Job Discussion Forums

[reneemck]

I am going to be taking my CELTA this spring and I am looking to go to Asia to teach by late summer/early fall. Some BG: 25 year old female, BBA, no teaching experience (although I am working on that with tutoring or substitute work). Pretty adventurous, but after reading some of the horror stories posted (getting screwed by hagwons and recruiters) I am a little concerned and not sure if I have the courage to show up in a foreign country and look for work not knowing the system (sounds like a recipe for disaster for a newbie), but am weary of recruiters too. Have lots of questions!

-when is the best time to get a job/when do most courses start?

-I am trying to decide between Taiwan, China, and S. Korea. China is most appealing to me for the culture, the language. Korea for the amount of money that can be saved.

Taiwan because I have a good, safe lead on a job (which for a newbie is important). Probably not nearly as great a deal as I could find elsewhere, but all is guaranteed...1 year through the YMCA, paid RT flight, 33,400-41,000 monthly, medical insurance, teaching 80 hrs a month + 40 more hrs monthly working with YMCA's there. Arranged accomodations, and (this sucks, I know) one week paid vacaton after the first 6 months service. It seems lower pay, more working hrs and less vacation than other opportuntities I have seen.

Any comments? Wise to play it safe for my first job and take the hit, or am I overreacting to the fear that I will totally get screwed trying to find a job on my own.

On Korea, anybody with advice on finding a reputable school? Have already found some lists of reputable recruiters on Dave's.

Thanks for any help!

[denise]

Where will you be doing your CELTA? If you're taking a course in China/Korea/Taiwan, you can start searching for jobs while you're doing the course. That way you can have face-to-face interviews, start getting settled in, etc. There will still be a little bit of uncertainty, but not as much as if you just got off a plane and started knocking on doors.

I did my TEFL course in Prague, and by the end of the course I'd had three interviews and a couple (maybe three? don't remember) of job offers.

As far as timing, private language/conversation schools often hire year-round. I can think of many cases in which schools have needed immediate replacements for teachers who just up and left in the middle of their contracts.

Good luck!

d

[shmooj]