Job Discussion Forums

[jono]

Hi all, at the end of this year I will graduate from a Bachelor of Ed. from an Australian Uni. I'm 24 years old and thinking of doing something 'different' before regular classroom teaching. I was just wondering if I could get advice on whether I need a ELF certificate or whether my BEd will do? I was also wondering if I would be better suited to finding an independent position or signing up for a corporation such as NOVA in Japan? Any ideas would be great!

Thanks
Jono

[Atassi]

Hi jono,

You haven't given us enough details. Your question is also too open-ended. You could ask "Where's the best place to work for someone just starting off?", but then you should instead search Dave's for the countless other threads that have been on the same topic. There are too many things for you to consider for someone to cover everything here. I recommend that you learn as much as possible, figure out what you want, and then come back with those more specific questions you will have.

I can't answer your question except to say:
1) you may be best off overall working in Korea or Taiwan (but you may not want to)
2) getting a certificate will help with some employers (but not many)
3) if you decide not to do a certificate, you should still learn a bit about what language learning entails (otherwise you may just be a native-speaking clown at whatever school you get hired at)

If you put in the effort, the experience you have in a different country will be something you won't regret. Best of luck

[Glenski]

Since you mentioned Japan, I will chime in with related info.

As an Aussie, you are automatically eligible for a working holiday visa. No sponsor needed. You could go that route and be here for 18 months.

Or you could use your degree to get sponsored by a company/school for a work visa and stay longer if you desire.

Working "independently" is only possible at the onset if you go with the first option, but if you mean surviving solely on private lessons (ie, no company/school as an employer), then I'd say you are really going to have to hustle or be very lucky. Private lessons take time to acquire, and many are fickle, so they don't last long. You would need a pretty good business plan, too.

1. Use the WHV to come here and hunt around.
2. Get hired in Oz and get sponsored, but there are very few places that will do that.
3. Come to Japan on a tourist status, get hired and sponsored. More opportunities that way, but it's also more expensive to set yourself up.

In any case no EFL (not ELF) certificate is needed. If you plan to do this for a long time, I'd suggest getting one, though.

[jono]

Hi, Thanks for the advice, I guess I will have to do a bit more research and thinking before I look into things further. Just another quick question though, does anyone know what companies such as NOVA are like to work for and is there any which are better than the others?