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meoldmate
Joined: 28 Apr 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Dorset, England
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 Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 5:47 pm Post subject: Career path - what a winding road it be |
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Hi - I am new to this forum so let me start by introducing myself. I am male, based in England, 47 and have been teaching EFL on short-term contracts in my home town on and off for almost 2 years. It's not the only way I earn my living as I am also a freelance copywriter, but I have become increasingly disenchanted with copywriting and feel I am at a bit of a fork in the road.
The big problem I have with TEFL is that it doesn't pay too handsomely. Wearing my copywriter's hat, I can earn as much in a day as I can for a week's teaching. But the copywriting has dried up and the work stresses me out, whereas I enjoy teaching. So I'm now weighing up my options and wondering if I can supplement my teaching earnings in other ways or if I might be better off simply using it as a springboard to travel.
Nothing is ever easy of course. I am married and have two teenage children, one of whom is destined for Uni next autumn. But the time is not right for all of us to move abroad. Would it be a bad idea to go overseas alone for a few months? Does anyone have expereince of this in similar circumstances? Also, I've not really made the effort to seek out a full-time teaching job in the UK. I prefer being a free agent. But that means I'm not earning a regular income. I guess I was counting on some copywriting jobs coming in, but they are few and far between and now I'm in two minds what to do.
In fact I am thinking all kinds of conflicting thoughts right now. The main one is that TEFL compensates for the low income by opening up the opportunity for travel, yet I am not in an ideal situation to take advantage of it. So it looks as though I will continue to muddle along on a modest income for some time to come or that I will have to find an alternative career altogether.
I'm not really seeking advice on how to solve my problem, so much as asking how other people have dealt with what I am sure is a common problem for anyone switching out of the corporate sector and into TEFL. Is working abroad adequate compensation for a low income. I must say, I do feel excited at the prospect of an adventure. Do other EFL teachers supplement their earnings with other work, related or otherwise?
Sorry this is a bit of an obtuse post, but I would be grateful for any comments, directly related or not. |
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Celeste
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Fukuoka City, Japan
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| THe thing is, going abroad a few months at a time is a good way to spend money, not to earn it. In Japan there is a company called Westgate that will hire teachers for 3 month stints. They will work you pretty hard, though. I see a lot of companies in CHina looking for people to do summer "internships" but I think that you will find the allowance pretty meagre there. YOu might look into the middle east, but usually they seem to want long term contracts. I have heard of people working a month or so on and then getting a month or so off teaching on oil rigs, though. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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Switching fields means starting the new one at entry level. Even with a bit of experience like you have, expect to start on the bottom rung of the ladder most of the time. Countries vary in their demands, of course.
To expand on what Celeste wrote, going abroad to teach TEFL can be costly, depending on where you go, but to consider doing that for just a few months is even more costly. Here in Japan, for example, you will barely break even on setup costs by teaching for such a short time, assuming you find anyone who will hire you (like Westgate) for that period. Most employers here have 1-year contracts. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 3:26 am Post subject: |
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Have you thought about figuring out a way to do a PGCE while freelancing in both copywriting and teaching ESL?
The best time of the year for ESL contracts (in English speaking countries) is summer, for summer language camps. |
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meoldmate
Joined: 28 Apr 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Dorset, England
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 10:37 am Post subject: |
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[quote] going abroad a few months at a time is a good way to spend money, not to earn it[/quote]
I can see that this may be the case and I suppose it's one more reason I am doubting which way to go next.
Japan (and a PGCE) et al is not an option for me as I did not complete my degree. I left uni after my first year to join the wonderful world of advertising.
I guess it was inevitable that people would offer me suggestions on how to 'solve my problem' but, as I said in my opening post, this is not what I'm after. I am more interested in what others have done and how people have dealt with the relative lack of income that a career in TEFL seems to engender. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I am more interested in what others have done and how people have dealt with the relative lack of income that a career in TEFL seems to engender. |
Not much one can really do in just a few months overseas. It'll take time to build up a reputation or contacts in order to get some private teaching lessons coming in. Usually several months. And, you have to consider that in many countries, your work visa is tied to the type of work you do, so you can't really get FT work in one field and moonlight in another. One exception might be bartending, but how are you going to get rested for the next day's lessons (or plan them) if you are working till the wee hours of the morning?
| Quote: |
| I am thinking all kinds of conflicting thoughts right now. The main one is that TEFL compensates for the low income by opening up the opportunity for travel, yet I am not in an ideal situation to take advantage of it. |
Not in a position to take advantage of what...jumping into teaching? I hope you think about this VERY carefully. Teaching abroad and trying to travel/sightsee are not exactly things that often go together for the inexperienced teachers.
| Quote: |
| Do other EFL teachers supplement their earnings with other work, related or otherwise? |
Yes, many do, but they usually stay within the bounds of their visas. I know people who teach in high schools and occasionally play in bands at night, for example, but they are the least reliable people I know for teaching.
Those of us who are here on spouse visas or dependent visas don't really have restrictions on the type of work we can do, so you'll find many of us doing proofreading/translating, or serving as wedding officials or celebrants, or doing other odd jobs. The most common side job for most teachers is to teach private lessons. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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| meoldmate wrote: |
| I guess it was inevitable that people would offer me suggestions on how to 'solve my problem' but, as I said in my opening post, this is not what I'm after. I am more interested in what others have done and how people have dealt with the relative lack of income that a career in TEFL seems to engender. |
You seem to assume here also that teachers here make the pitiful salaries that are being paid to ESL teachers in the UK. The bottom end of the incomes here are quite low, at about 15,000-17,000 pounds a year for a full time conversation teacher. teahcing privates you can push this up to 20,000 pounds a year (or about 3-4 million yen)
Teachers working at high schools earn enough that they can support their families and even afford overseas travel on their incomes. I get out of Japan at least once a year and also have part time work.
Its not that TEFL engenders low incomes, but its that the average person does not have the academic or professional qualifications to earn higher incomes, and generally speaking TEFL is low-paid and very irregular in English speaking countries. Teach English in Asia and it can be quite lucrative if you have the skills and experience needed.
How do they deal with teaching TEFL on low incomes? They get more experience, more qualifications and leverage themselves into higher paying jobs that can afford them the lifestyle they are after. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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Relatively few people who make a career out of teaching English (in an English language country without higher degrees) have families. A lot of people go into another area when they marry or have kids. And for those that do have families, they are often not the primary (or even an equal) wage earner (volunteer work by people with high wage earning partners is far too common).
The issue of "No degree, but want to teach!" is a recurring theme in threads on this board. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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| A lot of people go into another area when they marry or have kids |
Do you mean people in an English speaking country? Most of my friends are now married(in a non English speaking country) and all of them are still teaching English, mostly on a higher salary than than their local spouses. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
| Quote: |
| A lot of people go into another area when they marry or have kids |
Do you mean people in an English speaking country? Most of my friends are now married(in a non English speaking country) and all of them are still teaching English, mostly on a higher salary than than their local spouses. |
The OP is a British national teaching ESL part time in the UK in addition to copywriting. ESL income in the UK or English speaking countries is not really enough to support yourself on, much less a family unless you have a Masters or a higher degree and are teaching at a university or some tertiary institution.
I have looked at teaching ESL in the UK and Australia (tertiary level) and the contracts are short term but good paying full time jobs are 20,000-30,000 pounds a year.
I teach in Japan and support a wife and two grade-school children on my teaching income. I dont think that would be possible if I were living and teaching in England, my wife would have to work, most likely. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| The OP is a British national teaching ESL part time in the UK in addition to copywriting. ESL income in the UK or English speaking countries is not really enough to support yourself on |
Me too Paul( British national that is) Maybe I wasn't clear. I was more curious about gbbbb's comment about changing profession after marriage.
My maried friends abroad are still in teaching. Do people go back to their home countries and change career because they are married? |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 1:13 am Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
| Quote: |
| A lot of people go into another area when they marry or have kids |
Do you mean people in an English speaking country? |
I meant people who live and teach ESL in an English speaking country without advanced degrees that would enable them to work in a university/college setting or in the elementary/secondary school systems.
I think people go back home and change careers if/when they marry (especially if the have children) not because they are married but because of the compensation at language schools/institutes in English speaking countries. I think some might get Director of Studies positions at language schools, if only they have enough experience, qualifications and proabably contacts to do so. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| Phew, thanks for clearing that up |
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yaramaz
Joined: 05 Mar 2003
Posts: 2384
Location: Not where I was before
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 9:28 am Post subject: |
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| I could feel your stress from over here in the Asian side, dmb- everso glad that was cleared up! |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 11:38 am Post subject: |
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yip me too. Just to clarify what Yaramaz said. we both live in the same city except she lives in Asia and I live in Europe  |
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