Job Discussion Forums

[bbbrisco]

I'm a 42 year old Canadian and I'm gearing up to give teaching ESL in China a go, just to shake things up a bit.

I'm coming off a 4 year hiatus following a fairly successful 13 year stint as a software developer. The last 8 years were working for fairly high profile companies in Silicon Valley. My undergraduate degree is in Math and Computer Science. I plan on taking a cheesy TEFL course for the certificate in Feb.

I'm mainly looking for a pleasant work environment, reasonably short hours and an interesting job where I can be of some help to the students. I'm not so worried about making a lot of money, as long as I don't have to bring over too much per month to subsidize my earnings in order to have a decent quality of life.

My current leaning is towards teaching at a public university, if possible. Preferably in Xamien, Dalian or Fuzhou or some other 2nd tier city with a minimum of pollution and decent climate.

Any cities you'd suggest I add to that list? I imagine jobs in those cities will be somewhat harder to land, especially for someone like me with no teaching experience. Am I being overly optimistic?

Is there any way to leverage my degree and/or former career to land a better job or even just make myself more useful to the employer and students?

Do the large tech companies have any in-house English programs? If so do they hire ESL trainers and what does it take to land such a job?

I don't have an MA, so I don't see myself teaching any actual courses in math or computer science, but I'd be more than happy to share any information on Silicon Valley culture, Visa issues, cost of living, expected pay packages etc to students who are considering working in the US or Canada. I left my tech job on very good terms, just burned out and had enough of the stress-filled 60-80 hour work weeks that Silicon Valley life entails.

I'm wondering if it's worth aiming for schools with a good technical program in hopes my background will make me more appealing, or should I not bother and just fire off the CV's once I decide on a short list of cities and schools to apply to? I imagine I'll start sending CV's in May or so, hopefully aiming for a 6 month contract in Sept.

[I apologize for my grammar and writing style - I'm a victim of the Whole Language movement back in the 70's and 80's. Grammar books are winging their way to me via Amazon as we speak, and I know I need a lot of work in that area.]

[Zero]

Can I ask what you mean by a four-year hiatus? Unemployment? Or did you cash out some options or something that enabled you to take a break?

Unfortunately real-world western experience is not highly valued among the employers you're likely to be targeting. There are a few business joint-venture programs that pay well but you need an MBA or MA.

[bbbrisco]

Can I ask what you mean by a four-year hiatus? Unemployment? Or did you cash out some options or something that enabled you to take a break?

Over the years I've saved enough that I can live a modest middle-class Canadian life without needing to work (unless we hit something much worse than the Great Depression stock market wise).

For the last 4 years I've been doing nothing as far as employment goes. Happy to continue this way, but I think it's time to do something a little different, and getting away from the Canadian winters is definitely appealing.

If I enjoy the China experience I may upgrade my TEFL to a CELTA and look at returning on a longer basis, or perhaps use teaching ESL as a way to see some other parts of the world.

[Zero]

I really envy you. Not sure if I will ever get to that point myself, but it is a goal.