Job Discussion Forums

[smuvkat25]

Greetings,

I was hoping I could score some advice from the pros out there. I am a 33 year old American male that is looking for work in Perth. I will be completing my M.Ed. in TESOL from a U.S. university. I have an undergrad degree in history. I am not licensed to teach in the U.S. Why Perth? It is a beautiful city. I visited there about 15 years ago and I knew that I would return some day in a different capacity. I would love to come down to Australia, start a new career and eventually have a family.

With that being said, would I have a problem finding work at a local high school as an ESL teacher with my masters degree? Do high schools normally look for licensed teachers with a teaching certificate (say, from the U.S.)?

Essentially, I'll be bringing a M.Ed. in TESOL to the table with teaching experience (6 years, but not in English) to the table. I'm excited about my new career as an ESL instructor/teacher. My prior experience was in IT/project management.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,


Nick from Cleveland, Ohio U.S.A.

[Def]

Hey Nick,

I'll reply in more detail to your PM's, but just in case anyone else is wondering about this, I'll just briefly touch on issues here too.

To teach in W.A. at an ordinary high school, you must be qualified to teach, or have specialised skills. It isn't a matter of them 'normally' looking for qualified teachers - it's a requirement (specialised people excluded, and I haven't a clue what constitutes specialised). I have absolutely no idea if what you're doing in the U.S. qualifies you as a could-be teacher in W.A., so I would recommend you email or phone WACOT. (Google WACOT.)

Regardless, you must register with them if you want to teach at a school.

There's a limited number of schools in the generally-metro area that teach EAL/D. However, lots of remote/rural schools are actually insisting that their English teachers are adopting ESL methods now, given SAE (Standard Australian English) is in fact a second language for many Aboriginal students.

The problem certainly isn't finding work - it's whether or not the qualifications you have qualify you as a teacher. I'm afraid I simply can't answer that, and again advise contacting WACOT.

If you'd consider it, you may find you'd have more luck teaching in an ELICOS context.


Def.

[smuvkat25]

Thanks for the advice/help. I also read your PM and it was insightful. I do believe that my next step is to contact WACOT.

As far as working in the bush, I would have no problem with that for three years to get my foot in the door. Also, I think it would be a great experience to work with indigenous cultures.

I'll keep you abreast of what I find out.


Nick