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teaching english abroad.

PooterIntruder

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
109
i have recently graduated w/ an A.B. in biology. seeing as how i dont want to use my degree, i have thought about teaching english overseas. researching some websites, some look shady. so my question is, where are some good places to get started? have any of you other yanks done it and did you get to choose where you went? what is the application process like? any infoformation is very much appreciated.
 
ill just bump this thread cos i'm researching the same topic, but have yet to find any decent info on bluelight. i know that you will need to get a certificate from a program called tesol. one of my old roomates did this in italy, but i dont have his contact information anymore so getting in touch with him is impossible. i was wondering if you would need a work visa if you wanted to teach in western europe, im guessing you do.. and if you do need a work visa, can you get one if your a felon.


does anyone have any experience or knowledge on the subject?
 
It really depends where you want to go. When I lived in Cambodia, I knew plenty of people who just showed up and got jobs teaching at local schools. Western Europe is another story, obviously.
 
My friend is teaching English in Spain right now. I believe she got a recommendation through someone associated with the school she had just graduated from.

Do you speak any other languages?

I think this would be a great opportunity and I would love to do something like this. It would be great if I could teach English while taking classes to learn the native language of the country at the same time. However I imagine that it would be very helpful to know that language going into the situation. Especially in some countries where English is not widely spoken.
 
the JET program brings American teachers to Japan to teach. a couple of my friends looked into it a few years ago during undergrad. they ultimately decided to go different routes (but not because of anything negative about the JET program) despite being a teacher, i don't know anyone personally who has actually done this.
 
TESOL or TEFL?

I'm bumping this yet again because I'm seriously looking into teaching English abroad after many years debate.

I taught ESL for 3 years as an undergrad, and loved it. There are parts of the world I want to see while I'm still relatively young.

I remember someone on here (is it Jamshyd?) is doing this now.

What are the differences between the certifications TESOL and TEFL? Is one more desirable than the other?

I have a B.A. in English/ Philosophy and the aforementioned experience. All the schools online seem to be simply selling you one their particular course of study, with little objective info between the 2 certifications available anywhere.

Any help? :)
 
I will give you a long answer from my experience as soon as I get back from work :).
 
Alright, so here goes.

Having a B.A. is the single most important thing. Having it in English makes it doubly good, and in fact might allow you to teach without the need for a certificate. The fact that you have experience makes you gold.

I will assume that you're a "native speaker" (have a western name and look like a typical white boy).

However, having a certificate will not hurt.

TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Initially, there was not much difference between the two. But for some reason that is unknown to me, TESOL became the preferred one. It is also usually more expensive.

In terms of what you learn, I found absolutely no difference between the two in terms of core material. I took a TEFL certificate online many years ago and an in-class TESOL course earlier this year.

As of 2008, TEFL seems to have become completely phased out. If you plan to take any of these, then TESOL should be it. Typical things you learn are how to organize the class, how to handle communication difficulties, how to teach grammar, how to plan lessons, and such.

Employers don't really check which institution gave you your degree. I would recommend you get a diploma rather than a certificate for obvious reasons. The diploma is at least 60 hours (though in my case it was much less than that in class-time, the rest supposedly counted towards homework 8)). If possible, try to find a course with a practicum component if you want to gauge whether you enjoy teaching or not.

You might also find mentions of CELTA or DELTA. I forgot what these stand for but these are higher-level certificates offered by the university of Cambridge. If I understand correctly, before you apply for that you need a TESOL diploma as well as some experience.

You might also find "EFL" which just means "English as a Foreign Language" and can be satisfied with a TESOL usually.

The trickier requirement is "ESL" or "TESL" ([Teaching] English As a Second Language) - people who ask for this may be looking for one of two things: either any kind of the certificates mentioned above, or they are looking for someone who actually has a TESL degree from university.

Hope this helps :).

Which countries are you thinking about? Let me know and I'll try to give you any tips that I may know of.
 
^^^ Good advice.

Junctionalfunkie (one of my favorite BL usernames, BTW!), I'd say decide which country you're most interested in teaching in, and then research the hell out of two things:

1) The country's work visa requirements for native-speaking TESL teachers. Most will require a bachelor's degree. Some will specify what the degree must be in. Some will accept ANY BA with ANY certificate that says 'TESL' on it. Others are far stricter.
2) The English-teaching market in that country. How badly does that country NEED you as a TESL teacher? How saturated is the market with TESL teacher already? How many jobs tend to open up? And finally, how well do most employers in that country treat their foreign workers? The answers to these questions can be found by combing through pages and pages of forum postings on sites that cater to English teachers abroad. The answers to these questions will to a large extent determine how strictly the government will enforce its visa requirements.
 
^ Yes this is good advice as well.

One thing I must mention: In western Europe, if you're not British (and maybe Irish or Australian), simply forget about teaching there. The brits have monopoly over western europe, and the europeans are happy with that.

Also, certain countries simply don't advertise. This, I found in my research, was the case of Croatia and Slovenia, for example. With these countries, you simply have no choice but to go to the country in person and ask individual schools. Of course, this means that you'll need to know some of the language.
 
^^^ Knowing a bit of the local lingo also never kills if you're humbly requesting permission from the government to skirt their visa requirements. :)
 
Nice. Thanks so much, guys. Lots of good info. I guess it will be TESOL! :)

I'm interested in SE Asia, or somewhere not too far from Australia. How bad do places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, maybe Hong Kong, need English teachers? Japan would be ideal, but I hear it's sooo expensive to live there, and saturated with English Teachers. Maybe out in some smaller Japanese city? I also hear Korea has implemented drug tests for its foreign workers. Not gonna work. ;)

Is there any specific site either of you guys can recommend where I could find out info on demand, requirements, etc. for different countries?

You've both been a great help so far! Thanks! :)
 
^ Well I am currently in Thailand, so I'll give you my impressions of SE Asia from my research and from what I hear. (It also means that if you come to BKK you'll have a friend alread :))

- Thailand: This is basically the standard place in SE Asia to teach English. Finding work here is extremely easy, and the pay is fair for the country. The average salary is 30000 Baht, which is about 1000USD. For Thailand, this is a lot of money considering that a bottle of water costs 5baht. Bangkok is disproportionately the place with the most vacancies, followed by Ubon Rachathani. Chiang Mai and Phuket are rather difficult to find work in. Other places are just very small.

- Laos: Very poor communist country without much care about English (more interest in French). There aren't even many volunteer opportunities! I'm sure if you look hard, you'll find something, but the pay will be negligible at best... It is a fascinating place nevertheless.

- Cambodia: This is a 3rd world country, whose first school was built in the 40's if I'm not mistaken. It still has a very long way to go (if it ever gets there), but there seems to be some sporadic TESL jobs. I believe IamJacksUsername would be more helpful w.r.t. Cambodia.

- Burma: Forget it, for obvious reasons!

- Vietnam: Apparently second only to Thailand for jobs, but a bit more hectic and demanding, and a bit less paying. I don't know much more about it though, to be honest.

- Malaysia: This one is difficult. While the country has a good English program, from what I read, it seems that they prefer to use Malaysian English teachers. I have seen opportunities for foreigners, but they all seem to require an MA. The pay seems to be on par with Thailand or a bit more.

-Indonesia: This used to be a good choice, but it seems to be declining both economically and politically. The situation remains uncertain and the pay seems to have become shitty. I honestly don't know much about it.

- Sighapore: Same as Malaysia, but seems to have more requirements. Also, you're a drug user, I doubt you wanna go there ;)

- Brunei: Similar to Malaysia.

- East Timor: No idea, I assume difficult, but who knows, maybe since its just starting out, one could jump at opportunities.

---

I have also taught in Tokyo for half a year. It is a bit tricky to live in Tokyo... the pay is very good, but everything costs as you know. It is possible to live on a budget, but still tricky and definitely uncomfortable. The Japanese have horrendously anal work ethics, too. Any cities smaller than Tokyo and Osaka would require you to speak Japanese. In fact, it seems that the japs care more about the fact that you speak Japanese than the fact that you speak English to be an English teacher!!! And yes, it is saturated with teachers. Back in the end of '07, Nova, the biggest ESL company in Japan, went bankrupt sending 40000 teachers into the market.

Korea: Fucking racists. See the first page of my BL Journal. Apparently some of the sweetest Job deals in the world (second only to the Arabian Gulf states), but as you said they have drug testing now, a shitload of bureaucracy and a country that, IMO, is not very interesting.
 
Korea drug tests their foreign workers, you say?
So does Taiwan. ONCE at the beginning. Along with our tests for HIV, Hep B, and tuberculosis. I can't imagine Korea is much different. I can't honestly see Korean authorities going around to all the English conversation schools, stopping teachers mid-lesson, and asking them to pee in a cup.

That said, Japan and Korea are not places you want to be looking for any illegal drugs. The locals LEOs in these two countries are as rabid as those in Singapore about enforcing their drug laws, especially for foreigners.

Taiwan is a good choice, if not for the fact that it's a saturated market. Summers there are brutal.

China's an adventure, and people will BEG you to take English teaching gigs, no joke. But it's a grimy, rough place where not many people speak English, and their currency is insoluble.

For leads worldwide, check out the ESL Cafe (google it), or lonelyplanet.com's Thorn Tree Forums.
 
volunteering opportunities in Madagascar

Hey..
I just got back from an amazing trip to Madagascar teaching english and working A zoo I would love to go back. They are an ex french empire and if your french speak is basic you can do well there it is cheap beautiful and exotic not to mention relatively untouched and innocent people. This place needs to learn English and need volunteers badly. If any one is feeling up for a challenge please contact me.

Good luck all ps
dont forget that madagascar has some prime weed, but be discreet. Or the cops will want a hefty bribe. Generally it is well tolerated. It helps the local farmers giving them a cash crop with 3 harvests per year. Incredible what these people are capable of.
 
Thailand sounds great jam! It's a beautiful country too.

junctionalfunkie said:
maybe Hong Kong

My friend does TESOL in Hong Kong and he recommends it heaps. He went there for a 6 wk kung-fu trip 3 yrs ago and hasn't come back. He highly highly recommends TEFL/TESOL in Asia.
That's all I know about it Mister :) I think it's a great idea though.
 
^^^ Wow! I wouldn't have thought HK needed foreign English teachers. Don't most citizens speak it at a native level.

Also conspicuously absent from Jam's list is the Philippines, for the same reason I assume.
 
^ Ah, sorry I forgot to mention the Philippines... in my mind I tend to associate it with Oceania rather than SE Asia. But then again, I honestly have no idea about it, although I will assume that it is rather self-sufficient.

As for Hong Kong, while many of its residents are native-level speakers, they still don't have blond hair and blue eyes, so they lack... something. 8( So yeah, there are a lot of opportunities in HK, albeit a bit more difficult than, say, Taiwan. They also have a preference for brits.

This "native" bullshit is seriously getting on my nerves.
 
Hmmm. Well, looks like Thailand would be a good place to get my feet wet. Found this great link:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/pu...teaching_english_in_thailand_in_10_days.shtml

Maybe I should get one of those Rosetta Stone courses in Thai, and spend the next few months learning a bit of the language and tying up things here. Just learned that I can buy out of my lease for $600. Airfare to Bangkok is less than $1000 round trip. What's the weather like in the spring, Jam? How long have you been there?
 
I've been here for about 4 months now. The weather has barely changed since I arrived, and according to people and what I read, it never will. Apparently Thailand has 3 seasons: Hot, Hotter, and Hottest.

So far (officially rainy season), the weather has been exactly the same everyday: bearably hot when cloudy, scathingly so when clear. There is usually one thundershower within every 24hr period and it simply makes thing muggier. Thailand seriously fails in the weather department!

As for the Thai language, I am finding the much cheaper Pimsleur program to work just fine, especially that I have absolutely no enthusiasm to learn thai, its just one of those languages that gets on my nerves (I say this and learning language is one of my hobbies!).

Then again I am an auditory listener so I found this text-less program perfect. I can't attest to the Thai yet since I'm only at the 4th lesson, but with the French program I am quite impressed - I used it to review all the french I learnt in my childhood, and within a couple of weeks I achieved a low-intermediate level of conversation and reading (being unable to converse at all two weeks ago).

PM me if you'd like tips on Pimsleur or anything else relating to TESOL or languages :).
 
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