Job Discussion Forums

[dialectic]

Im considering asia as a start point for a career change into education --from psychology(working with troubled youth--not the phd stuff)

Im 39 and am not white(iam half chinese--) should i even bother ?

[sojourner]

Dialectic,

In one of your other posts, you mentioned that you are interested in Taiwan, Singapore, Sth Korea and Japan. If you don't have any luck with those countries, you may wish to consider China. In China, schools, unis and colleges do prefer white, native English speakers. However, some colleges do employ o'seas Chinese teachers of English - as was the case with my previous college, in Jiangxi province. At home, were you brought up mainly in an English-speaking environment ? If so, you should mention in your CV that your 1st language is English.

You also said something about online TESL courses. It would be much better for you to do a recognised course, such as CELTA or the Trinity TESOL Certificate. Apart from being well known in the ESL world, both courses include a component in which you'll be assessed on your ability to teach several classes of real L2 students. Thus, apart from providing you with a certificate that is recognised around the world, it also exposes you to some real teaching experience.

A hint: As your degree is in psychology, do a search for those Chinese unis that happen to have departments in psychology - with your academic background, you may well be offered a job teaching something called "Psychology English" !

If you get a job teaching ESL, whether involving Oral English or "Psychology English", but find it a bit boring, and want to do something more challenging, you may wish to consider the field known as EAP (English for Academic Purposes). To get into this field, it might be a good idea for you to do some advanced tertiary courses (even a complete Master's programme) in Applied Linguistics, especially in areas dealing with Discourse and Genre Analyses. If interested, do a www search for both EAP and ESP (English for Specific Purposes).

If China appeals to you, but are experiencing some difficulties in getting a job, PM me and I'll provide you with the name and email address of my own recruiter - a very efficient and conscientious lady - she has had previous dealings with FTs of Asian descent.

Good luck.

Peter