Job Discussion Forums

[dreww]

Hello. I'm going to be graduating with a Master's in TESOL in May and will be looking for work in the US Northwest/British Columbia region. I'm a native of New York State. Does anyone know of any schools/institutes/etc. that help pay off student loans while you work there? Also, I'll have the Master's but not certification, will I have to do something about that? Anything else anyone might have to say about working in this region or finding ESL/EFL work at all would, of course, also be useful. Thanks much,
dreww

[Gordon]

It is highly unlikely (impossible) for you to find work in Canada unless you have dual citizenship.

Not sure how practical you Masters was or how much actual teaching experience you have, but a CELTA may be a good investment. It is the most recognizable TEFL courses in the world and you can get it in locations all around the world.

BTW, schools do not pay off student loans, you do. What you can save, you use to pay off the loans.

[spiral78]

Besides, it seemed (from the other forum) that you wanted Europe......
it's not a sin to be undecided, or to seek info on numerous possibilities (after all, what's a broad forum like Dave's for?!) but you'll get more useful info if you're more specific about what you're actually looking for....

[dreww]

Yes Spiral, I posted similar messages to a couple different boards because I'm pretty open to where in the world I go. Wasn't sure if people scan different discussions or stick to the same forum. Thanks for the input.

[Celeste]

dreww-

It is highly unlikely that you would be able to get a job at an ESL school in Vancouver because there are a lot of qualified people there who are already competing for those jobs. Have you thought of trying Texas or California. Thes are states with ahigh ESL population, and with your qualifications, you might be able to find work at a community centre or community college teaching new immigrants.

As for getting your loans paid off:

THere were a few programs set up a while back that would pay student loans for people who went to work in remote or undesirable areas (I think Alaska used to do this to get K-12 teachers for remote villages and I think there may still be some school districts with these kinds of bonuses in tough areas in the South, but I can't remeber offhand) The Pacific NW of the US is a pretty popular destination, so chances are slim that they would have any such programs there.

Good luck in your search.

[Jetgirly]

There are twenty-seven private English language schools in downtown Victoria, BC. I imagine you would need a work visa to work at any of them if you're from the US, and I don't know of any single place/directory that lists them all (I got that stat from our local newspaper last week).

[ls650]