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Old Surrender
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 393
Location: The World's Largest Tobacco Factory
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 Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:19 am Post subject: Tips for married couples |
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Hi!
What kind of insight could you guys give married couples looking for a teaching job abroad?
Background on us: She's finishing her Master's in English and wants to teach abroad a couple years before applying for her PhD, (hopefully picking up the language of the country we're in, she already knows Spanish). She also teaches English classes at the university she attends.
I'm a graphic designer with a degree in journalism.
We're looking at Japan, Tiawan and Korea for jobs.
If you guys have any tips or general rules of thumb before we delve too deeply into our search, we would appreciate it! |
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Blasphemer
Joined: 03 Dec 2008
Posts: 199
Location: NYC/Warszawa
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| Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:12 am Post subject: |
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Hey!
We just moved to Poland ... you are actually in a great position! Two bring in more $, so you will actually be able to save a bit more and do some traveling. Two makes it easier during the initial few months.
We both were lucky enough to land a job at the same school... it's a cool arrangement, you can both learn about your new environment together...
Don't worry, it'll be all over soon 
Good Luck! |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Blasphemer wrote: |
Hey!
We just moved to Poland ... you are actually in a great position! Two bring in more $, so you will actually be able to save a bit more and do some traveling. Two makes it easier during the initial few months.
We both were lucky enough to land a job at the same school... it's a cool arrangement, you can both learn about your new environment together...
Don't worry, it'll be all over soon
Good Luck! |
But the OP isn't a teacher... I doubt it will be as easy for them as it seems to have been for you! And even if the OP does go into teaching, he doesn't have the qualifications that his fiancee has, so odds are against them ending up at the same school unless she goes for something that she is overqualified for.
d |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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yeah, but for the places they're looking at Japan, taiwan and Korea, as long as they're both native speakers, they'll be fine.
China is always an option too.
Try posting on the country forums as well. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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You realize that coming as a couple is a disadvantage. Good.
Tip #1. Don't forget that or expect special treatment.
Tip #2. Go to the forums for the countries that interest you. Read their FAQs and sniff around directly.
Tip #3. For Japan, do the search function here to see what others have posted on the same topic. Yours is not a unique situation.
Tip #4. Only one of you actually needs a work visa (for Japan anyway). Get that, and the spouse can come here on a dependent visa and work PT (with special permission) or just job hunt until someone wants to sponsor a work visa. |
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Old Surrender
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 393
Location: The World's Largest Tobacco Factory
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| Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the replies!
I think our strategy will be for her to line up a job and I�ll search for a job in the same city before or once we get there. We have money stashed away. She has a fair amount of university teaching experience -- some of her students were non-native speakers last semester. Does this sound like a realistic strategy? It probably differs from location to location. (Work visa rules, and such, as Glenski noted.)
I, on the other hand, have very little teaching experience. I guest lectured a couple times at the communications department at the university here, but that was more like �Hi! I�m a graphic designer for a newspaper! I make maps and infographics! When we�re short-staffed, I switch hats and copy edit! I also freelance for a trade magazine! Here�s how to get a job in media...� not really teaching, per se. Maybe I�ll find a gig at an English-language publication abroad, but I�m really interested in taking an entry-level teaching gig.
Yes, we�re both native speakers.
Thanks so much! I'll start poking in other forums and Search for previous couples' threads! |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:03 am Post subject: |
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Bit of a flaw. ASk about the country, for example, with Japan and Korea, your spouse can get you a visa. But for China, the company has to get it for you. So let the school know in advance.
Doesn't matter about your lack of experience. Start now, volunteer, observe, take some classes. It's all about marketing. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:36 am Post subject: |
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| Old Surrender wrote: |
Thanks for the replies!
I think our strategy will be for her to line up a job and I�ll search for a job in the same city before or once we get there. We have money stashed away. She has a fair amount of university teaching experience -- some of her students were non-native speakers last semester. Does this sound like a realistic strategy? It probably differs from location to location. (Work visa rules, and such, as Glenski noted.) |
Your wife will not be qualified to teach English in most universities in Japan. They want the degree she has, but they also prefer publications, Japanese language ability, and experience teaching in Japan. Some very few may consider her, but not many. Also, just landing here will not be enough. Universities tend to hire 6-10 months in advance.
What exactly is her position at the uni now, and what does she teach? Is she a TA? |
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Old Surrender
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 393
Location: The World's Largest Tobacco Factory
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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We already took a look at the jobs on JACET, looks like Japense language ability is the biggest roadblock.
She has taught Comp 101, English 201 (Arguementive Writing), and English 400 (Editing for Literary Jounals). She started as a TA and now she's an adjunct.
Not sure what you mean by publications, but she's a part-time copy editor for a trade journal that has an international circulation and some of her poems have been published in a couple lit mags.
We won't leave the US until a job(s) is lined up. Sorry if I didn't make that clear! |
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housecattn
Joined: 21 Apr 2009
Posts: 26
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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Old Surrender
Generally in academia the reference to publications is to articles written or co-written by the person and published in scholarly journals etc.
It also refer to books written on related scholarly subjects, textbooks etc.
Hope this helps.
Mike |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Old Surrender wrote: |
| We already took a look at the jobs on JACET, looks like Japense language ability is the biggest roadblock. |
JACET is only one place to look for uni jobs, but yes, Japanese ability is often required to some degree.
| Quote: |
| She has taught Comp 101, English 201 (Arguementive Writing), and English 400 (Editing for Literary Jounals). She started as a TA and now she's an adjunct. |
And, she has not yet finished her masters' degree? How many of those courses were taught as an adjunct (and for how many years/semesters?
| Quote: |
| Not sure what you mean by publications, but she's a part-time copy editor for a trade journal that has an international circulation and some of her poems have been published in a couple lit mags. |
You may not know what I mean, but she surely should. Publications means research in her field that has been published in journals. Could also mean textbooks, although it's rather surprising that over here books are seen as having less intrinsic value than articles when it comes to getting hired or promoted.
| Quote: |
| We won't leave the US until a job(s) is lined up. Sorry if I didn't make that clear! |
Another reason she is going to have to steer towards something other than a uni job. Most teaching positions (ALT, university, conversation school) in Japan require a face-to-face interview. |
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Old Surrender
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 393
Location: The World's Largest Tobacco Factory
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:11 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| And, she has not yet finished her masters' degree? How many of those courses were taught as an adjunct (and for how many years/semesters? |
I was surprised by that, too. A master's degree isn't required to be an adjunct at her university. All she had to do was ask the department chair. Several of my co-workers have taught as adjuncts for the communications department at the same university. Then again, in my field, real-world experience is more valued than education.
4 semesters as a TA, 1 as an adjunct. (TAs are more or less unsupervised after their first semester.)
| Quote: |
| You may not know what I mean, but she surely should. Publications means research in her field that has been published in journals. Could also mean textbooks, although it's rather surprising that over here books are seen as having less intrinsic value than articles when it comes to getting hired or promoted. |
 I knew that! Duh. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:59 am Post subject: |
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| Old Surrender wrote: |
| 4 semesters as a TA, 1 as an adjunct. (TAs are more or less unsupervised after their first semester.) |
I don't think that will matter. She was a TA, not a full-fledged teacher (and still has that rank in some people's eyes, until she gets the MA).
Don't get me wrong, though. Some of that experience may be considered quite acceptable by some unis. I wouldn't count on it for the vast majority, though. Plus, she is going to be competing against 20-100 applicants per opening in most cases, and those other people will have far more experience. So, if she gets anything at all, it will be in a very low level situation.
With Japan the way it is right now, and especially with the way Japanese universities are, she should really look for other opportunities instead of putting all eggs in one university basket. I think most uni jobs are PT anyway, and you can't start off with a work visa doing PT work. |
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