Job Discussion Forums

[Tancients]

I currently live in the US (Probably moving to North Dakota in about a week) and have always wanted to travel and actually work in a country. Thus getting a nice, first hand feel of the culture, the people, etc. Only problem was, most countries required a job laid out before you got a work permit. As I'm currently 19, and lack a lot of career/job history, I can't really successfully apply to places with my resume, and be accepted. I haven't even graduated high school (Was taking AP and IB courses, but life issues came up) so I'm not sure if I could just find places to travel and teach to. It looks like I need a BS in English teaching before I can start? Or maybe I'm just thinking wrong.

Personally I never liked school, it was easy, tedious, and very little of it had any logical application for me. A few good teachers taught curriculum in such a way that it was enjoyable and felt worthwhile. But those teachers were too few in number, and life still hasn't stabilized enough for me to even have a desire to go back to school. But since travelling and culture is my goal, this might be the way to do it. Plus I could teach in a way that was what I felt good, and really feel good about the job.

What I'd like to know, is basically where to get started. What do I need to get a job teaching English in foriegn countries. If its possible to start in a country without a BS in English, can I use my work history for future teaching jobs in other locations?

Also, since money IS an issue (I've seen a lot of topics where they say it isn't for them...) do some places help out with living arrangements? More importantly, if I need a BS, is there any colleges that would accept/allow a non-graduate, and I'd likely need some student assistance/loan. Though I'd hate to have a student loan, but I doubt I'd be able to make enough money AND go to school effectively since I'm living on my own (No family support)

I've likely got other questions running around too...but lets start with the important ones.

[Glenski]

You'll have to choose a country first in order to get decent information from people here.

As for me in Japan, I'll tell you this. Americans need a bachelor's degree or years of work experience in the teaching field in order to get a work visa.

Your other options are less desireable for various reasons.
1. Marry a Japanese so you can get a spouse visa. This enables you to do any sort of work full-time, but you are still at the mercy of the employers, who may still require a degree.

2. Marry a fellow foreigner who has (or can get) a work visa here, so you can get a depenedent visa. This will allow you to work PT, depending on what employers want in the way of credentials.

3. Enroll in a Japanese university to get a student visa, which permits PT work. I assume university regulations require a high school diploma or equivalent, though.

4. Get a cultural visa by finding someone in a traditional craft here (ikebana, martial arts, pottery, etc.) to sponsor you. PT work only

Bottom line. Get the degree.

[Tancients]

Japan is as good of a country as any, as I've been studying the language for almost a year now.

As far as getting the degree, are there any colleges/locations that would be better with the mindset of overseas teaching in mind? Mostly just not sure where to go for GOOD info and advice other than (now) here.

[maya.the.bee]

not sure if this will be of any help, but since you will most likely need a degree (English is not necessary, any BA/BS will do) find a university w/ an exchange program. My university has a program that allows students to go to Osaka, Japan, for 6 months & teach EFL. The job, apt, and everything is arranged for you. The only requirement is completing the TEFL certificate. Another option is Taiwan, I'm looking to go there myself, and have heard that you can get by with an associate degree and a TEFL/CELTA/... a BA/BS is not always needed.
maya

[Glenski]

[sigmoid]

Try and get a GED and some kind of TEFL certificate at least. There are sometimes volunteer programs or some kind of exchange as mentioned above where you can get some experience. Check the jobs board.

[Justin Trullinger]

If your general level of education, knowledge, etc is pretty good, you shouldn't have much trouble getting a GED, which for college application purposes is generally as good as a high school diploma.

To work in South America, while a degree isn't specifically necessary, it can be a big help. Your age would be against you for a good job, as well.

Basically, a degree might be a good way to go. For working in good positions in education, valuing education is a good place to start. (With your own.)

Regards,
Justin

[Cdaniels]

Before you decide, you might want to find out the difference beteen a BS and a BA in English. (of course some people will tell you their degree is BS anyways ) Actually my ex-mother-in-law had a Bachelor of Arts in Physics, so you never know. At your age and level of education, there are other job possibilities for international travel that may be better. As bright as you may be, ("school is boring and tedious") if you do get to college, or even spend some time on a big university campus, you will find people smarter, more ambitious and harder working, no matter how smart, ambitious, or hard working you may think yourself to be. It was a real eye-opener for me.

[Tancients]

[falseidol]

Hey, Tancients,

I started teaching fresh out of highschool; had my eighteenth birthday a few days before my flight. I thought I�d contribute some things to think about based on my experience.

Bare practicalities first. It's certainly possible to get a job in TEFL in China, where I started out, with as little as an American passport and a pulse. These schools that'll hire you without qualifications of any kind, though, are clearly not the most professional nor teaching-focussed, and you'll probably get jerked around a fair bit. If they're disrespecting their students enough to hire someone with absolutely no proof they�ll be able to do the job, then it�s unlikely they�ll respect you. You mentioned that money is an issue � if you can�t scrape the cash for the flight, you�re out of luck. Think of it from the school�s perspective. Why would they give a free flight to someone who could just desert them at the airport and go backpacking?

Now the important bit. This is pretty harsh, but trust me, it�s good to think of beforehand. You�re likely to be of little use to your students without further study. Don�t get me wrong, someone with a BSC or a degree in philosophy is unlikely to be more competent than you�ve proven yourself with your well-written post, aside from their having proven a level of focus and work-ethic that may be difficult for you to attain right now. If you just want to travel, work at a minimum wage job for a while and save up. If you want to teach, you�ll need to do a little more. Try reading books from the library on teaching methodology, grammar, phonemic script, games and activities, etc. � make sure you read about how to teach both kids and adults because since employment-beggars can�t be choosers, you�ll likely be teaching both. See if there are any reputable teacher-training courses in your area that might be within your price range after a couple months of telemarketing or after selling a couple pints of blood.

Most importantly, though, volunteer. Call your local public school and offer yourself as a teaching assistant; I worked one-on-one with special-ed kids on reading skills. See if you can facilitate workshops on any talents you may have or issues that are close to your heart � teach guitar lessons, tutor ESL immigrants in your area, work with groups of teens on safer sex, proselytise, whatever. Not only will your resume look great, you�ll find out whether you like teaching one-on-one, whether you can handle heading a class, whether teaching is at all for you. Some people end up on the other side of the world in a job they hate, and that really sucks.

Yeah, you can probably get a job without all that work, but if you want to give and get the most you can out of that first year, it�s probably a good idea to get some theory and practice in forst.

Or, alternately, you can always continue your education. The GED/college route is one way, but I thought I'd share another. I felt the same way you do about school, but in my area (Toronto) there are alternative public schools that cater to people who are bored with or don�t fit in to the regular school system, and they�re available until your 22nd birthday. Changing schools not only kept me from dropping out, it also got me a far better education than I would have gotten elsewhere. Check it out, I don�t know about North Dakota, but I�m sure there are similar schools in major cities in the US, and it might be a good idea.

If you managed to make it this far, good on you. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, but do keep in mind that this is all my personal opinion and experience - I don't intend for this to be taken as anything but.

[Guy Courchesne]

That has to be one of the best 'first posts' I have ever read round these here parts.

[Cdaniels]