© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | Travel Guy | 3 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Ecuador, South America, teaching English, volunteer work, volunteering, voluntourism

Related post: Teaching English in Asia

Travelling Europe is expensive, but native English speakers can fund an open-ended world trip through teaching. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL, ESL, EFL or half a dozen other acronyms) is a time-tested way to work and travel or set up as an expat. Although there is high demand for quality English language teaching throughout Europe, you’re more likely to get a job if you’re an EU citizen.

Can I get a visa?

Getting a visa is likely to be much more difficult than getting a job offer! Citizens of Britain and Ireland have it easy here: EU citizens can work anywhere in the EU, while those of us from the colonies can really struggle to get beyond our six-months-in-the-UK or 90-days-within-Schengen visa waiver. And you can’t legally work during that time. The main options are:

Ancestry visa: This is available to the children or grandchildren of people born in the host country. They generally allow complete freedom of movement and ability to work.

Work and travel visa: Short term (12-24 month) visas available to under-30s. Holders are normally able to take on casual work for up to half of their time in the country. The USA has no Work and Travel agreements with European countries.

Spouse’s visa: This is only available if you’re married to someone from the host country. Sham marriages are not condoned by Travelblogs!

Teaching English is a time-tested way to work and travel or set up as an expat.

Work permit/visa: These are difficult to get because you must obtain a job offer from a country in order to apply. Using contacts gained while travelling or transferring to a foreign branch of your company are the two easiest ways to obtain a work permit.

There are other options available depending on your situation and the country you’d like to work in.

What qualifications do I need?

While there are myriad courses available online, there really are only two qualifications which are internationally recognised and respected. CELTA and Trinity TESOL are the two qualifications you’ll want to choose from if you’re serious about making a start in ESL teaching in Europe. At present it seems CELTA is the better choice of the two. Combine one of these with a university degree and you’ll have a very good chance of picking up any position you apply for.

If you’re not interested in getting qualified or looking for a taster, several “volunteer” organisations run English camps, especially during summer. Accommodation is normally provided by homestay families and you receive some small financial compensation for your time. Sometimes “volunteering” like this helps you get around visa issues.

How can I find a job?

Legal, qualified and raring to go? This is when the internet becomes your best friend: it’s time to start researching. Popular ESOL job sites include:

Dave’s ESL cafe
TEFL.com
ESL jobs

There’s no shortage of ESL job boards: a google search will unearth hundreds. Unfortunately, Dave’s ESL cafe doesn’t supply an RSS feed, but you can get your fill of instantly-delivered job openings with the other two sites.

Getting your foot in the door

A typical attempt at finding a job starts with looking online, narrowing down some options, approaching the companies and following up with phone interviews (for international jobs) and finally in-person interviews and contracts being signed. This is all well and good, but what if there are no jobs advertised in the area you’re moving too? Temporary teaching is a great stepping stone to a regular part-time or full-time position.

Put together a short but inviting CV or resume. Something that fits on one side of an A4 page. If you have the savvy, put together a simple website to go with it: you are marketing yourself. Hit the phone books and send your CV as an attachment or link to it in the email (.pdf is my favourite; others prefer .doc format) with a brief cover letter explaining you are in the neighbourhood and would be happy to fill in for absent teachers at short notice. Follow this up with a phone call or drop in to the school if you’re in a more casual country.

We know you’ll enjoy your travels in Europe…and hope you also enjoy finding fun, well-paid work!

Find more information on ESL qualifications for travellers or pick up a copy of Craig’s Travelling Europe ebook.

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | Teaching English in Europe: An Overview | No comment |
Post categories: Articles
Post tags: Europe, teaching English, working on the road

Related post: Teaching English in Europe

It’s not that hard to become an English teacher overseas, especially in Asia. No place pays better or has a wider availability of work. In Asia, large populations, mandatory English requirements, and an innate desire to learn the language of business, means that those looking for work in Asia will find a buyer’s market. No matter what country you land in, as long as you keep your options open, you will find a job.

What are the options?

Jobs in Asia fall into five categories:

Government schools, which typically pay the worst. However, they are reliable. You know the place isn’t going to close, you will get your pay check each week, you’ll have some sort of support, and they aren’t going to suddenly terminate you. Depending on the country and the school, kids will either pay a lot of attention or pay none.

No matter where you end up, you’ll be back to save some money, learn about a new culture, explore new lands, and make friends from all around the world.

Language schools where the pay is better and you’ll have more flexibility with your schedule and curriculum. However, many parents also use these schools as a form of babysitting so the kids have little real motivation to learn and, because schools are motivated by money, rarely discipline the students for fear they will stop coming.

Private schools, which are simply a rich version of government schools. They offer better pay and a slightly better student body. They’re better than government schools but lack the flexibility of language schools.

International schools, which are the best schools to work in. The kids here are children of international expats, diplomats, or very rich locals. The curriculum is the same as your country of origin. It’s just like teaching at home. All the kids speak English and they are usually very motivated and involved. As an added bonus, you make a lot of money. Competition for these jobs is very, very stiff and typically applicants have a lot of experience.

Another option is to do corporate training. Corporate training jobs typically pay very high, the schedules are flexible, the students are adults who want to learn, and the work can last a few months. These jobs are usually before or after business hours so can be very early or very late in the day. Moreover, these jobs, like the language school jobs, are typically hard to get and require experience.

What qualifications do I need?

Most countries in Asia require a minimum level of qualifications. All countries require you to be a native speaker. In other words, you have to be from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. You will also need a 4-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. It doesn’t matter what your degree is in. Whether you have a degree in biochemistry, English, or yoga, it doesn’t matter – so long as you have a university degree.

If you have no experience and no teaching degree, it is worth getting your TEFL

A four year degree is a must in the higher end countries like Korea and Japan. In countries that have looser restrictions, many of the schools will turn a blind eye and hire you without a degree. This usually occurs in more rural areas where attracting Western teachers can be tough. I met a few teachers in Thailand without any college experience.

If you have a valid teaching degree or a TEFL certificate, your chances of getting hired also dramatically increase. Having a teaching degree from a Western University will pretty much guarantee you a job, even without experience, at the majority of government, private, or language schools. As a rule though, if you have no experience and no teaching degree, it is worth getting your TEFL. This will help give you credibility when applying for jobs.

How much can I earn?

Salary varies greatly from country to country and job to job. You can earn as little as $500 a month to upwards of over $3,200 a month.

ESL jobs in Korea pay over $2,400 USD (or more) a month and come with a free round trip air ticket, free housing, 50% medical, and a one month bonus at the end of the contract. With a little experience or a little luck, you might also land a job paying closer to $3,000 USD a month.

Salaries in Japan tend to be pretty uniform throughout the country. Typically, most people earn about 280,000 Yen a month (about $2,800 USD). Sometimes one can find a job for 300,000 yen per month if you luck out. Though that may sound good, living expenses are not usually covered and the high cost of living in Japan, especially in Tokyo, can eat up 50% of your monthly salary.

Taiwan is a great place to earn quick money. The pay is pretty good and the jobs in high demand. The average salary is roughly a little under $2,000 dollars per month but those who want to work can make over $3,000 per month. You get some of the perks of Korea but for the most part you are on your own. Typically, perks extend to an apartment and completion bonus.

Salaries in China tend to be very low. However, if you live in one of the big cities and work hard you can earn a lot and, given the low cost of living, you can save quite a bit. The going rate for a teacher is 150 Yuan a hour in Beijing ($21 USD). That’s not too bad. If you can fill your work week, you can earn and save a lot. However, once you leave the big cities, salaries and working conditions drop drastically. However, cost of living in China is really low so if you stick to a local lifestyle, you will walk away with a good amount of money saved.

Teaching in Asia is a fun and rewarding opportunity. The crowd that comes here tends to be young and looking for a little adventure. You can find people to meet whatever lifestyle you want and the locals are usually always happy to make a Western friend. No matter where you end up, you’ll be back to save some money, learn about a new culture, explore new lands, and make friends from all around the world.

For more about this topic, see Matt’s guide on his site: Teaching English Overseas

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | Teaching English in Asia: An Overview | 6 comments |
Post categories: Articles
Post tags: Asia, teaching English, working on the road

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Palabras de Portenos | One comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, couples, living abroad, South America, teaching English

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2007. | Travis on Tour | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: living abroad, South Korea, teaching English

Travis is one such cash-strapped traveller. He is spending a year in South Korea, teaching English to a group of eleven and twelve year-old students and sharing his (often comical) observations of Korean culture on his blog.

TravelBlogs sent him an email in October to find out more about his experiences teaching English in South Korea.

Could you have chosen to travel around South Korea without working? Why did you decide to teach English at the same time?

Well, I couldn’t have really just traveled without working — a big part of the reason that I came over here, like a lot of the foreigners that come to teach in Korea, is I had some pesky student loans that I wanted to get off my back. I’ve always liked traveling and wanted to find a way to get out of the States, see the world and not have debt collection agencies stuffing my Inbox. After a little Google research, I found out Korea was the place to be.

If you want to travel and make money at the same time, I honestly couldn’t think of a better job

Why did you specifically choose South Korea?

I don’t want to sound like it was all about the money — but it basically was. I had never been anywhere in Asia, and I figured Korea was as good a place as any to start. I’m not exactly someone who plans things out — I pretty much just saw an opportunity and decided to go for it. And so far it’s been fantastic.

Have you traveled much previously?

I went to university at the American University of Paris in France, and so got to do some traveling around Europe during my undergrad years. But I’ve always wanted to come to Asia and see what these guys were up to.

One of the things I enjoy about your blog is the way you capture what it feels like to be a foreigner experiencing Korea. Would you say you’ve suffered a case of culture shock?

I think I expected the culture shock to be far worse than it’s been. Mostly because everyone kept telling me that I’d be culture shocked out of my mind. I’m not sure if it helped that I knew little to nothing about what I was getting into, but for the most part I’ve found all the differences and nuances extremely interesting and at worst, pretty hilarious. The hardest part for me was the language barrier — my first two months were literally spent frantically pantomiming everything I needed. It also helped that I have no qualms eating whatever is put in front of me – so pig intestine wrapped noodles didn’t really phase me. Probably because I couldn’t read the menu until a couple of weeks ago.

Are you planning to visit North Korea?

I would love to visit North Korea, but I’m pretty sure as an American those opportunities are limited to the DMZ tour. I have watched a couple documentaries about the humanitarian crisis that is going on up there, and am fascinated talking to my students and our school’s Korean staff about their country’s unique situation. Unification is obviously a big issue over here, and it’s been insanely interesting hearing everyone’s differing viewpoints on the subject.

How much longer will you be teaching? What’s the plan after that?

Plan? I should have a plan? I signed a one-year contract, so I’ll be over here at least until August 2008. After that, I’m not entirely too sure. I’m definitely going to get some solid travel time in, but another contract I guess depends on how the rest of the year turns out. I’ve met people who came to Korea for a summer and are now in their eleventh year — so I’m going to play it by ear.

What advice do you have for people who are interested in teaching English overseas?

Absolutely, one hundred percent do it. But do your research first. A great site that helped me find everything was www.eslcafe.com, which is pretty much the mother of all ESL sites. If you want to travel and make money at the same time, I honestly couldn’t think of a better job. But again, there are definitely horror stories of bad contracts, shady schools and awful kids — you have to know that the place you’re going is established, legit and reliable. Beyond that, I’d say go for it.

Keep track of Travis’ adventures as an English teacher in South Korea on his blog, Travis on Tour.

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2007. | Teaching English in South Korea: An Interview with Travis | No comment |
Post categories: Interviews
Post tags: cultural experiences, living abroad, South Korea, teaching English, working on the road