Job Discussion Forums

[travelgirlut]

So I've just started looking into teaching English and before I get spending money and doing training, I want to make sure I'm on the right track. Here's a brief overview of my situation:

I have a BA in History and basic language skills in French, Spanish, Arabic. Married with two kids, 5 and 3. Husband has multiple associate's degrees (Russian, Air Traffic Control) and is fluent in Russian.

We are willing to do whatever training and teaching we need to do to be well qualified. We would love to take our kids with us to experience a new culture, but if we can't find a way to do that practically, we would probably wait until the kids are out of the house (which I realize is far down the road). We are in a situation right now where we could up and go immediately, but I don't think we have the qualifications? We are willing to have just one parent teach and one stay home and homeschool the kids.

I guess I'm looking for suggestions from all of your experience as to where to start, what certifications to get, if it's possible to go now with the current qualifications we have. We aren't too particular about where to go. We'd love to see and experience most any part of the world, but we want it to be safe for our family. Thanks in advance for any help and advise you can give!

Amanda

[nickpellatt]

I would guess China could be added to a list of possible destinations, and may be worth investigating further.

I was at a college between 2006-2008, and two of the other FT houses were occupied by families. Although the living quarters were not anywhere near as comfortable as you would find at home, and wages are low ... the fact two families were there does suggest it is do-able.

Both parents did teach though, and that may be something you would need to do in order to make it cost effective. They did home school their children as well. One of the families actually had 5 children with them, and had a 6th after I left. Outwardly, they didnt appear affluent, but of course, I dont know if they had other interests of investments that made it possible for them to live.

The other reason China might be feasible, is there was also an interest in the Russian language. It was actually offered as a major at my college too. This may mean your husband could have a chance to tutor or teach Russian.

As far as qualifications for China, the degree may be enough in many places, although the benefits of a recognised TEFL course do make it worthwhile.

Unfortunately, I dont have a contact at my old employer (I suspect they have been hacked as I get some dodgy spam and requests from money from the old email I had) but I do think China may be worth investigating further.

Good luck

[spiral78]

Your question is very general, and I can answer it in a very general fashion as regards Europe: jobs that pay enough to support a family are extremely rare on the continent, and normally require advanced qualifications specific to the field. It's very unlikely that you'd find anything here that would work in your current situation.

In a competitive market, none of the qualifications you state that you and your husband currently have would land you a job above bottom-of-the-barrel, unless your husband can land a spot in his ATC field. I would suggest that he do some networking for both ATC and language training for pilots.

Honestly, I'd think he has a better chance at finding a niche with this specialty than you with a degree in history.

To get started, you'd likely need a 30-day cert at minimum (CELTA being the name brand).

[nwomac]

Hello,
Just another possiblity. I live and work in Guadalajara, Mexio. Here, the pilots are required to learn English. This would be a great opportunity to combine aeronautical knowledge with teaching English. You both would need a TEFL Certificate, but there are several schools here that offer those. The cost of living is reasonable, and there are bilingual schools available, but some are not always that great. Here again, I would reccomend home schooling for a while. Also, you both could teach different hours so that someone would be home with the children. You will not get rich, but you can make a living. Plus, once you have your work visa, you are covered by IMSS which allows you free medical help. Moreover, there is a program with the Mexican government which allows you to buy a house if you so choose.
Of course, since I live and work here and enjoy it, I am somewhat prejudiced. You also might get employment at one of the universities if you become fluent in Spanish.
Good luck on your quest.
N.

[anyway]

Lots of jobs in Kazakhstan these days. The (4 year) degree holder would be the visa/bread winner while the Russian speaker would have the inside track to making connections and finding private students. Not sure what salaries are like, but I spoke with someone on this board who spent 3 years in Astana and said an acquaintance was charging $50 an hour for private classes because he was the only foreigner in his area.

[naturegirl321]

[coledavis]

Russia (think Siberia, not just Moscow/St P), Kyrgyzstan.