Job Discussion Forums

[jkeith133]

So I've been doing as much research as I can over the last few months, and I've found that this has to be one of the best forums on the internet. I'm an American who is about to graduate from university with a bachelors degree in criminal justice and political science. I received my TEFL certificate in August of 2008 in Phuket Thailand, and then had to return to the states to finish up university.

Well now I'm about 2 months away from graduating in May, and the only thing I'm sure about is that I want to travel and teach ESL. I've traveled a lot in my life, and don't really have a preference as to where to go to teach. I figure that I will go somewhere and teach for a while and then move on to somewhere else and just keep doing that.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to where I should head to teach. I was hoping to do a bit of backpacking, and contract lengths aren't a major issue. Are there certain countries that are preferable to US passport holders? Should I stay in the US for as long as possible to build up a good amount of cash to begin with? The biggest thing for me is to get out of the US as quickly as possible, and to get a job working as a teacher and just enjoying life.

Thanks in advance for any help, and the info on this site is amazing.

[denise]

Do you have any student loans to pay off? If so, you will be limited in terms of where you can go to earn enough money. I've taught in the Czech Republic, Japan, Chile, Peru, and now Oman, and only in Japan and Oman was my salary high enough to be able to send home money.

I don't mean to pry into your finances, but how much cash were you thinking of bringing with you? Since you've already got your TEFL certificate, that's one financial hurdle that won't affect you this time around, but you still need money for airfare, a couple of months' rent and living expenses (to support yourself while you're looking for a job and/or waiting for your first paycheck, which can take a while), and enough left over to get yourself home and not be completely destitute when you return. You'll need a few thousand dollars. The more you bring, the easier the transition is. It sucks to be stressed out about money when you're trying to adapt to a new country & culture.


The next concern would be visas. Western Europe is basically off-limits, at least for legal work.

Once you sort out finances and visas, just ask yourself which cultures, climates, languages, etc. appeal the most to you.

Good luck!
d

[Glenski]

Denise is right about Japan salaries, but...