John
- 2006-08-08
Mr Raoul Duke is right in what he says. I would add to his advice my own, which is to do LOADS of research before you decide where to go and who to work for. Don't be in any hurry - take your time over this, as it may well mean the difference between the realisation of a dream or being trapped in a nightmare.
Check for yourself - with the appropriate embassies or consulates - on the entry requirements of those countries that strike you as being favourable. At the same time, check also on what you need to meet their employment requirements. Check so far as you can on the credentials and legality of the school(s) who you make contact with. Some of them may not have authority to employ foreigners at all! Beware of recruiting agencies - in fact avoid them like the plague - and make sure you deal directly with schools.
Check to see whether schools who offer you jobs have been the subject of complaints from other teachers in the past. You can do this here by reference to the "School and Recruiter Review" section.
I cannot stress enough how vital it is that you do your homework down to the very smallest detail. Prepare a list of questions to ask prospective employers. Do not worry about the length of that list. Where possible compose your questions so as to elicit a "yes/no" answer. If you put your questions to a good, legitimate school, they will generally answer you quickly and deal with each and every point you have raised. If however you have any argument from them or any evasive answers, or promises that everything will be sorted out following your arrival - then turn your back on them straight away.
As far as advice as to which countries you might concentrate on, that has to be for you to decide. There's plenty of information on the web to help you do that. I repeat, however, that once you have decided on which to investigate in detail - make that detail exhaustive.
Best of luck
John
Raoul Duke
- 2006-08-08
Hey Erin,
a few answers, such as I can...
Yes, teaching experience in the States will help you here...especially if you have a current teaching credential, which it sounds like you do. However, be prepared for educational methods, philosophies, infrastructure, etc. to be VASTLY different from what you've known before.
As for a TEFL cert, I might suggest testing the waters without one first. Your degree and experience should be more than enough to qualify you in many countries, and a recognized TEFL cert such as the CELTA can be very expensive. Getting one implies a reasonably long-term commitment to this field. If you like your initial exposure, a good-quality cert will help you get jobs in Western Europe and other places with more stringent standards.
I've never worked Latin America but the ads I've seen there seemed to offer awfully small salaries. It may be pretty hard to save much there. Salaries seem better in Western Europe, but competition is a lot higher. Also, schools in many of these countries can/will only hire you if you already have documents allowing you to work in the EU...which you can usually only get if you're a citizen of an EU country or can document strong recent family connections to an EU country.
Good luck,
Raoul
I have recently decided that I want to change my career a little. I am an English Language Arts teacher for a public school in NY. I want to teach English overseas. What the heck should I do first? Does my U.S. teaching experience help me at all? Should I take one of the ESL courses that I see all over the web? I would like to start out in South America, but I would like to make enough to save a little money. Teaching in Spain is a dream, but I know it is hard to find a job there. Can someone with more knowledge and experience in the field of ESL please offer me their advice. Thank you for your time. 
-Erin