Job Discussion Forums

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I'm currently teaching English at a language school in Indonesia. I've been teaching full-time here for eight months (I'm on a one-year contract). I will return to Vancouver in late June. I have a B.Sc. in an unrelated field and a 4-week TEFL certificate.

- What's the likelihood of me finding work teaching ESL in the Vancouver- Lower Mainland area? From what I've read here in this forum, it doesn't sound too likely... Sad

- Should I start applying now for a job starting in July-August? Or is it too soon to start looking?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Having worked 6 years in the Vancouver ESL market I can tell you that very few schools are hiring for the summer now. Probably none. I'd say start looking late May. I sincerely doubt you will get a job from Indonesia, but it doesn't hurt either.
Should not be difficult to get an ESL job if you aren't picky. Don't take anything because there are as many bad schools in Vancouver as there are in Indonesia, well almost. It is easy to get work in the busy summer time, it is the fall and winter when they lay teachers off.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Hello again. I moved on from the language school in Indonesia to a university in Mexico. It's a nice place to work for... but it's been more than a year since that last post of mine and I'm curious to know what the work situation is like in Vancouver now.

How much full-time ESL work is available? My situation: a B.Sc, a TFEL certificate and two years of full-time teaching overseas (say about 1800-2000 hours of classroom time).

delacosta · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 325 Location: zipolte beach

Hiya Is650,
so you're making the move back to beautiful BC, eh?
I'm also considering that option in the near future.
One thing to consider as a back up, and one that pays quite well is private tutoring. Before I came here I managed to pick up a ton of work as a tutor, basically all I could handle-I even turned away work. I worked for a Korean who was kind of a guardian for Korean students who had come to Vancouver to study high school, with the intention of then continuing on to a Canadian or American university. I was hired through word of mouth while I was doing ny TESL diploma at VCC, started off at $20 an hour with the promise of a raise if I did a good job, up to a maximum of $30 an hour. In a couple of months I was making $25, all cash. Most of my students worked quite hard, although some of them fell into the lazy spoiled brat category. They basically needed to bring their English level up enough to pass their classes.
Check out the on line jobs section at the vancouver sun, a fair amount of hiring seems to go on there. I'd say with your experience you won't have too hard a time eventually finding work, especially if you hit the pavement and get yourself listed as a substitute in as many schools as you can. They will observe you and you can observe them, and if it works out you'll get on, probably part time-so the turoring can help your bottom line.
As one of the posters said though, there are now a lot of bunk schools out there, so be careful. The ESL market in Vancouver is huge, and I think that if you're a good teacher and a hard worker, you'll do fine.

I think I still have the number of the guy I worked for, somewhere, if you're interested.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

The trouble is that $25 an hour isn't that much for Vancouver if you're only being paid for 20 to 25 teaching hours a week. If I were to go back it would be with the thought of getting a salaried position.

I am happy enough here, but I worry about my parents' health as they're entering their "golden years". If they start to have problems I would like to be within easy travelling distance. And I have nieces and nephews that are growing up. And Vancouver is a pretty nice place to live if you have an umbrella...

I have no concrete plans, but I'm starting to think that it'd be a good idea to start on a masters degree by distance. It'd be of use for finding good jobs in Vancouver - and I have plenty of time to work on it while sitting down on the beaches here... Wink

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Speaking of the good jobs, does anyone know what the work situation is like now for Douglas, Langara, Kwantlen, UBC? Am I missing any? Not p/t and on call stuff either.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

In the last few days I've heard from two or three people who are teaching English in Vancouver.

They tell me that the TESL job situation has improved significatnly from last year, but it's still mostly part-time and tutoring work - nothing much has improved in the way of full-time employment.

Ah well, it's just more incentive for me to stay here and start doing that distance masters...

marblez · Joined: 24 Oct 2004 Posts: 248 Location: Canada

I'm not sure what use this will be to you specifically, but maybe someone would consider it:

English as a Second Language: Posting 2005.33i

To teach ESL courses at various levels. Applicants should have a University degree in ESL or Linguistics, TESL Certificate and previous experience teaching adult ESL students.

Position Information: Faculty, Temporary
Contract Term or Start Date: September 2005 to December 2005
Salary: $5,280.77 - $5,436.18 per section

http://www.ucfv.bc.ca/asp/jobs/view.asp?path=http://www.ucfv.ca/er/postings/2005_33_a_-_i_Sessional%20Faculty.htm

Another at UBC (not ESL but English):

http://www.hr.ubc.ca/faculty_relations/careers/arts/sessional.html

ESL @ SFU For PhD:

http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Faculty_Openings/Education.html