Job Discussion Forums

[madhatter109]

Hey all,
So I've been an ESL/EFL teacher for 5 years. I have an MA-TESOL, and have a pretty comfortable full time ESL job here in the USA. Over the past couple years, I've grown increasingly tired of teaching and realize that I don't want to be a teacher forever. I'd like to perhaps transition into a government job or non profit organization where I can put my experience with immigrants and refugees to good use.

Has anyone made this transition before? Any tips on organizations / websites to find jobs like this? I tried searching the US government job websites, but don't really know what to look for.

Cheers,
-Mad Hatter

[santi84]

Do you want to go abroad or stay home?

I'm working at a nonprofit right now (as an ESL teacher), but we also have settlement practitioners. I'm in Canada, so the funding/hiring is different, but you'll probably want to start searching for settlement agencies. That's where you will find people with information on where to look.

The pay isn't as good and a second language is often a mandatory requirement for most postings, but it is really rewarding. I'm transitioning to it in the future as well.

[madhatter109]

Hi Santi,

Thanks for the reply! What exactly is a settlement agency? I tried googling it, but couldn't find anything. Maybe we call it something different in the USA. It sounds interesting, I'd like to learn more about it.

I'm pretty neutral about whether to stay home or go abroad. I guess the job is more important than location. My wife is French, so if we went abroad, it'd probably be to Europe to get closer to her family.

[santi84]

Hi Madhatter,

A settlement agency/program is basically a social services branch of a organization which is either non-profit (and govt funded), or the govt itself.

Here's an example of what I mean:
http://www.catholicsocialservices.ab.ca/CSSFindServicesbyCategory/ImmigrationandSettlement.aspx

I haven't worked abroad in this capacity, but I do know that many settlement workers are immigrants themselves. It's a very beneficial perspective to the position, and I find myself being called upon as a translator quite often (even though I am the ESL teacher).

[spanglish]

We've been talking about this here:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=111587

and here:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=111712

In sum, it ranges from very difficult to impossible to transfer EFL teaching skills to a career in international affairs and the nonprofit/government world. Those who want to cross over need to devote considerable time to acquiring new experience (and possibly additional education) and be prepared to start at as an intern or very entry level position.The best strategy in my opinion is to obtain a second MA from a top tier school of public or international affairs. This is an expensive (particularly in the US) and arduous process, but lends credibility to your undertaking, allows you to acquire needed additional skills, and will open up doors to vital internships and entry-level positions in the field.

If you have directly relevant administrative experience with migrants and refugees and programs (not teaching English), then you may be able to repackage yourself and find a nonprofit position. In terms of US gov positions, with your MA you may be able to get a GS-9 position (pay around $50-$60k) but these are extremely competitive with thousands of applicants for every vacancy. The key is in how effectively you can brand and present yourself in writing and in an interview. As a starting point, you can check out globaljobs.org to get a sense of organizations that recruit in these areas or, better yet, simply do a key word search on indeed.com.

You do sound like a great candidate for the ELF program, which may or may not fit your criteria as a 'government' job - you'd still be a teacher, but you'd have the sheen of a gov associated position and get better pay/benefits for the year. They'll like you given that you fulfill the basics and have been working stateside. http://exchanges.state.gov/us/program/english-language-fellow-program

[nomad soul]

[spanglish]

[santi84]

spanglish, do you mind sharing your MA subject?

[spanglish]

International Affairs

[spiral78]

Master's in International Affairs? That sounds very very Bond, indeed!

[nomad soul]

[madhatter109]

Hi guys and gals,

Thanks for the feedback. Nomad - I was a journalism major in undergrad.
I think maybe I'll keep my eyes open for opportunities. I just got my MA a year ago, and I'm a bit hesitant to go back to school after becoming aware of how many student loans I have. I think I'll just keep my ears open and see what happens. Also, I'm working at a prep school for 18 year olds, and maybe that's why I'm a little disenchanted these days. My students have 0 motivation across the board (parents making them go, they're pissed at their parents for making them go, and thus refuse to do anything). My previous experience has always been with older refugees, so it's a bit of a shock. Maybe I just need to get back into the right student demographics...problem is, the rich 18 year olds pay so much better. [/b]

[scot47]

There are thousands of jobs EFLing and very few with international agencies.

[esl_prof]

[madhatter109]

[/quote]

You might try transitioning into community college teaching or, possibly, a university-level IEP. Neither will pay as well, of course, but the students will be a lot more motivated. Should you go that route, plan on 2-3 years to transition into something full-time, though, as there are a lot more teachers than available positions.[/quote]

Yeah, that's a possibility. Prof - how hard is it to get into an IEP? I have years of experience teaching adults in for profit schools, but when I apply/interview to IEPs, they always say they want people who already have IEP experience, as if it's so different from anything else. From what I've heard, it sounds way easier than my other jobs where I literally had to often wing curriculum and do everything myself.