Job Discussion Forums

[trasheed]

I was reading in the forum where Asia or Latin America would be my best bets for looking for work as an ESL teacher overseas with dependents. I plan to bring 3 of my 4 children with me overseas. My children's ages next fall will be 2, 6 and 10. My aim is to go overseas to save money and give my children a valuable experience traveling overseas and teaching them other languages.

I am 32 years old, going on 33 this month. I am getting my MATESOL from Eastern Michigan University and I have a BA degree in Liberal Arts Education, English and History. I will be student teaching in the winter before completing my degree. I am African American, and I am light skinned (a.k.a. high yellow) - I wish I didn't have to bring that up, but I am sure that plays a factor in my being hired.

I am concerned about the "need experience" part of teaching, as I will be fresh out of school with student teaching under my belt but nothing else. I do have previous experience teaching a specific curriculum to juvenile delinquents in the criminal justice system, however, I do not have any teacher's certification. I have various other experience such as being a teacher's assistant and helping to start up an after school lunch program, but none of these things are teaching.

1) Should I consider getting a DELTA also? Or will I be alright to worry about that later?

2) Is there anything I can do while in school that will improve my experience? Should I even worry about this?

3) How expensive is schooling for my children? Is paying for child care and working full time and home schooling in the evening an option on a salary I should expect to receive in China or South America?

4) I have a traffic misdemeanor on my driver's record for no operators license in possession - will this cause me issues in getting a visa?

5) I am worried about the competitiveness of this field and having children. What is the average amount of time someone would need to wait to be hired? What should I prepare for after I graduate?

I am sure I have more questions, but let's start here lol.

Tamara

[spanglish]

I can speak for Colombia, which people seem to think is one of the better paying countries in Latin America.

Take the absolute best paying job you could get with your M.A. in TESOL (good university position). Now double your income. That will be enough to support yourself comfortably (live in your own place in a safe neighborhood, take the occasional trip back to the U.S., save a bit for an emergency fund) and put 1-2 children through private school.

You mentioned homeschooling as another option. I really doubt though, the feasibility of doing that while juggling a full time job/job search, culture shock, the transportation system in Colombia and possible split shifts. Even with only yourself to support it's a bit of a struggle to live comfortably on an entry level English teaching wage. It's quite likely that it would take at least a year for you to work your way into full hours at one of the better paying positions, even with your M.A.

The only way I'd see your plan working here would be if you had a very strong family type of network here i.e. a rent free place in which to live, free childcare, free meals cooked and ready everyday and a knowledgeable local to help you navigate the complications of living in Colombia.

I like your idea of giving your kids the chance to learn another language and live abroad, but I think you'd have to be much further up the food chain in order to do so while maintaining your sanity. For example, if you already had several years of teaching experience in American public schools you could perhaps obtain a position at one of the better international schools in Colombia, which I think would make your plan doable. It would probably be tough though to negotiate reduced tuition for 3 children.

[Glenski]

[Qaaolchoura]

If you want to bring dependents, I'd say your best bet is the Gulf States. I look at ads for pretty much every country from time to time, just to get an idea of the markets, and I've noticed that those countries tend to have extensive compensation packages, often including various forms of dependent support (dependent visas, dependent health coverage, even childcare in a couple cases). The problem with those countries is that you generally need several years of prior experience. I think I might have seen a few such packages with Russia too (another country which makes most of its money from petrochemicals these days), and Russia often has entry-level positions, though I don't know that those are the ones with the benefits.

Regards,
~Q

[tttompatz]

Recent grad with 3 school-age, monolingual English speaking kids in tow and minimal start-up money = stay home.

You won't make it in EFL. You'd need US$10,000 in the bank before it even looks possible. You need to worry about airfare, visas, housing, set-up costs and an exit plan and have cash in hand for all of it before you jump.

IF you have the ability to leave the kids at home while you get settled and have them follow you it MIGHT be possible.

Depending on the where will make a huge difference in the how.

A decent mid-tier international or bilingual school in Thailand will pay a starting salary of US$24,000/month (60k thb). You can raise a family on that AND have a full-time, live-in maid/house keeper and they can attend school where you work. They will have to learn Thai as they go but it isn't that hard and their core subjects will be in English.

You still need the $10k in airfare and start-up costs before you make the jump.

In Korea you will start at about $30k, live in a one-room shoebox and schooling won't be an option.

China really is the "wild west" when it comes to foreign teachers working. The potential for a great lifestyle exist but the risks of walking into a bear cave are just as high (or higher).

The rest of Asia is similar.

Have cash and an exit plan. Have the kids follow AFTER you get settled then you can have things can work well. Hope to do it all at once with a minimal budget and there really is no hope.

.

[johnslat]

Dear tttompatz,


"A decent mid-tier international or bilingual school in Thailand will pay a starting salary of US$24,000/month (60k thb)."

I suspect that's a typo; if not, I'm heading for Thailand on the next flight.

Regards,
John

[tttompatz]