Job Discussion Forums

judyinwa · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 1 Location: Washington State

I'm new, this is my first post...please, be gentle! Wink

My question is two-fold:

1) I would like to teach in California this winter Cool

and need to know if programs have been cut for ESL across the board, where is the best place (along the coast) to teach now and what is the going rate for Adult Ed. ESL in the major metro areas? Is it difficult to get hired in the Junior College arena? Do you know anyone that would rent a condo/sm house/apt. to me?

2) I am presently writing an ESL textbook Very Happy

on Life Skills for the Advanced Students. There does not seem to be anything like this out there for this level and my book is quite detailed, I plan on teaching a class that goes with the textbook. Your opinion please.

BTW: I have extensive experience teaching ESL (and other subjects) at the community college and Adult Ed. level, a CA. teaching cred., ESL cert. and MA equiv.

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

I just worked for a month at St. Giles Language Center in San Francisco. Good teaching environment. Decent pay, except for the fact that San Francisco is a ridiculously expensive city to live in. I wouldn't advise trying to live in the Bay area on what St. Giles pays.
HOWEVER. If you just want to work over the winter, they have high turn-over (from what I gleaned from the month I was there) for reasons I just outlined above. I recommend it for temp. employment. There are a few residence hotels where you could live reasonably comfortably and relatively cheaply for the winter.
Again, not a long-term career there, but if you don't mind living at a hotel and either eating out a lot or getting microwave food to cook in a common room, you could probably save some money.
You'd probably have better luck showing up and asking for work than getting in touch online, but on the other hand, you have a few months to go, so you may as well get in touch with them and feel them out.

thrifty · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 1665 Location: chip van

TEFL is crap in America too, then?

mlomker · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 378

natsume · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 409 Location: Chongqing, China

I am just finishing the TESL Certificate program at UC Berkeley Extension, which I can highly recommend if you live here and have the time.

It sound like the OP is looking for temporary work, but on the larger topic I have a few observations.

I have had the chance to talk to and observe the classes of a number of ESL teachers in the San Francisco community college district recenty. Unfortunately, the reality here, if one wants to stay in the Bay Area, is that it can take up to eight years to secure a full time position. That means eight years of stringing together part time jobs. One teacher asked me about my plans, and I said I'd like to teach overseas for a number of years, and he bluntly informed me that the overseas work experience would not amount to much if I returned, because employers in this area are interested primarily in local experience. And of course, it is only fair for those individuals who have stayed in the pool here to have priority.

So while I'm toying with the idea of getting a masters and making this a career, this is sobering information. I don't like the odds of my "backup" plan B, returning to California, if I don't find what I want abraod, and essentially having to start at ground zero. This is not a selling point on making this a career, from my perspective.

thrifty · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 1665 Location: chip van

TEFL is crap.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

There is no TEFL in the U.S. Here it is called TESL or TESOL. Even Brits with miminal qualifications know the difference.

My colleagues who teach English here in California make entry-level salaries of $50,000. The median at a local school is $65,000. Part-timers and contractors can make $50-$70 per hour.

Bare-miminum qualifications? You won't get a chance at these jobs.

"judyinwa," please PM me for information.

saint57 · Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 8:36 pm Post subject:

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

PM me, buddy.

mlomker · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 378

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Drizzt · Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 229 Location: Kyuushuu, Japan

I don't really see why so many people insist TESOL is crap in America. If you have a MA in applied linguistics or TESOL and a bit of experience you are pretty much qualified to teach at most community colleges. Check out www.highered.com and you will see lots of community colleges advertising for TESOL instructors. Most of the starting salaries seem to range from 40K-55K per year. That's pretty good in my opinion.

mlomker · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 378

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

If you're living in a single-income family, then you probably won't be able to afford the median-priced home in either the LA or SF areas. But there are other parts of California where community colleges afford comparable salaries AND the real estate market is quite reasonable.

I had only my own income when I first purchased real estate in California. It is not by any means impossible.