Job Discussion Forums

[shalomyishai]

So I am looking into becoming an English teacher and I have been contacting some of the major schools that train people to do this work.

During my discussions I mention that I am a 45 year old man from the USA and, inevitably, I am told that I am too old to really have a realistic chance of teaching english in foreign countries.

I want to get some other opinions about this. Is it an absolute fact? What I mean is will my age really prevent me from teaching anywhere?

Are there some regions or nations that are better for me to pursue then others?

Are there things I can do to improve my chances of gaining employment in this field?

Thanks for your thoughts and information. I am looking forward to hearing from people.

Jesse

[naturegirl321]

Shuld be fine, The cut off is usually 55.

[khmerhit]

Forget it--you are way too old. There are no jobz for you, old man.

--------er, pay no attention to the nay-sayers!!! There is lots of work for lots of ages, especially in Cambodia (well there was 10 yrs ago) ----seriously, dont listen to people who try to discourage you, cuz that is all they are trying to do.






C A M B O D I A
try it and see

[Justin Trullinger]

There are plenty of folks on this forum who started EFLing when they were around your age. You're not quite 20 years younger than my oldest current colleague.

Maybe the schools you've been talking to are lousy ones, and figure that a guy your age will know better, notice, and complain about how they fester instead of training teachers?

I've been running a TESOL course in Ecuador for 3 years- trained plenty of folks older than you, and they've done fine.


Best,
Justin

[natsume]

[Glenski]

[spiral78]

I agree with natsume that there is no specific cut off age for most countries, and that it is misleading to suggest that there is some specific age barrier (55 or whatever) that applies in general.

I'm older than you by a bit - so are many of the regulars here.

On another topic:

As a US citizen, you're eligible for work permits in most of the 'new' EU member countries, though not in most of western Europe. Your age certainly would not be an impediment here.

To compete successfully on the job market, you'd need a CELTA or equivalent on-site certification. There would be some benefits to getting said cert in the country where you want to start teaching, as a good training centre can help you get oriented locally a bit and put you in touch with reputable schools in the region.

The biggest hiring period for the region is early September, and most contracts run Sept/Oct thru June.

The downsides of this region include the fact that wages are very basic - subsistence level. This means that you can count on having enough to live if you're a bit frugal, and to go out and enjoy the city and country where you are located. Wages here won't allow savings or be enough to pay off debts back home.

The job market is quite tight just now, but may possibly improve a bit by Sept 2010 (we hope). There is work, but timing is more important than usual. In the past, teachers could usually count on picking something up regardless of the time of year (except for July/August) but this year some people have had to simply leave as they haven't found work at all.

For all of the Schengen zone (google for a list of countries) a US citizen automatically qualifies for a 90 day visa. Then, you have to leave the entire zone for 90 days. This means that you need to find a job contract within 45 days of arrival, and be sure that your paperwork is filed within that time period so that you can get legal working visas.

This would be a possibility for you, depending on your commitment to basic training, whether you have enough financial cushion to get yourself started (employers here don't typically pay for flights or provide housing, and start-up costs will be your own responsibility). It will also depend what your financial goals are - this region won't support much more than a basic living in either short or long term.

[tomstone]

I posted this on another discussion thread, but here goes: I'm in Henan Province, PRC. I'm not only the oldest teacher at this university (56), I'm the oldest person. Period. I started teaching ESL when I was 55 and I renewed my contract yesterday. I've HEARD of teachers in their mid-70's.

[Chris_Crossley]

[Sadebugo]

[Glenski]

[naturegirl321]

Learning the language, helps A LOT, outside the classroom. I'm goign to miss not being able to understand. BUt inside the clssroom, just use English.

I agree with publishing, I started last year. HAve about 30 things published online and one in a book. I'm going to try this year to get into big name ones, like IATEFL:

[perfectweapon]

In Asia the cut off point is usually 60, but that is for government schools etc. This to depends on the schools if they like you they will over look your age, so don�t worry.