Job Discussion Forums

[jsbankston]

I'm 42 and have a BA with a double major in English and history, but no TEFL certification. I tutored for eight years and worked as a librarian and substitute teacher for two years at a K-12 private school with 180 students.

What's the usual procedure with Morocco? Do you apply at home or do you have to go over there and look for work? What's the pay like? the cost of living? Is there a main site to check for teaching in Morocco? What are the interviews like?

[Africaexpert]

Most of the ALCs do their recruiting at the annual TESOL conventions in the spring.

[jsbankston]

Forgive my ignorance, but I wasn't aware of such conventions, or the abbreviation ALC.

Thanks.

[medina]

TESOL: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. They have a huge convention in a different American city each year, usually end of March. If you really want to get into this game then you should check out TESOL. This year the convention's in Seattle.
The main EFL schools in Morocco are the ALCs (American Language Centers), Amideast, and the British Council. If you Google these you'll find their websites. There are other smaller places, of course (there's a discussion of one of them in this forum), but those are the best known and probably most reputable. I think the ALCs and Amideast post job openings on this site once in a while.

Also, be warned that Morocco can be a very hard place to work in and if you wind up with the wrong employer, you can be in for some pretty traumatic stuff.

[jsbankston]

I have seen the term TESOL before (is there much difference between that and TEFL?), but was just unaware of any conventions. Would it be helpful for me to go to the convention even without TEFL certification?

Is Morocco one of those places where it's better to go there first and job-hunt in-country or can you land a job from home? Where do they stand on TEFL certification? Do they hire people with just BA degrees? (I'm seriously considering getting certified, but I am curious if you need it in Morocco.)

In what ways is Morocco especially hard or traumatic (as compared to any other foreign country)?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for your help.

[medina]

One of the first things you need to learn to work in this field is all the acronyms floating around: TEFL, TESL, TOEFL, TESOL, TED, CALL, DPR, LAD...! and it goes on and on ! There's probably a page on this site that gives some link to a list of them.

TEFL is just a generic term for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, whereas TESOL is an official organization that you join and pay dues to. Attending a TESOL conference is a great way to get an overview of the field, I think.

I wrote about the question of BA vs certificate before. If you do a certificate course it will give you a much better basis both for getting hired and for what you will be doing in the classroom, but there are plenty of places here that hire without CELTAs (another acronym) or the equivalent.

I really do not advise just showing up and trying to get a job. That's really not going to work and you'll put yourself in a vulnerable position. And it's expensive! Reputable schools have websites, post job openings on sites like this and do real recruitment.

The last question you asked concerns whether I meant that Morocco can be more traumatic than other places you might work. Without considering the case of teachers who wind up working for places that don't pay them and have no legal recourse, what I mean is that this can be a culturally confusing and frustrating place and if you wind up not adapting to life here, there are not many ways of psychologically dealing with that. For someone teaching in Paris or Madrid, on the other hand, there are plenty of diversions that can be therapeutic. That's all I meant.

Please think things over carefully. You might try some voluteer English teaching there in the States for some immigrant literacy program before wanting to try working in a classroom on the other side of the world.

Best of luck

[jsbankston]

[medina]

Yes, come to think of it, "TESOL" can also be used as a general term, in which case it means Teaching English to.... Who can keep track?

About money: I have never met anyone who gets a job in EFL in Morocco with the idea of saving money. It's possible I suppose, but a good salary here is like 7000 dh a month take home, which is about 850 dollars a month. People who want to make money in this profession go to work in the UAE or places like that. Of course, you need an MA at least to work there.

I think I've told you about all I can. I'm against these forums going on and on between two people only, so if there are still questions, please use the private message function.

[i_teach_esl]

[JTS]

Many language institutes pay by the hour - about 150 Dirhams/ hr is average in larger cities.
Your best bet is probably to mail a cv to all the private language institutes in Rabat, Casa etc

[medina]

OK, i_teach..! OR a general term = "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages" as in "She has a Masters in TESOL".

And this is (or should be) a profession in which teachers, even newbies, are treated as professionals, not just backpackers without rights of any kind, so JTS is right, lots of places pay by the hour, but a prospective teacher (in Morocco or anywhere else) then has the right to have stated in writing the number of hours per month a school will guarantee and an estimate of what she's going to wind up with after taxes.

In Morocco income tax is taken off monthly and it's very high. So if a school says, "we pay 150 dh an hour" she needs to ask "before or after taxes," (and if they aren't taking off taxes then they're illegal so beware). Measure twice, cut once as granny used to say.

[Acoreana]

After reading through and looking online at different websites (of schools and ads), it almost seems like you wont get a "worth while" job if you only have a TEFL/TESL, etc certificate. Most schools seem to be asking that you also have a BA or MA in English...It's a little discouraging since before doing the course, it makes it seem like once you get it than you can get a job teaching anywhere. I could be wrong but it just looks like these certificates are simply just not enough (for Morocco). In places like China, Korea, etc...they are very open to taking people with these certificates with or without a BA or MA. Can anyone clear this up? Thanks a lot

[medina]

In Morocco, the question of having a university degree has to do with government requirements for obtaining a work permit. Morocco is a country where unemployment is probably at something like 30 percent and a lot of those unemployed are young Moroccans with BAs, MAs or even higher. The government's reasoning is that if a foreigner hasn't even finished a 4 year degree, there are plenty of Moroccans who have, so give the jobs to them. I know this doesn't make sense on one level because a native speaker is, after all, a native speaker, but if you understood how much poverty there is here, I'm sure you'd want to see more Moroccans working too.

[Acoreana]

Hey, Medina thanks a lot for the info! I am well aware of Morocco's present state of unemployment. However, I should have explained myself better in my last post. I will not be needing a visa or work permit. I am marrying a Moroccan and then will be living in Casa. I just wanted to know about this for reasons of them always wanting people with a BA or MA, but I dont need the permit so my question is...since I wont need a visa or permit, does this still affect me getting a good job without a BA or MA? I mean if they only really ask for it regarding a permit shouldn't I still be able to get jobs without much hassle??
Sorry for so many questions, but I just want to be sure so I can make plans.
Thanx a lot again!!

[medina]

Technically speaking, you can't legally work without a work permit from the Ministry of Labor, which wants people hired to teach English to submit a BA or more. But you might find a school in need of native speaker who would still employ you with no contract. However, you have to accept the fact, then, that you have no legal rights if any problems arise. Like the guy who was teaching at a certain school in Rabat and wasn't getting paid. Little things, like that : ). I hope life in Casa works out for you. It's not everyone's cup of tea.