Tell me all you know about teaching English overseas

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m slated to graduate from my Master’s program in January 2006, and I’m looking for possible work after that point. I’ve gotten lots of emails from this program via Monster.com, and it’s starting to look like something I could do, and would like doing. It’s a program wherein you live in Korea for a year rent-free, teaching English to schoolchildren. Has anyone here ever done anything like this, in Korea or any other country? It seems like an awesome way to experience another culture and gain a teaching credit; I would like to teach someday (though on the college level) and I think this would really help me out.

But what are these programs like? Are the teachers kept in miserable quarters? Are you expected to come up with your own lesson plan, or do they give you a strict one to follow? What is it like being an American doing this kind of job? On the one hand, I have a few political problems with spreading the English language and American culture to other places, and thus increasing the homogeneity of the world culture, but I’ve talked to some non-Americans (no Koreans though, although as I’ve said I’m not married to that country only) about my issues and most of them said I was being too hard on myself as an American, and that learning English actually makes non-US people more able to take over the system and make the business world more heterogeneous, because if you don’t know how to speak and read English well you are handicapped in business situations and are forced to only work with other Japanese, other Spanish-speakers, etc. So if anyone (especially non-USers) has any thoughts about rectifying this type of work with anti-globalist/anti-Merkin invasion politics I’d really like to hear about it.

Would I even be a good candidate for them? I have a B.A. in English with a creative writing concentration and will have an M.A. in creative writing. I also have a few semi-professional fiction credits, though I don’t know how much that would help me. I don’t have any teaching experience, and I don’t know Korean (although the site says that doesn’t hurt). How competitive are these programs? Would I have a better chance at getting hired in a different country? How much would I make? I don’t think it would be a lot considering that my rent is comped as part of the deal (and I’m not doing it for the money anyway), but I don’t want to dip into my expenses to cover the cost of living in another country. I’d imagine Korea is an expensive place to live, at least as pricey as a regular American city and possibly more since so much stuff would have to be imported.

Really, anything anyone wants to contribute would help out a lot.

2

Conditions in Korea are highly variable. The Center for All Knowledge on ESL Stuff is ‘Dave’s ESL Cafe.’ Go there and enter into the forums.

You will note there is a special forum just for complaints about Korea. These complaints include no pay, poor quarters and rape.

On the other hand, I know teachers who love Korea. (Most frequently, they seem to love Koreans also.)

All in all, it might be fun for a year if you have never been there. You will not make a basket of money however.

3

Here is a link to start you off.

4

You must read this. American guy teaching English in Japan as part of the JET program.

5

I would like to buy some butter and some cheese.

6

A strong second for “Dave’s ESL Cafe”

I found this book very helpful. In addition to general information about teaching English, it describes local conditions in about 20 countries, including what qualifications are generally needed in each country. It also lists several language schools in each country, with detailed information on pay, needed credentials, working conditions and contact information for each school.

You have a good background for English teaching, but you should get at least some training specific to teaching English as a second language. I got the Cambridge certificate (CELTA), which is widely recognized in Europe and elsewhere. To get it, I took a four week intensive course at International House in Krakow. IH has offices and affiliates all over the world, but there are many other places you can get the CELTA.

Obviously, pay and conditions vary widely from country to country and among schools in the same country. I’ve heard that pay higher in Japan and the Middle East. In some areas, students want to learn British English so there is a preference for teachers from the UK.

I taught in Krakow for a semester in 2002-3 at a private language school. It is probably harder for an inexperienced teacher to get a position there now that Poland has joined the EU. If you have specific questions, my email is in my profile.

7

calling astroboy

given you have a master’s you could teach in an international school or foreign uni instead of a mere language school .

l0t of friends tought at JET in japan and loved it

you shouls ask yourself where you want to live, travel , learn local language, etc. the intangibles are key

i tought english in taiwan more than two decades ago, somi’m out of date on specifics. that said it was a great experience and enabled a multitude of great experiences.

8

This will be long so stick with me, I’ll try and cover everything.

IMHO, there are two different things to consider carefully about this scheme.

1 Location - have you any interest in Korea? How often have you been far away from family and friends for that length of time ? would you prefer somewhere with a different culture but easier for friends to come and visit ?

I started in EFL 11 years ago, my first job was in Estonia at a time when next to nobody could tell you if it was even in Europe let alone what part of the continent - getting there involved a flight to Finland and a 3 hour ferry crossing. No visitors, pre-internet and slow post, impenetrable language, expensive yet dodgy telephone links … it was hard but I knew it was only 3 months.
Your sex also plays a role in some countries, a good friend of mine spent a year in Africa (Zambia I think) and found it quite hard work to make any real connection with people outside work, boyfriend turns up for a holiday ? Off playing football with the local lads his first day !
2 Work conditions - I don’t know this project but as with any job, research all aspects (the previoulsy mentioned Dave’s ESL café is good but remember human nature being what it is folk are more likely to write to complain than to say something was ok) - do you get any paid holiday (& would you have money enough to enjoy it?), Paid sick leave, medical insurance, Subsidised or free language lessons, is the housing properly furnished (don’t expect a washing machine but kitchen utensils and bedding would be good), when they quote maybe 30 hours work a week is that ‘contact hours’ ? how luch travel/preparation needs to be added, what materials do they have, expect you to use ? If you fail to complete your contract for whatever reason are you liable to refund flights or other costs ? Ask if there are any returnees in your area you could talk to - or see if you can e-mail someone currently out there.
As to your suitability, well again I’ve divided into t different points.

1 You - unless you get lucky you will never make your fortune in EFL. Accept this as a fact.
If you really are only going to do this for a year then why not dip into your savings ? I made a net loss on the aforementioned stint in Estonia - my flight was only partially refunded, I earned 25 pounds sterling a week but I managed a weekend in Riga, another in St. Petersberg and a couple of days in Helsinki on my way home plus two trips within Estonia. I’ve not had the chance to go back to any of those places and they’ve all changed a lot so for me it was money well spent. On the other hand I’ve seen peoepl change careers and do EFL to live their dream of being in Milan, Paris whatever and the change in financial situation has hit them hard, often sending them back to their original career. Only you know what you realistically need to live happily in terms of clothing, comfort etc. and how you will cope seeing other ‘westerners’ living the high life on expat salaries.

2 Qualifications - if this scheme isn’t specifying a need for a teaching qualification then you’re fine. IIRC the JET scheme in Japan takes unqualified native speakers who are then, to a greater or lesser degree, ‘under’ a local teacher. (When I say unqualified I mean without a teaching qualification - a bachelor’s degree is the usual minimum.) There should be a few days training before you are sent overseas. If you are looking elsewhere most independent language schools will (or should if they are in anyway reputable) specify the need for a CELTA or TESOL certificate - these will show you how to explain grammar points, set up classroom activities and get you thinking about different language skills such as listening, writing etc. In either case you might want to pick up a copy of this book From a work point of view not knowing the local language is not a problem as you should always use the target language, English, in the classroom. In the UK there are companies who offer weekend ‘TEFL Taster’ courses you might want to see if there are any in your area.

3 Competition - as a general rule ther is a hierachy of countries to work in - in Europe for example you tend to have to earn the ‘right’ to work in the more popular counries like Italy and Spain by having done time (& got experience) in Eastern Europe. American English tends to be more sought after in Asia which stand you in good stead - I imagine there would be less competition for a place in China and more for one in Japan or Thailand but I could be wrong.

Be careful - I thougt I was just going to do EFL for a year or so and now it’s my career ! But, despite the fact that paying bills, sitting in a laundrette etc. abroad is no more inherently interesting or glamorous than doing so at home there’s no better way to get to know another country and quite often the friendships you make are the same sort of solid ‘shared new experiences’ ones you might have made at university. Let us know what you decide and good luck.

9

Be careful, you might get stuck!

I came to Japan for a year in the summer of 1991 on the JET programme and am still here, sigh…

I am happy with my life, my marriage, my house, kids and inlaws, and even the small English school I now have. But I never, EVER imagined things would work out this way.

And that guy on the JET program’s site? Not one word of his accounts ring untrue!

10

I did 3 years of ESL, one in Korea, two in Taiwan. I recommend a year or two of ESL teaching very highly; I recommend against Korea.

There are basically 2 places you can teach ESL for good money (as opposed to just making enough to live on locally, which you can do in a ton of places); one is the Middle East, which pays well, but also demands a lot. The other is Asia, by which we mean Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Korean society is very insular and somewhat xenophobic, moreso than Taiwan or Japan. They are polite, but you will have a harder time making real freinds there.
But the biggest problem is that when you go to Korea, the work visa on your passport will be stamped with your school’s name. You cannot be employed by anyone else in Korea for that duration of your contract unless the original school releases you. The consequences of this sort of indentured servitude should be obvious. If you’re unhappy, your only option is to leave the country on a midnight plane (I have heard of school owners driving to the airport to catch fleeing teachers).

In Japan and Taiwan, a school can sponsor you for a visa, and you’ll sign a contract, but in practical terms there’s nothing stopping you from quitting a school and signing up with the place next door if they offer you a better job. The only downside to this is that schools in Japan/Taiwan as a rule will not offer to pay your plane ticket over there (They may offer to reimburse you after you complete a year), and are less generous with housing.

As China Guy says, with an MA you should be able to get a job teaching at a university; the only problem is that they very much tend to hire people who are already living there. The jobs are pretty sought-after among the ESL teacher crowd.

Your best bet IMO is to go over with a tentative agreement to teach at a school and enough money to support yourself for a month if it doesn’t work out. If you don’t mind teaching kids at least part of the time, believe me when I say you can get a job within days of arriving. Getting adults-only classes would be tough, but the MA will help. After you’ve been there a few months, you can start looking around for a univeristy job. One more thing: DO NOT deal with a broker or hiring agency, unless they put you in direct contact with the school. The hiring agent gets paid when your ass is off the plane, and he’s gone. They will lie.

If you’re considering going to Taiwan and want more info on any of the chains there, email me, as I’m familar with a lot of them.

11

I taught and did teacher training in Colombia for a couple of years. It was a blast. The pay wasn’t too good, but, then, there wasn’t much to spend money on. I didn’t think anyone would come to visit me, but a girlfriend did come, even though I told her not to. She said she wanted to go scuba diving. :dubious: It was a scandal.

12

“a girlfriend” ? Just the one ? :wink:
Two and a half years in Warsaw … 3 visitors (not counting Parents)

First 9 months in Paris … 17, count 'em, 17 visitors and some of them twice !!

Sometimes it’s not who you are it’s where you are !

13

This has all been really helpful, thanks. I’ll check out those forums and maybe email some of you in a few days. I think I would prefer to work in Asia–one of my friends who worked in Japan for a year (not teaching though) said I’d really like it there because the cities are clean and the people are friendly and love Americans. She said people are really standoffish in Korea. I don’t want to generalize a whole nation but who knows, maybe it’s true.

Do most other nations use full immersion in their English programs?

14

Please visit this man’s LJ.

Seriously.

15

C’mon guys, won’t someone respond to my most excellent reference?

I’ll have to do it myself.

Didn’t someone wearing my uniform and bearing a striking resemblence to myself just say that those kinds of jokes are unacceptable?