Job Discussion Forums

[judytravel]

Hi,
I have just earned a TEFL certificate and plan to work at home for a year before going overseas. So far, I have been offered a volunteer position, a substitute teaching job in a language school, and a one-night-a -week job teaching ESL in adult education. My goal is to have some ESL experience to put on my resume, but I am concerned about how prospective employers would look at such a hodge podge of jobs. Would they appreciate my efforts to gain experience, or would they have a negative view if I accepted all three offers (which I plan to do?)
By the way, I am a late-in-life career changer, but I have training experience in another industry and have been to over 60 countries. Will this count in my favor??
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and/or advice!

[Glenski]

Having "been to" so many countries suggests you are an avid traveler. That's still good, as it implies you embrace other cultures and have little culture shock. If you actually lived in any of those places, all the better for the same reason.

If you can't land a FT ESL position in your home country as experience, then the next best thing would be a few PT ESL jobs there. Next down the ladder might be having your own school, or a combination of PT work and volunteer work/private lessons. It's not hard to think of what constitutes "experience", but obviously the more formal and paid it is, the better.

There are so many people out there looking for ESL/EFL jobs and have no experience at all, that just getting whatever you can may serve the needs of your employers. They largely look at degrees and related experience, but if a person doesn't have those things, they go by whatever else candidates can show that is related, plus the chemistry they perceive from the way you write and give a demo lesson.

Might help to know what country(ies) interest you.

[judytravel]

Thanks for your input.
I actually got my TEFL certificate in Peru and have lived in the Caribbean for a short time, but I think I would like to go to Turkey for my first job. I've looked at the Turkey forum and there's a lot of negative feedback there, but it frankly doesn't bother me. I am prepared to go to Istanbul with my resumes in hand and spend several weeks looking in person. I'll be traveling with a friend, also a newbie, so we figure we can split apartment expenses and survive even if we can only get part time work. She is also an experienced trainer, so we're hoping our strong corporate backgrounds might be a plus. Even if I have to work part time now, I think it's important not to lose those hard won skills I just acquired!

[naturegirl321]

Hodge podge jobs might work out, because it will show that you have a variety of experience.

[naturegirl321]

[coledavis]

I adopted a strategy like yours and it worked well. After my tefl training, I worked two evenings a week at a language school for a year and also had varied previous experience, including some training. You should be in with a good chance.