Job Discussion Forums

[jackfriday]

With a degree, TESOL one month intensive and 15 years experience teaching International school and ESL how easy to find work ?

[gajackson1]

you didn't give some of the relevant/important details - such as what your degree is in. if you worked in a public school at all as part of your experience, what passport you hold.

I can tell you: if you are American, and/or your degree is from the USA, DON'T DO IT.

Really. Don't just show up & expect to find a job.

Give us more info, but I can also say: if you don't have a bankroll ready, and aren't prepared to wait a number of months without working (no Korea-esque illegal teaching here) while paperwork is being processed, DON'T DO IT.

Read my ordeal, tell us more about yourself & your situation, and people here will give you honest, solid advice.

[tertipis]

[gajackson1]

Hmmmm. I can only speak from my on personal experience.

From what others have been telling me along the way in this last year, it is a combination of things. First is that the USA teacher certification is done state by state, which makes things somewhat confusing/difficult for the Bruneian govt. agencies to follow/understand. Even though we have a Dept. of Education, the certification for teachers is handled at the State level, so there is just not one single agency that can be contacted to verify the quals.

Another reason is that the school curriculum is different, as are the exams/tests. For comparing the USA to, say, Canada, the differences are tiny (or actually non-existent, in a number of subjects!), but they are more marked in relation to the UK system. Therefore, the MoE and a number of the schools want to hire someone who already knows the system, instead of hoping they will make the transit successfully.

Finally, I have learned (painfully!) that there is also a 'quota' system for companies - and schools - to hire certain nationalities. The school/business has to apply for, pay for, and be approved for such a quota. Some of these are more difficult & expensive than others, so therefore sometimes a school may not have a quota available (or a quota slot left open) for an American hire.

I applied for, and was rejected for various reasons, from just about every major school program in Brunei, until the Yayasan job - and it was probably only a once-in-a-lifetime set of circumstances that finally got me approved for teaching here.

Maybe in a few years, if I wanted to apply somewhere else, I could? As some of it seems to be that a few of the schools here have American quotas, but insist on 2-3 years of A levels/O levels teaching experience. Also, once you HAVE secured a job & successfully completed a contract here, it is easier to change jobs, because your paperwork has already been vetted.

I hope this helps some - it isn't an official answer, again, but it is cobbled from a lot of people who have been here, and from people involved in the hiring process.

I think pretty much everyone agrees that Brunei needs more quality teachers, and it is a shame that Brunei's public schools miss out on the chance to bring in good teachers who would do well here from the USA, when we are sorely lacking such on the ground.

Regards,

Glen