic designer...looking to start my new teaching career pretty much anywhere in the world.
My "perfect" plan would have been to teach adults (which I really do enjoy) as I have no experience with children whatsoever. But I'm finding that adult teaching jobs are few and require years of experience. I still applied to a number of job postings over the past few months (mostly in Korea) but am getting the silent treatment. So it's pretty clear that if I want to pursue this new career I have to accept teaching kids. How difficult is it to do this? Like i said, I have no kids of my own, no siblings either...
Is it safe to say that once I open myself up to teaching kids I'll have an easier time landing a job? Or am I still going to have "issues" due to my advanced old age? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 3:59 am Post subject: |
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You can pretty much teach anywhere in the world except those countries that are part of the EU (you have the wrong passport) and where a relevant degree is required. The Middle East tends to have the most opportunities for teaching adults (usually in university EFL programs), especially for female teachers. However, your unrelated degree and lack of paid teaching experience are likely to only catch the attention of the sketchiest of Saudi contracting companies that staff positions at universities throughout the country. This is the main reason why the ME is never recommended for newbies.
Keep in mind, not every overseas employer will see 47 as "advanced." There are similarly qualified newbies older than you who land jobs primarily in Asia. And yes, they end up teaching children and seem to do fine with it. So it's unclear if you're worried that you won't be perceived as energetic, or that you feel you won't be good at essentially 'entertaining' a group of children with learning activities. Or both. In other words, what is your "fear," per your subject line? |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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dmk1967
Joined: 19 Aug 2014
Posts: 19
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Keep in mind, not every overseas employer will see 47 as "advanced." There are similarly qualified newbies older than you who land jobs primarily in Asia. And yes, they end up teaching children and seem to do fine with it. So it's unclear if you're worried that you won't be perceived as energetic, or that you feel you won't be good at essentially 'entertaining' a group of children with learning activities. Or both. In other words, what is your "fear," per your subject line? |
Fear as in, I have NO experience at all with kids, definitely no clue about "'entertaining' a group of children with learning activities." Completely out of my element around them. I had a friend some years ago who brought his little boy around and I was terrified to even speak lest I accidentally swear.
In addition, when I think of kids in a schoolroom setting, I think of puking and fighting. Again, totally foreign to me how to handle that (actually I'd rather not, which is why I'd have preferred sticking to adults). |
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dmk1967
Joined: 19 Aug 2014
Posts: 19
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for this, I'll definitely look into that first one (2nd one is out as I really need a paying job, gotta try to replenish my retirement account which is now empty courtesy of two years unemployed). |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| dmk1967 wrote: |
| Fear as in, I have NO experience at all with kids, definitely no clue about "'entertaining' a group of children with learning activities." Completely out of my element around them. I had a friend some years ago who brought his little boy around and I was terrified to even speak lest I accidentally swear. |
That plus the fact that your CELTA training was all about teaching adults are reason enough, in my mind, to keep focusing on jobs that involve teaching adults.
Since you're looking for jobs that will allow you to build up your savings, you might post specific inquiries to the Japan and Korea (requires a separate registration) forums. Perhaps the folks over there can give you some pointers for tweaking your application materials to make yourself a bit more competitive and, most importantly, brief you on the best options for teaching adults.
The Fulbright Program is a really great opportunity and will help you build your resume, but it's also fairly competitive so don't put your eggs in one basket. That being said, you should definitely apply as it will be a great start to your career if you manage to land a spot in the program. |
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dmk1967
Joined: 19 Aug 2014
Posts: 19
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| esl_prof wrote: |
| Since you're looking for jobs that will allow you to build up your savings, you might post specific inquiries to the Japan and Korea (requires a separate registration) forums. Perhaps the folks over there can give you some pointers for tweaking your application materials to make yourself a bit more competitive and, most importantly, brief you on the best options for teaching adults. |
Yeah I'm registered over there as well and been reading it for a few months, looks like the job market for Korea is bad for everyone from what I'm reading there. I also had a skype interview from a recruiter I emailed, when I mentioned the economy is still pretty bad here she very quickly nodded her head and said "oh it's bad here as well!" I think that was her way of saying don't expect to hear back from them. I am seeing adult teaching jobs posted for China (and everyone on the Korean board says "just go to China") so maybe that's an option... |
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