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braveheart263
Joined: 11 Nov 2015
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 1:08 am Post subject: Help - Getting employment |
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I despearately need assistance. I have worked in in sales for about 15 years and have hated every minute of it. But I continued on this career path because it paid well. Recently, I finally made a decision to change my career and hopefully change my perspective on life. This is the underlying story that has led me to explore my interest in teaching, specifically teaching english abroad.
I have a MBA with a focus in Marketing and I recently completed the CELTA. I really had the impression that finding teaching positons abroad would be a lot easier but this does not seem to be true for me. My Celta course did not offer any type job search assistance, which is very surprising and disappointing. Anyway, I have focused my employment search in the Middle East, primarily because it pays well and I am interested in the culture. Additionally, the Middle East is somewhat centrally located so that makes traveling in my spare time easier.
I would be interested in teaching in Spain, but from my research, it appears that is would be difficult to obtain a work visa. So, it appears that Asia is my only option and I really think that relocating to Asia would be too much of a drastic change for me. Not to mention, I would think that traveling to other areas would be more difficult.
As you can guess, I am not a recent college grad, I am 49 years old and really need and want a change in my life. With that said, I would also like to make reasonable salary. But it appears that teaching positions that pays a reasonable salary require prior teaching experience.
If anyone knows of any reputable employement agencies that I can work with please share this knowlege with me. Or if there is a better way to search for employement, I am open to other ideas also. Any suggestions or comment would be greatly appreciated. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 2:26 am Post subject: |
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The better, reputable employers in the Gulf generally require a relevant MA and a few years of experience. So unfortunately, an unrelated degree, newly-minted CELTA, and zero experience aren't likely to get your CV a second look, and those employers that might take you on aren't the kind you'd want to work for.
Although Asia doesn't top your list, your best bet for work is China. After gaining a couple of years of teaching experience under your belt, you could try for KSA again. Just an option. |
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hash
Joined: 17 Dec 2014
Posts: 456
Location: Wadi Jinn
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 3:26 am Post subject: Re: Help - Getting employment |
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| braveheart263 wrote: |
| Any suggestions or comment would be greatly appreciated. |
Really? Any comment? Ok. First, the bad news
1 - Watch your spelling and grammar. Anyone seriously seeking employment as a TEACHER of English has to present flawless documentation and correspondence. You have several simple spelling errors, including the word "english" which, of course, has to be capitalized. Also some elementary grammar errors are visible. Yes, yes, I know. Typos, old computer, it's late at night, etc etc. Don't (sic) matter.....flawless is the only acceptable standard.
2. You make another error in "hiding" all kinds of valuable information about yourself essential to know if you really want to get "assistance" from your audience.
For example, are you male or female? (In the Middle East, this is a make or break piece of information for reasons it would take too long to explain. Just trust me on this one). Are you married with dependents and all that heavy baggage? WHEN and WHERE did you get your degrees, including the CELTA? Have you ever LIVED (not just visited) abroad? When and for how long? Any foreign languages? (not just a dabbler but really speak). What kind of salary are you looking for? Would you accept something like $25 thou/year? Why or why not? Why are you "desperate"? Are you in debt? Heavily? (If so, forget Saudi...it takes forever to get hired anymore). What's your "nationality"? Are you American? UK? South African? (I "felt" a trace of an accent in your posting). Are you a NATIVE speaker of English? (For some jobs, that's a sine qua non). Etc Etc.
If you aren't willing to be "transparent" about these kinds of things, all you're going to get as replies are useless platitudes and generalities that won't help you much. (I'm not suggesting you post a "true confessional" here on this board. I'm just pointing out how your posting is coming across to the casual observer (me).)
Like most people in your position, (you're not the first one I've run across that's middle-aged and wants a career change. There are millions like you), you have a pie-in-the-sky view about what "teaching abroad" is all about. Let me just say that you should be aware that the VAST majority of people who start out in the teaching profession, have switched careers within 10 years or so. It is not (and never has been) a "let's hold hands and dance a ring around the rosie" type of job). Just read through some some of the "experiences" of posters on this board.
Living in Saudi Arabia, for example, is not a question of just "getting adjusted". It will require a total (and irrevocable) change in your outlook and personality. If you've got personal "demons" you're dealing with, do - not - come - here. Your demons will thrive here...you won't.
Further, you should be aware that the "ESL profession" is replete with frauds, charlatans and tricksters to an unprecedented degree, mixed in with losers of various categories including psychological train wrecks. Most have no business being "teachers" overseas, but there you are. (This is precisely the reason Saudi authorities are now merciless in their "document attestation" demands. They've woken up to the fact that the wool has been pulled over their eyes for decades....and not just by teachers. "MDs", "engineers", you name it, have been guilty in this respect).
You might consider "training" in the private sector rather than "teaching" in academia. With your degree and experience, you might end up as a "corporate marketing trainer" or something like that. Widen you horizons a little.
It seems to me, from what you say, (.....I finally made a decision to change my career.....), that "teaching" is a stop-gap solution to your "unhappiness". If that's what it is, it's not going to work for you. You're fooling yourself. You really have to have a passion for it....otherwise you're going to be as miserable as you currently are in your "sales" position. Teaching IS, in fact, "sales" of a certain kind....in which you do your sales presentation in the guise of a clown.
Now, the good news.
...
Last edited by hash on Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:34 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:37 am Post subject: |
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hash AKA harsh  |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:45 am Post subject: |
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hash hasn't heard the song "A Spoonful of Sugar" but he does know the right medicine...
well, you are called braveheart after all  |
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Lord T
Joined: 07 Jul 2015
Posts: 285
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 11:42 am Post subject: |
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| Hash is a very wise man. His posts are excellent, and they should be studied by anyone looking to work in KSA. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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OP
China or Korea. They are not for everyone and you may soon regret your plan to move into TEFL.
Have you travelled ? Have you learned another language ? Could you function in an alien culture ?
You say that you would have visa issues with Spain so I assume that you are from the USA or Canada. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| You say that you would have visa issues with Spain so I assume that you are from the USA or Canada |
Or Australia or New Zealand or South Africa..... (OP is too old for work-exchange programs).
Anyway harsh hash is correct that you haven't given enough information about yourself to elicit much directly useful advice, though I agree it's unlikely that the ME would welcome you based solely on your qualifications.
Also not sure why you feel the ME would be less of a cultural leap than Asia (again assuming you are from an Anglophone country)!! |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 5:38 pm Post subject: Re: Help - Getting employment |
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| Quote: |
| You might consider "training" in the private sector rather than "teaching" in academia. With you degree and experience, you might end up as a "corporate marketing trainer" or something like that. Widen you horizons a little. |
Ditto that. Given your 15 years of sales and marketing experience, a better (more realistic) option is to look for marketing executive jobs in Qatar or the UAE if you're set on living in the Gulf. Try sites like bayt, gulftalent, and indeed.ae. |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:07 am Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Also not sure why you feel the ME would be less of a cultural leap than Asia |
particularly as the OP seems to think the ME isn't in Asia but is somewhat enigmatically located "somewhat centrally."
If I was in your shoes braveheart, I'd head for Japan. You won't get paid a whole lot but age does bring status there and there are plenty of small eikaiwa (look it up) who take people doing "career changes" for year-long contracts.
Japan is way easier to settle into than Saudi Arabia if you've not lived overseas. Take my word for that. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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| To someone aged 49 without foreign experience, anywhere outside the USA will be a shock ! |
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RedLightning
Joined: 08 Aug 2015
Posts: 137
Location: United States
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:23 am Post subject: |
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I've come upon countless job postings that call for teachers of Business English(Language centers as well as universities).
With 15 years of experience in sales and a Celta, I daresay you would strike as a much more attractive candidate than even most veteran ESL teachers.
To that end, I'd advise that you apply directly (forgo recruiters), as when 'Martha' sees that you have 'no experience', she'll more than likely disregard your CV. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| RedLightning wrote: |
I've come upon countless job postings that call for teachers of Business English(Language centers as well as universities).
With 15 years of experience in sales and a Celta, I daresay you would strike as a much more attractive candidate than even most veteran ESL teachers.
To that end, I'd advise that you apply directly (forgo recruiters). |
And where might all those countless, high-paying business English opportunities for inexperienced teachers be? |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 3:53 am Post subject: Re: Help - Getting employment |
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| braveheart263 wrote: |
| With that said, I would also like to make reasonable salary. But it appears that teaching positions that pays a reasonable salary require prior teaching experience. |
Yes, places that pay well generally expect the teacher to know what they are doing and to have done it before. It's really not a ridiculous expectation.
You do seem to have the entry-level qualifications (CELTA), so you'll need to expect to take an entry-level job. As others have suggested, you can try to parlay your business background into teaching business English, though you'll still need to get past the hurdle of never having taught business English before. Once you get an entry-level position, you can use that to build experience, which will help you to get closer to a position that pays a "reasonable salary." |
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RedLightning
Joined: 08 Aug 2015
Posts: 137
Location: United States
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| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:41 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| RedLightning wrote: |
I've come upon countless job postings that call for teachers of Business English(Language centers as well as universities).
With 15 years of experience in sales and a Celta, I daresay you would strike as a much more attractive candidate than even most veteran ESL teachers.
To that end, I'd advise that you apply directly (forgo recruiters). |
And where might all those countless, high-paying business English opportunities for inexperienced teachers be? |
Employers that specifically seek out teachers with no experience you mean? There are few if any, I would imagine. My point though is that ESL differs a great deal from ESP. If the endpoint of a certain course is to convey business jargon to foreign business students, an individual possessing 15 years of business experience, coupled with a recognized teaching credential, would seem ideal(we can also assume that his sales background, in the very least, equates to whatever communicative skills we teachers pride ourselves on).
As to the opportunities I mentioned, at the moment I honestly cannot say where exactly they were located- I recall a fair amount here in the Middle East and even more throughout East Asia. |
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