Job Discussion Forums

[Halcyon Chimera]

Hello all! I hope you are doing well. I was active in these forums a year and a half ago, but I began teaching ELA in a secondary school setting and did not go through with my ambitions of teaching ESL. I was told to get about two years of experience and then consider international schools. Well, this year will be my second year, and I am still teaching ELA to 7th grade students in a rural community in Alabama. I feel that the ESL job market has changed since I was first introduced to it in 2009 (albeit, not much), so I still would love advice on my best options. My information:

I am a 26 year old white male certified and "highly qualified" ELA teacher with a bachelor's and master's in ELA secondary education. I have a class A teaching certificate with what will be two years of teaching experience at the secondary level (with additional responsibilities, of course). I am currently working toward my second master's in instructional technology.

I can deduce that my best option is probably an international school. Am I correct in this? I've scoured and searched the forums for information on international schools, and I've been enlightened some. I know that University gigs MIGHT be an option, but due to my inexperience with teaching at a postsecondary institution, I'm afraid it may not be a truly viable option. What do you guys think? And between a Uni. gig and an int'l gig, what would you consider to be the better option in YOUR opinion? Yes, I know that's subjective, but I still would like to know.

My wants/needs: I will have probably around $500-600/month student loan repayments, but I'm thinking if I can continue my instructional technology master's, I can defer that loan. I look to live a moderate lifestyle with some occasion of traveling but nothing extraneous. As long as I can eat a couple of times per day and have the basics like power, water, internet, etc., then I'm good.

So, basically, here are my questions: Int'l school or University job? What are the pros/cons of each? Which would I be best suited for based on my qualifications?

I will appreciate any positive feedback. Forgive me if this information is abundant elsewhere in this forum yet I have missed it.

[Glenski]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Your masters degree is specific to teaching in the k-12 range. I think you may find some difficulty teaching in the tertiary range given that everybody else will be applying to university jobs with a masters degree (or above) in language teaching that is really geared for teaching at the university level specifically.

Also, you may well find that once you leave your home country, then you will not be able to defer repaying your student loans.

You might want to see if international schools will be looking for two or THREE years experience in your home country as a **MINIMUM**. And remember that a minimum is just that- a minimum. You may find that in Japan, for example, you end up teaching in a regular private high school as an ALT for at least a few years first- even with several years experience in Alabama.

Maybe a good option would be to teach in the States until you've finished your second masters, and then go overseas.

[Halcyon Chimera]

The countries I have in mind I South Korea, Japan, China, pretty much anywhere in East Asia.

I am looking at Uni. jobs in China or South Korea (I should have been more specific). A university level job isn't a MUST for me. I would actually rather teach at an Int'l school. I am actually surprised that my options are so limited in this field. I figured with my experience and qualifications, although not specific to teaching ESL, I would have more options available. Do we know if the minimum for int'l schools is TWO or THREE years? Or does it vary with different schools?

I applied with the JET program, and it looked pretty promising. My qualifications seem directly suited for a position with them. I'll be coming in country with at least $5K USD, which should be sufficient for start-up costs (I hope).

So, am I expecting too much of the ESL market? I know it's bad, but I didn't think that a qualified, certified teacher with a master's in education AND two years of experience would have so much difficulty.

I would even consider a high paying hagwon (like POLY school). I don't mind the long hours if I can make 2.8M+ KRW per month (as long as rent, etc. is included). I just don't want to sell myself short. I feel I'm too qualified to take just anything, but now it's looking like I'm not qualified enough to take something decent.

Any additional information? On my situation, the JET program, or anything else I've mentioned? Thanks for the input so far.

[naturegirl321]

INtl schools might work, though the issue might be what you teach. Often ESL teachers in intl schools are locals.

You could also get a uni gig. Everyone has to start somewhere. I got my first uni teaching job when I was 22. You probably won't start at the best uni, but it will help you get your foot in the door.

I personally prefer uni gigs, because they're less stressful and you have more control over what you teach. At the intl school I was at, there was heaps of stress from my boss and the parents, very few materials, nightmare communication between foreign teachers and local teachers, long hours, etc. However, if you have kids, you often get free education for them.

Uni gigs often get lots of vacation and work less hours. I have 5 months vacation and work only 20 hours a week. When I'm done, I go home. At the intl school, I had vacation, but often had to work writing lesson plans, going to meetings, etc. And was at school all day.

But different strokes for different folks, you know?

For China, at a uni, you probably won't be able to save $500 a month, unless you supplement with IELTS or privates.

Intl schools vary, not all of them are the same. Some require two years, some are more flexible. Stick with less popular countries and they often have more flexible reqs. You'll never know unless you apply. Head to an intl school job fair where there are dozen of schools and you can line up interview after interview.