Job Discussion Forums

[Looking for my place]

Just wondering if anyone knows how easy it is for a Canadian to get a work visa to teach in the U.S. I have TESL, a B.Ed and M.Ed.

[spiral78]

Ok, it's not directly relevant to your situation, but I can't resist....

As a US citizen with similar qualifications to yours, I am not eligible for working visas for Canada

I was able to live/work in Canada only thanks to spouse's job status.

Hopefully someone else can be more helpful than me. Sorry, as I said...just couldn't resist

[Vanica]

I think that inner city programmes are open to international teachers. That was certainly the case in New York City a few years ago. Look up TeachNY, TeachMemphis. Florida, perhaps. I had very good experience working in a NYC, ''at risk''-identified high schools. There was a group of Austrian maths teachers working at the same time, though not in the same school. It's not as bad as Canada, where you cannot even work cross-provinces.

[pak1789]

I work in a public school district in South Carolina and an ESOL colleague from Canada originally came to the States through the VIF (Visiting International Faculty) program. Their website is http://www.vifprogram.com She was in North Carolina first and later came to SC. I think VIF helps you get certified in the state you are teaching in.

pak

[Vanica]

In Raleigh, NC, a lot of ESL classes are being cut, but they might hire in outlying areas of the state.

[john_n_carolina]

Vanica, you're in Raleigh now?

we're moving there (wife&2 yr old) in a few weeks.

i wasn't too hopeful for ESL work there....there is more consistent tech work or other office type work there. too bad...

however, Charlotte has more ESL.

[Vanica]

(John) Now living in an apartment complex with Vietnamese but no Latino immigrants. Management made me provide an extraordinary amount of references, the lady threw a large file at me, calling me a blank blank foreigner. The school kept my daughter out of ESL and the ESL teacher told me her job (combo Spanish teacher) will be cut at the end of the session. So this area is definitely anti-immigrant at present.

But you can get a really big house, and I am buying loads of electronics on Capital Blvd (four or five salespeople helping me out at each establishment). It's much warmer than Montreal at the moment. We loved the Outer Banks, although the 4x4s on the beach were grotesque. Luckily the place was mostly deserted in November/December.

I am not adjacent to RTP, so your experience may be different.

(OP) There are openings outside of Raleigh, working with migrant workers children, and Wake Tech is hiring. You can also volunteer with advocacy groups working on pesticide issues if you speak Spanish. I found the drive from Raleigh to the Outer Banks very charming; we stopped at the Wiggly Piggly supermarket in Plymouth and I never knew there were so many varieties of greens and pork. The collards are like palm leaves and they steam nicely in the top basket of a rice cooker. I saw a tremendous Mexican restaurant next door but it was completely empty (on a Monday afternoon, however). I didn't see too many Latinos on my trip, except for a few ladies from Guadalajara who say they are leaving after a decade in NC.

In contrast to Canada, the museums really highlight the cultural differences for me. Here in NC, a wildlife exhibit is about decoys and rifles and has a shooting range. The oceans are depicted in graphic diarama as a realm of bloodthirsty horror with turtles devouring enormous jelly fish, whilst eels impale sharks. No NFB cartoons about recycling.

The immigrants really need a lot of advocacy here, but it's like banging your head against a wall for the most part, as the social climate is so hateful right now. This is not the case in Cary or Chapel Hill, hahaha.

[eslgypsy]

The VIF program is a good option if you are already working in the Canadian public system and hold current Canadian certification for primary or secondary school. They do let you know, though, that your salary will not be enough to support a family. But, if you're certified and single, go for it.

Another way to get to the US is on a TN visa (a short-term employment visa brought to you by the Free Trade Agreement). Once you get a written offer from a community college or university (public schools are not included in this one), you take it, along with your degrees and transcripts, to a US border crossing: they will issue you a work visa on the spot. I went that route and they even gave my 3 kids a visa, so they could attend public school. Oh yeah, AND they stamped my cat's passport.