Job Discussion Forums

iris · Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 9

Hi
I would like to find a teaching job abroad later this year. Most of these jobs require a TEFL/CELTA. My first degree was in English Language & Literature and at the moment I'm doing an MA in Teaching English at a Dutch university. I will be qualified to teach in secondary state schools in the Netherlands. I wonder whether this Dutch MA will be valued abroad, I am also a non-native speaker of English which seems to be a disadvantage (though I lived in the UK for several years). I can't really afford to do a Tefl course, and I feel I'm a bit overqualified for a course like that as well. I am interested in both South America and China. I think there are more opportunities for me in China but I would rather go to South America. So I need some advice. Can anyone tell what my chances are of finding a job abroad with my qualifications? What would be the best places for me to go (within South America or China)?

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 2:26 pm Post subject:

Dear Iris

Firstly, welcome to the board. Nice to see you hear!

Secondly, about your post, you have nothing to worry about. It doesn't matter if you are not a native speaker unless you have a really nasty accent. I know a couple Dutch people and they are more British than I am! Could you call yourself a Bi-Ligualist?

I can't comment on S.Amer but here in China you have no worries!

Enjoy life

LA

iris · Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 9

Thanks for your reply Lanza-Armonia, I did find quite a few job offers in China that didn't require a native speaker. What are nice places to go within China? What about the southern provinces, what's the climate like? (The warmer, the better.) Are there any other readers who know what my chances are in South America? Or even Central America?

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 3:37 pm Post subject:

No doubt you'll here from Roger (God Of Dave's), but here are my opinions..

Stay well clear of Guangdong and Shenzhen unless you know what you're doing. Sichuan sounds nice but the money's crap. Guangxi is great but you try speaking Cantonese! Hainan is beautiful but monsoons aren't that great.

Everywhere has plus and minuses. No matter how much advice we give ya, you are not gunna find out what it's like until you get here.

Email for more info in ya want

LA => Going to bed....

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

For the most part, finding a job in CHina will be easy and you can arrange one before you go. Jobs in south America are harder to find. I'm looking now. THere are a few that can be arranged before. BUt most want you to go in person.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

"climate...the warmer the better..."
It's pretty hot all over China in summer, but the crux is: how are winter? I like them in the South a lot better than in the North, while I don't particularly fancy summers in Guangdong. COme here, and see for yourself! In a nutshell: Heat is bearable enough, but the humidity gets you down! It's a bit better in Hainan due to ocean breezes. In Guangdong, the damp air will be pollution-laden and you can scratch soot off your skin every hour.

I don't quite go with comments that make China appear as an Eldorado of TEFl jobs; it's not always easy though schools make plenty of noncommittal promises.
Also, as a professional, you will no doubt find a lot to complain about in the Chinese English learning scene. I don't know if SOuthern America would be more welcoming. It might, though!

Kitegirl · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Lugdunum Batavorum

With an "eerste graads" you should be well qualified to teach in an International School and avoid the crappy salaries and working conditions of the rest of us at uni's and language schools. I have the same Dutch MA, but not the follow-up. Yes, a TEFL would be superfluous but try explaining that to a DOS. If they're not prepared to hire you with your training just because you don't have a four week course (I do but wish I had more), then they're not worth your time. The Dutch education system is absolutely one of the best in the world and no TEFL course compares. By chance I've been looking at international schools lately, what you will have will be a major asset.
Good luck.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Kitegirl · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Lugdunum Batavorum

Okay - that did sound a bit chauvinistic. Clarification - the Dutch teacher high school training system is a post-grad course one can follow after completing an MA in a specific language and culture. It's one year of full-time study and research combined with a recommended maximum of 13 hours weekly intensively supervised practical teaching experience. May vary slightly from uni to uni.
Dutch high school students study subjects at a level comparable to the first couple of years of college/uni in other countries and there is no such thing as a generic high school. There are nine or ten different types of high schools, all catering to different types of learners and learning difficulties/talents. There was an international study published last year in which amazingly enough, NZ high schools came top of the list in teaching math and reading (staggering as I hated my NZ school where the three R's were Rugby, Rowing and Recreational drinking).

DELTA is a wonderful hands on practical teacher training for certain types of teaching, and something I certainly would like to have under my belt if I could afford it, but again, I wonder if a course of a few months can compare to the combination of a MA in a language and linguistics followed by a year's full-time study. That's all I meant, I didn't mean to come over as a prig.

iris · Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 9

Thanks for all your info. This gives me much more confidence. Uptil now I have just been able to find positions that require a Tefl course and/or a native speaker. Even though I know I'm well-qualified, this makes me wonder what is valued more: a native speaker with TEFl, or non-native speaker with a teaching degree. I'm still curious to know if there's anyone on this forum in a similar situation who is teaching in South America. I quite like the idea of China but I'm not sure how I will cope being in a country for a long time and not being able to understand or speak the language. How do you experience this? I speak Spanish, so at least in South America I would be able to communicate with people around me.

saudade · Joined: 11 Feb 2004 Posts: 48 Location: Campinas, Brazil

If you're qualified to teach at the secondary school level, you might be able to teach at an international school in South America. We have a number of them in Brazil, and they tend to hire people who are certified to teach elementary or secondary school (they also pay better than private language schools, not that I'm bitter). They tend to be run on either a British or American model, though, so you may have to fit into one of those paradigms.

iris · Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 9

I did look at some international schools but they seem to ask for a lot of teaching experience and usually require a British/Am. qualification. I've also read on this forum that you cannot get a visa for Brasil for longer than 3 months. I would just want to teach for 6 months or so but I'm a bit hesitant of going to LA if I'm not sure I'll be able secure a job once I'm there. I suppose there are no guarantees anyway, it's just that with my background and not being a native speaker (in the sense that I can't show a British passport), I am worried my changes are reduced. I've been looking on the net for teaching jobs all around the world and I very rarely find a job posted that doesn't have this requirement. Well, I am still hoping to get more responses from forum members teaching over there. Anyone?