Teaching English Overseas

[SOCCERROO FOX]

If any one has done it what qualifications did you get and where did you teach etc.

[Ron Combo]

If any one has done it what qualifications did you get and where did you teach etc.

Wotcher Soccerroo, I did the CELTA course at International House in London.

Then moved to Italy, started teaching at a private language school (shit conditions even worse money), then at a variety of state schools (ditto but the money is marginally better).

Fwiw, I wouldn't recommend Italy to anyone (not that you're thinking of it), but I should think in China if you applied yourself you could probably do well.

Good win yesterday, about sodding time.

:sge:

[SOCCERROO FOX]

China, Japan and the Middle East seem to be the number one destinations.Not doing it for the money, more for a bit of job satisfactiona and a chance to live abroad with out working in bars.

[leicsmac]

Am doing it as we speak...I've been in Korea for the past 14 months.

Can't really talk about it now but will revisit with more information if you want it when I can!

[Trav Le Bleu]

You don't speak English, you speak Aussie.

Am doing it as we speak...I've been in Korea for the past 14 months.

Can't really talk about it now but will revisit with more information if you want it when I can!

So, North Korea then?

[Ron Combo]

As Alain de Botton said: "You become a TEFL teacher when your life has gone wrong."

Amusing reading about the hell of teaching English here.

[I am Rod Hull]

You don't speak English, you speak Aussie.

So, North Korea then?

Bet he`s "wroanery"

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Am doing it as we speak...I've been in Korea for the past 14 months.

Can't really talk about it now but will revisit with more information if you want it when I can!

Please do

[Fox in the North]

My girlfriend is off to Seville to teach English for her year abroad, will let you know what its like in a months time

[leicsmac]

Bet he`s "wroanery"

Well...KJI isn't a bad guy once you get to know him. Did you know he once shot a perfect round of golf - 18 hole-in-ones?

As Alain de Botton said: "You become a TEFL teacher when your life has gone wrong."Amusing reading about the hell of teaching English here.

Sorry mate, but I hope you're taking the mick or having some banter here, because the last time I checked my life hadn't gone wrong...I'm here because I want to raise money for my Masters degree next year (by far the best option I've seen to get cash together), and because I enjoy the job (far more than teaching in the UK).

Not for any lack of direction.

As for the link...some of his stuff is pretty funny, but it does reek of a guy who has had bad TEFL experiences in the past and is now a dedicated cynic (and by and large I can't stand dedicated cynics) who thinks he is a HIGNFY-presenter style satirist and stereotyper. Also, if he thinks TEFL is such rubbish why does he keep considering doing it again?

Unless I'm missing the point and he's being ENTIRELY satirical about his choice of work and is actually ok with it...in which case I stand corrected.

Yeah, TEFL isn't always a bunch of roses (it can be a bloody grind at times), but then it's not utter shite either - people do make happy and fulfilling longterm careers out if it, and they're not the stereotypes our friend is trying so hard to make us think they are. Perspective is required.

Please do

Well, for the Far East you're going to need a Bachelors Degree or better, and a TEFL qualification won't hurt either. I'm teaching in South Korea, and the BSc I have was all that I needed, but then I have some additional teaching experience from UK schools that helped too. Most places in the Middle East require either a teaching qualification or a lot of experience.

If you want a job in China or Korea, by far the best place to start is Dave's ESL Cafe. It has a shitload of job posts in China and Korea, mostly at private schools. If you prefer to go work at a public school (which is what I'm doing), then the Korean scheme is EPIK and the Japanese one is JET. Both of these have been running for a long time and are reputable. JET is tricky to get into (high demand), but it's probably the only way you'll get to teach in Japan. EPIK is a bit easier, but I would still suggest doing a TEFL course and getting some experience, if only to boost your payslip when you get the job.

So, really there are plenty of options, and as long as you have a Bachelors degree at least you should be able to go in for most of them. It comes down to where you want to go, really. Just spin the globe and stick your finger on a random place! And wherever you go, the cultural differences will astound you, and hopefully you'll enjoy the job.

[leicsmac]

Double post.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Well...KJI isn't a bad guy once you get to know him. Did you know he once shot a perfect round of golf - 18 hole-in-ones?

Sorry mate, but I hope you're taking the mick or having some banter here, because the last time I checked my life hadn't gone wrong...I'm here because I want to raise money for my Masters degree next year (by far the best option I've seen to get cash together), and because I enjoy the job (far more than teaching in the UK).

Not for any lack of direction.

As for the link...some of his stuff is pretty funny, but it does reek of a guy who has had bad TEFL experiences in the past and is now a dedicated cynic (and by and large I can't stand dedicated cynics) who thinks he is a HIGNFY-presenter style satirist and stereotyper. Also, if he thinks TEFL is such rubbish why does he keep considering doing it again?

Unless I'm missing the point and he's being ENTIRELY satirical about his choice of work and is actually ok with it...in which case I stand corrected.

Yeah, TEFL isn't always a bunch of roses (it can be a bloody grind at times), but then it's not utter shite either - people do make happy and fulfilling longterm careers out if it, and they're not the stereotypes our friend is trying so hard to make us think they are. Perspective is required.

Well, for the Far East you're going to need a Bachelors Degree or better, and a TEFL qualification won't hurt either. I'm teaching in South Korea, and the BSc I have was all that I needed, but then I have some additional teaching experience from UK schools that helped too. Most places in the Middle East require either a teaching qualification or a lot of experience.

If you want a job in China or Korea, by far the best place to start is Dave's ESL Cafe. It has a shitload of job posts in China and Korea, mostly at private schools. If you prefer to go work at a public school (which is what I'm doing), then the Korean scheme is EPIK and the Japanese one is JET. Both of these have been running for a long time and are reputable. JET is tricky to get into (high demand), but it's probably the only way you'll get to teach in Japan. EPIK is a bit easier, but I would still suggest doing a TEFL course and getting some experience, if only to boost your payslip when you get the job.

So, really there are plenty of options, and as long as you have a Bachelors degree at least you should be able to go in for most of them. It comes down to where you want to go, really. Just spin the globe and stick your finger on a random place! And wherever you go, the cultural differences will astound you, and hopefully you'll enjoy the job.

Awesome thanks for the info

[Christoph]

So how do you go about teaching English to a class full of children speaking chinese or japanese etc... I always assumed you would need some grasp of the language of the country your going to be teaching in, but i'm assuming the people considering china, korea or japan, dont speak any of the languages.

[leicsmac]

So how do you go about teaching English to a class full of children speaking chinese or japanese etc... I always assumed you would need some grasp of the language of the country your going to be teaching in, but i'm assuming the people considering china, korea or japan, dont speak any of the languages.

Well, in my line we were encouraged to learn Korean to at least a basic conversational level before we came, but it's not essential; mainly because for every lesson you teach you have a co-teacher who is semifluent in English and can help you with any translation issues. Also (depending on the level your students are at) most of the children you teach know a decent bit of English already, so using that and some hand signals usually gets the job done.

As far as the cultural shock goes...if you're in a city (or even nearby) there's usually a fair few expat teachers in the area who you can get to know, and if you make an effort learning the language in a country where you are immersed in it is not difficult, and then you can speak to the natives (in a rough and ready fashion) too. In my case, it's always nice to speak in pidgin Korean to someone at a bar/in a taxi/wherever, and tbh most of them like trying out their own pidgin English anyway.

[Ron Combo]

Well...KJI isn't a bad guy once you get to know him. Did you know he once shot a perfect round of golf - 18 hole-in-ones?

Sorry mate, but I hope you're taking the mick or having some banter here, because the last time I checked my life hadn't gone wrong...I'm here because I want to raise money for my Masters degree next year (by far the best option I've seen to get cash together), and because I enjoy the job (far more than teaching in the UK).

Not for any lack of direction.

As for the link...some of his stuff is pretty funny, but it does reek of a guy who has had bad TEFL experiences in the past and is now a dedicated cynic (and by and large I can't stand dedicated cynics) who thinks he is a HIGNFY-presenter style satirist and stereotyper. Also, if he thinks TEFL is such rubbish why does he keep considering doing it again?

Unless I'm missing the point and he's being ENTIRELY satirical about his choice of work and is actually ok with it...in which case I stand corrected.

Yeah, TEFL isn't always a bunch of roses (it can be a bloody grind at times), but then it's not utter shite either - people do make happy and fulfilling longterm careers out if it, and they're not the stereotypes our friend is trying so hard to make us think they are. Perspective is required.

Well, for the Far East you're going to need a Bachelors Degree or better, and a TEFL qualification won't hurt either. I'm teaching in South Korea, and the BSc I have was all that I needed, but then I have some additional teaching experience from UK schools that helped too. Most places in the Middle East require either a teaching qualification or a lot of experience.

If you want a job in China or Korea, by far the best place to start is Dave's ESL Cafe. It has a shitload of job posts in China and Korea, mostly at private schools. If you prefer to go work at a public school (which is what I'm doing), then the Korean scheme is EPIK and the Japanese one is JET. Both of these have been running for a long time and are reputable. JET is tricky to get into (high demand), but it's probably the only way you'll get to teach in Japan. EPIK is a bit easier, but I would still suggest doing a TEFL course and getting some experience, if only to boost your payslip when you get the job.

So, really there are plenty of options, and as long as you have a Bachelors degree at least you should be able to go in for most of them. It comes down to where you want to go, really. Just spin the globe and stick your finger on a random place! And wherever you go, the cultural differences will astound you, and hopefully you'll enjoy the job.

It was meant to make you smile. Never mind eh?

[leicsmac]

It was meant to make you smile. Never mind eh?

Sorry Ron...I was having a bad day when I wrote that, and I do have something of a sense of humour deficiency when it comes to edgy satirical humour. I don't really like The Office, for instance. So I took what you wrote far too seriously. Sorry about that.

Still, what some of that guy writes is quite funny...and actually, satirical as he is, quite a bit of it is pretty damn apt and true.

[The Doctor]

You should do it in Greece roo, was talking to a couple of Greek students at a faculty party last night, pretty much everyone has private tutors (they mentioned something about needing one to even be considered for a Greek uni) and charging 1k per student per month was apparently not that far from the norm.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

You should do it in Greece roo, was talking to a couple of Greek students at a faculty party last night, pretty much everyone has private tutors (they mentioned something about needing one to even be considered for a Greek uni) and charging 1k per student per month was apparently not that far from the norm.

Not enough money in the world could get me to live in Greece well Athens anyway the place is a shit hole (no offense to the Greeks) But then again i could live off these

[ozleicester]

I love Alain de Botain

[Saxondale]

I've done TEFL to German teenagers in this country and I had absolutely no qualification to do so - other than that I speak English!

A pal of mine has done several stints at a TEFL school in La Coruna, Spain. Owned by an English bloke, could probably get you a contact if you want.

[Zingari]

i could teach fluent chizzet ,

lesson 1, repeat after me, " medadzgorrajag "

[Houdini Logic]

Australians teaching English?

What has the world come to...