Job Discussion Forums

[JamieBright]

Hello everyone.

I have been reading through Dave's ESL Cafe forums for a few months now and have concluded one main thing. Advice is varied, tailored and often contradictory due to opinion clashes.

In order, to take advantage of all that knowledge, here is me:
I am 26 male and from England. I have a BEng, MEng, MSci and soon a PhD in renewable energies. I am also working through the 140 hour TEFL course with 20 hours of contact teaching time. I have spent 3 months teaching in an English medium school in Kerala, India, working with 5-13 year olds; a month teaching in a nursery in Shanghai, China, working with 3-4 year olds; and a short stint in Costa Rica with adults.

I would like to take some time now after spending so long within university to completely change it all. I want to move somewhere new, be exposed to a new language, and hopefully, if at all possible, save some money at the same time.

My questions:
With flexibility and openness to move anywhere in the world, I can choose a place that would allow me to best save money whilst enjoying an ESL post. Whilst earning money is not the priority here, if I were after money I would not be leaving my academic career. However, to make things simpler, being able to save at the same time is just an excellent perk. Where would be the best places in the world to maximise this? I gather China/South Korea/Japan are best? Is it easier to save in rural or urban spots?

Are there any levels of ESL positions that would best make use of my PhD qualification? Is there an associated pay benefit to it (Please don't read this as greed; I have spent 4 years obtaining it and would like to find it valuable)?

Thank you for your time. I hope to one day contribute wisdom to these forums.

Jamie

[nomad soul]

[Kowloon]

So many Unis all over the world offer so many courses and sometimes full degrees in English I genuinely think if you applied ceaselessly to every position that was even remotely comparable to your field you would find something.

A Professor of renewable energies at a reputable University > Almost any EFL position.

[kurtz]

To be honest mate, you'll be doing yourself an intellectual disservice in teaching EFL. I make this opinion based on your academic background and your lack of experience in EFL.

I know exactly where you're coming from; the allure of an overseas post can be very exciting. However, how interesting will it be if you're teaching low-level English at an entry-level school? Imagine 15 Korean kids yelling "teacher! GAME!".

I'd take nomad soul's advice in looking for an NGO gig abroad. Many pay some kind of living expenses and while you might get slightly less than an EFL job, you won't be wasting your time, education and career in teaching EFL.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck.