A bit of background: I have a BA in classical studies. I want(ed - the tense is debatable) to do my graduate studies in archaeology (or something reasonably similar), and I even spent two seasons excavating a site in Italy, but I haven’t really decided exactly what I want to do. A degree in “archaeology” is next to useless by itself. Anyone who wants to actually become an archaeologist ought to do something much more specific. Any knowledge required for the field will be learned by experience, not in a classroom. As a result of my confusion (coupled with something of a 2+ year depression), I’ve done next to nothing to “move on,” so to speak, since I obtained my BA. My life of late has been little more than a semi-lethargic video-game-playing-T.V.-watching-guitar-playing-pot-smoking-odd-job-doing existence.
I decided that I needed to do something to pull myself out of this long slump. Of course, I’ve made that decision a few times before, but this time it felt more real for some reason. Since the very thought of sorting out my graduate studies plans made my head spin as soon as it came up, I decided to go the other way and try to get a bit more of a steady job so I could save up some money while I thought about my longer-term plans.
So, one hand holding a newspaper and the other holding a computer mouse, I started looking around for work. Since I was looking for a job, as opposed to a career, my criteria were few and flexible. As I tried to sort through the 3 trillion offers for high-pressure telemarketing jobs (hey, I do have some standards), I fell upon some post about teaching ESL in Korea. Since I knew of a few people who had done that kind of thing, I was sort of interested, but the word “SCAM” kept flashing in my head in bright red letters when I looked at the advertizing too long. Trusting my instincts, I moved on and looked at other job-offers, taking down some numbers and making the odd phone call. Very little cam of my efforts that day.
The next day, I got a call from my aunt. In conversation, she mentioned that some girl she knew was leaving to go teach English in Korea (I hadn’t mentioned what I had seen). She kept talking about how if she were my age, she’d definitely do something like that, and how it would look great on a C.V., and all that kind of stuff. Then, I thought to myself: “Hey! This is something I would do if I were my age!” Furthermore, although teaching ESL in Korea has little to do with Classical or Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, an archaeologist is also usually a university teacher. This would provide me with valuable teaching experience.
Still, a part of me thought that the whole thing was insane. After all, “normal” people don’t travel halfway around the World to get a freaking job (and not a particularly high-paying one at that). So, I did what everyone I know does when they’re confused, I consulted my mother. Yes, everyone I know consults my mother. Go figure. I think it has something to do with her being the wisest person in this galaxy and a few others. Then again, I could be biased. Anyway, to my half-surprise, she thought it was a great idea. Well, that cleared that up quite nicely.
So, I contacted one of the people I knew who’d done this before (I’ve been trying unsuccessfully to reach the other), and he gave me a good site. It’s known as “Dave’s ESL Café.” It has a wealth of job offerings for teaching ESL all over the World, particularly in Asia. Since Asia is the only continent where someone with nothing more than a BA in a field that has nothing to do with ESL could easily get a job teaching English, I concentrated my efforts there.
So, I’ve got a huge pile of papers with job offerings in Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, Thailand, and Indonesia. What I’ve noticed so far is that Korea is where there are the most jobs, and the working conditions seem pretty good. Japan looks good, but they’re a little pickier about their ESL teachers’ qualifications, and the cost of living is just insane. Taiwan seems really expensive, and an easy place to get killed by a crazed drunk driver, but otherwise seems kinda cool.
Now, to cut to the chase, has anyone here ever done this? Has anyone taught ESL abroad? Has anyone been to any of those countries, even on vacation? Can anyone tell me why I should choose one country over another? Basically, any comments, questions, answers,criticisms, opinions, stories, advice, gratuitous flames, suggestions, or whatever will be more than welcome. Well, maybe not the gratuitous flames.
Thanks, dopers.
