Job Discussion Forums

turkemy · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 14

hy everyone..
i was wondering whether i can teach english in any country with a bachelor's degree on english language teaching or is it compulsory to have an international certificate?
i haven't got CELTA or any international certificate.
I studied on elt in one of the reputable universities for four years in Turkiye and graduated last year.
I can say i am quite fluent.

by the way i work for a state school in my country.I am paid 850 euros/1200 american dollars a month.Do you think the salary is O.K?
Anyway i wanna work internationally.However,once i resign i can't get back to my job back cuz of the rules.

what do you think?Should i resign and try this adventure?I can say i am experienced on travelling,but not on working abroad.
I would be so happy if u shared your experinces and thoughts about the situation,as i am a candidate international teacher :p
thank you all...

turkemy · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 14

at least;is it possible for me to have a part-time job in a foreign country during the summer vacation?.
I am asking this cuz here;we have two months of summer holiday and it is too long to sit and wait for the new academic year.I feel i have to do something.
thanx for ur precious help..

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

YOu can teach with a BA, a cert's not necessary, part time work for two months is more difficult to find. Puncutation is also necessary Smile

MELEE · Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:37 pm Post subject:

In many countries you will have a hard time working legally as a non-native speaker. For Example here in Mexico we must justify our foriegn staff and prove that they are more qualified than any Mexican applicants. There are many Mexicans with BAs in English teaching so how would we justify that someone from Turkey was more qualified than them?

soapdodger · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

Keep your state school job. The money may not seem like much when you look at the "developed" world, but remember everything is relative. You will accrue all sorts of benefits like sick pay, holiday pay, a scaled salary and a career structure, to say nothing of respect in the community - all things that you won't get in EFL.

To say that non-natives are not really wanted outside their own countries wouldn't be entirely true, but it is near enough the case. If you want to travel a bit in the holidays, there are summer schools in the UK and other countries who might consider employing you, but remember that as a non-EU national you may face visa/ work permit difficulties.

Why not try and get a job in the evening at a private language school in Turkey and use the money you make to do some travelling in the summer?

yaramaz · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:43 am Post subject:

Have you considered private universities or dershanes? The Turkish staff at the ones where I've worked have earned more than the state school salary- in private kolejs too, though the kids there are nuts. The workload is a lot heavier and the holidays are shorter but you will get a higher salary.

turkemy · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 14

i was accepted as an english lecturer to one of the private univirsities and what they offered me was less than what i am paid now.
I was offered only 1000 ytl(something like 850 american dollars)
in the state school i work from 9 to 3 and to be honest the working conditions are O.K
so it seems that i had better keep my job..

at least can u please tell me how much they will pay me if i work in korea or japan as an english teacher?i just want to learn the average salary TEFLers get.By the way,perhaps they aren't paid during the summer vacation,are they?

asgerd · Joined: 30 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

Typical entry-level posts for native speakers in Japan pay about 250,000 JPY (=2700 TRY) without accommodation, and in Korea about 2,000,000 KRW (=2400 TRY) with accommodation. You could try on those boards too, if you haven't already, to see how they rate your chances of getting hired as a non-native.

yaramaz · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:49 am Post subject:

Which private university did you apply at? The one where I worked paid about 2000ytl for the Turkish teachers- the foreign teachers got a bit more, but it was classified as 'housing allowance'. They also got private health insurance and 5 weeks of holidays.

I think you might be able to teach in China as a non native speaker. I've heard of it being done. The money wouldn't be so great though.

turkemy · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 14

yaramaz...i am sorry but i don't want to mention the name cuz what i told about the university was not very nice..
But perhaps u can tell me where you worked..cuz 2000ytl is not a bad price Razz

maybe i am gonna apply there Wink

turkemy · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 14

by the way, where do you work now?

yaramaz · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject:

The 2000 was at Bilgi, but that was a few years ago, before the Americans took over. I have no idea how salaries are now (I think they went up for some). I'm not there anymore- I'm working as an ados in a language school- much less stressful. The Turkish teachers here get about 2000 as well.