Hey guys
Despite my vast qualifications I'm having trouble finding a job, so I'm seriously considering teaching english as a foreign language. But I wanted to hear what other people's experiences have been like first, before committing to anything. So, please let me know!
Thanks!
Reply to this Hey Jonathan,
There are a lot of English teachers blogging on here, in a huge variety of schools, universities and language centres in many different countries. Everyone's experiences are different, depending on their job, the place they work and the kind of job they are in.
The best way to find out about their experiences is to search for 'english teacher' using the travelblog search function (at the bottom of the page) and blogs from teachers will come up.
To get you started, here are some examples:
The Cockle Guide to Living and teaching in Vietnam
Teaching English in Japan - A guide
The teaching English in Korea blog
Teaching English in China blog
What countries were you thinking of? How long do you plan to teach? Do you want to make enough money to live on, or save as well? Do you have a degree? Do you have any teaching experience? All of this will affect your experiences.
Hope this is useful. We are also English teachers, so you can also check out our blog.
Kate
Reply to this Hey Jonathan,
I am currently teaching English in Bangkok. I have been doing it for almost one year now, and it has been a great experience. I did not, nor do I now, consider TEFL something I aspire to have a career in. However, it has proved to be a wonderful means for me to fund my travels and immerse myself in a new place - and I have quite enjoyed it.
I've got some detailed information about the beginning of this experience in this blog entry:
The Life of a Rolling Stone
Hope this helps. Feel free to shoot any more questions you might have my way.
Travis
Reply to this Thanks, guys. I'll check those links out.
Travis, I feel the same. It wouldn't be a career move, rather a stop-gap that'd enable me to travel again. I'm kinda hesitant about it because it would delay whatever career I do decide on, and it's totally 'unplanned', if you know what I mean.
But then, so what, right? And maybe I'll enjoy it so much that I discover it's ultimately what I'd like to do.
Did you guys have experience of teaching beforehand?
Jon
Reply to this Just give it a go. Who knows? You might like it!! It wasn't a career decision for us when we became English teachers, but we found that we really enjoyed it, and it developed into one.
In your position, I would look at jobs in South Korea or Taiwan (you just need a degree and they train you on the job) or maybe China. Check out for some job adverts.
[Edited: 2012 Feb 05 03:46 - Rat on the Road:23681 ]
Reply to this That is the sacrifice of it I suppose. Working abroad is a longer-term travel commitment than just usual backpacking, so whatever normal life you had has to be put on hold for longer.
In my opinion if you spin it well, a teaching abroad job would add some spice to any resume. Everyone likes to travel, but few people have to guts to actually go and live somewhere for a long period of time, developing their knowledge of world cultures and societies and experiencing cultural interactions at a depth that few westerners ever see.
I didn't have any teaching experience before I moved to Bangkok, but I did do a one-month intensive TEFL course that involved some practice teaching.
If you're interested in Thailand, you can also check out
www.ajarn.com. Very helpful.
Reply to this My husband and I teach Oral English in China and we didn't have teaching experience before we moved here. We did a 3 week intensive TEFL course once in China provided through the program we went through.
We really us it as a means to fund our travel and for my husband to get his own company up and running. As being self employed has always been his lifelong goal.
You can check out our blog as we have taught at a Public High School, Technical College and University level. I also have done some private tutoring for extra income. My advise is not to work at a private language center if your goal is to travel as you get less vacation time at those places of employment.
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