Job Discussion Forums

MilanNevajda · Joined: 22 Dec 2004 Posts: 2

Hello, I'm a new teacher, 18 years old and I am wondering how able will I be to find a job in Korea, China, or Japan (or any Asian country) without a degree. I am TESL certified and will complete my first year at university with honours. I am moreso interested in legitimate jobs though because I know finding private black market work is possible anywhere in the world. This doesnt help me much because i need to be able to set up a job before actually going. Any help will be appreciated. thanks.

kamlesh · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 13 Location: South Africa

I've scanned job ads for various countries in Asia, but I'm still not sure about the ruling on degree requirements. Is it correct that for Taiwan one MUST have a degree to get a working visa (for legal jobs)? For Korean jobs I see that most don't require degrees, but I don't know the legal ruling. Can any1 advise? Thanks.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Eighteen and looking for work? With no bachelor's degree, you can't get a work visa in Japan.

What country are you from? If the USA, you are stuck. The only way you can work legally is PT work off a student visa. If British, Canadian, Aussie, or Kiwi, you just barely qualify for the age limit for a working holiday visa, but do you have the funds to support you? Read this for more qualifications.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/w_holiday/index.html

Just be aware that few people will take you seriously as a teacher at only 18 years old. Most students are more than twice your age.

MilanNevajda · Joined: 22 Dec 2004 Posts: 2

thanks for the info. im canadian by the way. i was also wondering about something i heard in regards to the Holiday visas: is it true there is a salary cap? how likely am i to have employers pay for te flight and stay? how do employers view this visa?

daily chai · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 150 Location: Brussels

MN, why don't you look into overseas bachelor's degrees while you're at it? I sympathize with your desire to jump overseas, but your pay and conditions will be truly better with a BA or BS. If you're overseas than in many countries you can work PT. I don't know about the Canadian student aid situation, but in America there are a lot of overseas universities that are hooked into US financial aid. Americans and legal residents can get student loans for those schools.

There should be some universities in Canada that cater to those who long to go overseas, so you could check those out. THey may have overseas branches. Alternatively, you might check at a major university what exchange programs they have. Often one has to attend for 6 months - 1 year, then can apply for a student exchange with all the grants and loan money included (cheaper than heading straight overseas for all 4 years). Frequently the school will keep approving your request to stay overseas for year after year. We have several international students from the US and Canada doing that at my uni in Taiwan.

Please be prepared to get very poor treatment without a degree: late pay, no health insurance, few classes. I'm very surprised that Korea is not requiring degrees because when I lived there a few years ago, they did.

If you are set on working with no degree, the competition is too fierce in the high-earning Asian countries. Why hire an 18-y.o. with no degree and no teaching experience when there are plenty of college graduates around? You would be better off going to a lower-paying country in SEA or in S. America (I don't know anything about SA) to find work. You won't make much, in fact you might not make enough to cover your return ticket but there is a better chance employers will take you on with your lack of credentials. Beware.

bluffer · Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 5:31 am Post subject:

What will you be doing? Taking a year out? Are you ready for it?

You can get jobs at a lot of the lower end schools in Thailand but strictly speaking the requirement is you have to have a degree to get a work permit. But depending on where you go and how desperate the school is you might get one. There will be a few schools who will take you on without one but they will not pay you a lot. You will then need to work on a tourist visa which is illegal - although lots do it. You will also need to do visa runs ie leave the country every 30 days to get a new visa.

You may also come across the too young to be a teacher attitude from students - especially if they are adults, some parents might also do a double take.

Have you thought about doing some work in Canada - even on a volunteer basis to get some experience? It will give you an idea of what being out there is really like. The TESL cert is not teaching in the real world. The other side of the world is a long place to go to to find out you hate the country, the job and miss your family.

Cardinal Synn · Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 586

You could easily get a job in Indonesia. Legally.
I know Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and Taiwan require a degree, but I think China is OK and Malaysia is possible too.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

No salary cap as far as I know in Japan.

Don't expect anyone to pay for your airfare here. The purpose of the WHV is to help defray some costs while you are ON VACATION, not to provide you with the opportunity for FT work. Besides, very few people on full-fledged work visas get airfare paid in Japan. Not that many employers do it.

Even fewer will pay for housing. That is just asking too much. They MIGHT provide housing, but you would have to pay for it, but again, your WHV is not meant for long-term stays, so plan on finding a place on your own.

In Japan, many employers do not know that you can work PT or FT on the WHV, and they think you are only eligible to work PT. There is a fine line as to what you can actually do. I have researched this fairly extensively, and embassies and the WHV association in Japan do not always agree. Basically, you can work FT but only for short term (3-4 months per job). In reality, places will hire you for a full year, and immigration is none the wiser. Since a lot of people with WHVs don't have degrees, employers don't really provide the best teaching opportunities for that. Yes, they will hire someone with a bachelor's degree in economica or geography to teach over someone with a WHV sometimes. Live with it. If you want to make this a career, I suggest you get a degree and certification.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Twisting in the Wind · Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 571 Location: Purgatory

I agree with Glenski here. In Asia, age is respected. Esp. if you look young, you will not be taken seriously. You do not say if this is just for a hiatus or if you expect to remain permanently overseas teaching with no degree.

I respectfully suggest you take the advice of other posters on this thread. Some of us have been where you are right now.

18 is VERY young to be 1) moving overseas 2) getting a responsible (i.e. non-student) job 3) at the same time you are supposed to be working and self-supporting, you are also dealing with potential culture shock. You maybe cannot see all this right now because it's hard to see the forest for the trees. But trust me.

When I was 20 I left university to work overseas. It was very, very difficult going from a first world country to a third world one. It was difficult coming back. It was difficult later finishing my degree and took me years to do so.

If you stay in school and get your BA + whatever ESL certification, you'll be on much better footing to go overseas later. You'll be more mature. You'll have the documentation required by some countries to work legally and won't have to worry about that hassle. You'll "look" older and not have to be constantly explaining your babyface to your students. It's only a couple of years. I sugggest you stay in school, even tho it's not what you want to hear.