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guitarhero
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 7
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 Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 4:41 pm Post subject: Need some advice |
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Hello!
I am a 23 year old Canadian, native-English speaker that wants to teach abroad for many years. I will be completing my degree in Education (elementary) this April and I want to be overseas by the fall. I also have experience tutoring ESL. My goal is to teach in many different countries and to work towards teaching in developing countries. I would like to start teaching in a country that pays well, is accepting of western teachers and has a strong system already in place for traveling teachers. I need some where to get my feet off the ground and a place where I can make some newbie mistakes. I have been thinking that South Korea, Japan or England may be a good choice. I would prefer to be in an International school, but I know they usually want Masters degrees and experience. I would prefer to have a classroom over one-on-one tutoring.
I have been doing quite a bit of research on the Internet and I feel that it is quite overwhelming. There seems to be a lot of schools, a lot of job recruitment sites, some differences applying for jobs than what I am used to and a lot of different paperwork. I will have many questions to ask over the next bit and I hope you can answer them.
My first question:
1. Is there any websites that have really good information (like a basic tutorial) for applying for jobs and working overseas?
2. I have visited websites such as joyjobs.com and tieonline.com. Is buying a subscription worth it?
3. Do you need a teacher certificate for the country you go to? Who is responsible for getting visa's and certificates - the employee or the employer?
4. Do you need TESOL if you have a degree?
5. How much money do you take with you ? ( I have no student loans at the moment, but only credit right now)
6. I have the opportunity to interview with some recruitment agencies. Good idea or bad? |
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AjarnIam
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 95
Location: Thailand
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:57 pm Post subject: Re: Need some advice |
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| guitarhero wrote: |
My first question:
1. Is there any websites that have really good information (like a basic tutorial) for applying for jobs and working overseas?
2. I have visited websites such as joyjobs.com and tieonline.com. Is buying a subscription worth it?
3. Do you need a teacher certificate for the country you go to? Who is responsible for getting visa's and certificates - the employee or the employer?
4. Do you need TESOL if you have a degree?
5. How much money do you take with you ? ( I have no student loans at the moment, but only credit right now)
6. I have the opportunity to interview with some recruitment agencies. Good idea or bad? |
1. You're in the best website already. Make a pot of coffee and start going through the posts.
2. Don't spend good money buying a job, save that money for certifications
3. Very much depends on the employer/country. The uni I work for arranges/pays for work permits, but visas are your own responsibility.
4. Again, depends on employers/country. If you can take some face to face TEFL type classes it definitely wont hurt. I wouldn't spend money doing an online TEFL, a waste of money IMO.
5. Ummm, you have no travel money, other than credit cards? No comment.\
6. Again, don't spend money buying a job. You need experience, so don't focus so much on the salary for now, just get into the classroom. I started at a very poor university, but I had full reigns because I was the only native English speaking teacher. I think it was a great place to get my feet wet.
Good Luck! |
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guitarhero
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, I should have been a little more clear about the money. I can easily earn 8 to 10 thousand canadian during the summer, but I would need to know how much to save.
Thank you for the response.
Just another queston - if you ignore job recruitment, do you apply straight to the school? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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Why not post this in the country forums where you are interested? You may get more bites that offer substantive advice.
When do you plan to start work? In Japan the academic year begins in April, so you'll have to hustle, or wait until fall to apply for the JET programme for 2011 jobs.
There are some books out there (all seem dated, so just go with the most recent and take it with a grain of salt) to give general advice about teaching EFL. These two seem most popular.
Teaching English Abroad
http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-English-Abroad-Up-Date/dp/1854584405/ref=pd_sim_b_2
Teaching English Overseas
http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-English-Overseas-Americans-Canadians/dp/0967706262/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Don't pay to subscribe to recruiter sites. Plenty of info out there for free.
A TESOL (or TEFL/TESL/etc.) certification is needed depending on the country. For Japan, most entry level employers don't require it, but the market here is full of teachers, so it won't hurt.
Come to Japan at the right time to job hunt, and you should expect to support yourself for 3 months. Bring US$4000-5000. |
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guitarhero
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:32 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the advice. I don't plan on going until the fall. |
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runthegauntlet
Joined: 07 Nov 2009
Posts: 92
Location: the Southlands of Korea
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| Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:18 am Post subject: Re: Need some advice |
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| guitarhero wrote: |
Hello!
I have been thinking that South Korea, Japan or England may be a good choice.
4. Do you need TESOL if you have a degree?
5. How much money do you take with you ? ( I have no student loans at the moment, but only credit right now)
6. I have the opportunity to interview with some recruitment agencies. Good idea or bad? |
For S. Korea, you can apply and get a job at virtually any time for an academy position. Public schools positions have been filling up so it'd be a good idea to start applying now or in the next month or two to the major boards of education if you're looking for a job in the fall in one of the main cities.
4. In Korea, no.
5. Enough to get back home in case things go awry, and enough to cover your first month +. In Korea that would probably between 2-3k.
6. For a job in Korea, you'll interview with the recruiter. Usually involves them making sure you have a pulse....  |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:48 am Post subject: |
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1. Is there any websites that have really good information (like a basic tutorial) for applying for jobs and working overseas?
this one is good
2. I have visited websites such as joyjobs.com and tieonline.com. Is buying a subscription worth it?
I wouldn't. Go to www.tes.co.uk if you're looking for intl jobs
3. Do you need a teacher certificate for the country you go to? Who is responsible for getting visa's and certificates - the employee or the employer?
If you work in an intl school, yes. Your employer will get you the work visa.
4. Do you need TESOL if you have a degree?
No, but it helps. If you can't, go to the library and read as much as you can about teaching.
5. How much money do you take with you ? ( I have no student loans at the moment, but only credit right now)
Depends where yoyu go and if you'll have housing. If you have housing paid for, you just need to buy food. If you don't, you'll have to pay for that. I broough 3K with me when I arrived on Monday. I already spent most of that on a deposit and the first months' rent.
6. I have the opportunity to interview with some recruitment agencies. Good idea or bad? It's hit or miss |
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coledavis
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: Need some advice |
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| guitarhero wrote: |
1. Is there any websites that have really good information (like a basic tutorial) for applying for jobs and working overseas?
2. I have visited websites such as joyjobs.com and tieonline.com. Is buying a subscription worth it?
3. Do you need a teacher certificate for the country you go to? Who is responsible for getting visa's and certificates - the employee or the employer?
4. Do you need TESOL if you have a degree?
5. How much money do you take with you ? ( I have no student loans at the moment, but only credit right now)
6. I have the opportunity to interview with some recruitment agencies. Good idea or bad? |
1. Are there any useful websites: I agree with the other contributors. This is probably the best; you just need to read through some relevant threads on the forum.
2. No. Don't pay for jobs. There are two strategies: (a) Go to different web sites (do a web search) and there will be lots of advertised jobs.
(b) Approach schools which interest you after a search within the geographical area which interests you. This latter approach becomes more and more useful the more experienced you get.
3. The better jobs require a certificate, but generally a TEFL certificate (4 or 5 week course) rather than a school-teacher's cert (a year or more). Those not requiring a certificate at all are likely to pay you very very poorly and in poor conditions. Some companies pay for your visa and/or flight, others don't; there is no rule about this. The best overall pay deal I've ever had came from an organisation that didn't pay for the visa or the flight!
4. I think you need a TEFL qualification after your degree, yes, but there are some who argue that you don't. I recommend reading the voluminous threads on this issue to help you make up your mind.
5. At least enough for a month's living expenses in my opinion, although considerably more if you've got to rent somewhere independently. It depends upon the employment package.
6. I don't think you need employment agencies if you have a decent cv/resume prepared and can find advertisements where you want to go. Don't pay agencies up front for jobs. Otherwise, I guess it depends upon the agency; do a web search for other people's reviews of each one. |
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