TEFL teachers out there?

Old Aug 13th, 2006, 09:32 PM
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TEFL teachers out there?

Hello all,
I'm planning on taking the TEFL certification courses this year after my graduation and before my move abroad. Does anyone out there have any inspiring tales, tales of woe, or reality checks for me? I realize the pay in the beginning may be dismal but I'm not planning on it being my life's work, only another step for me on the way to a career in International Relations and Education. As long as it's enough to pay the rent, even if barely......that's ok. Any experiences of anyone out there will be great info for me to ponder
cheers
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 01:18 AM
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Hi! I`ve been working in TEFL for almost ten years. The place where you work is the most important factor, the school or college or Uni`, city or village, the country. The job varies greatly.

Try to enjoy it at the beginning and don`t worry too much if you don`t know grammar, just write up example sentences and tell them you`ll find out the rules for the next week. The same goes for spelling, write up what you think and then ask someone to check the spelling. Some students will love you and others will hate you, over time you`ll develop your own style that suits your persoanlity.
The bbc web site for learner has great materials and the British council does too.
Enjoy!
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 02:37 AM
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ttt
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 03:22 AM
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Where do you plan to teach? In all the popular cities, it's unlikely that you'll be able to support yourself from teaching alone. You can make a lot more in less desirable locales … but they are less desirable locales.
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 06:01 AM
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I am not sure I agree completely with Anthony. It really depends on the place where you work, and how hard you are prepared to look for work. Over time you can build up your range of contacts and that makes a big difference too. Don`t go into it for the money though!
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 06:27 AM
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My son did it for a while after taking a certification course in Prague. One of the issues is where you are from. As a US citizen he found it much more difficult to land palcements in central/eastern Europe than did his fellow teachers from the UK. One of the issues was the immense amount of paperwork involved for the hiring school when the employee was a US citizen rather than a citizen of the EU.
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 06:39 AM
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I agree with Anthony. You won't make much money and the major cities are expensive, especially for housing. You'll be fine if you don't have to depend solely on your teaching pay.

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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 12:35 PM
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I taught in Rome for 5-months but had to return to the US as I was not financially prepared. Make sure you have more than enough money for the unexpected. I had to move late one night when my landlady suddenly decided she didn't want tenants.

Good luck. It is not always easy but well worth the experience!
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 12:47 PM
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Are you an American citizen? Do you have a teaching certificate issued by a state (PA, NY, NJ, CA, etc.)? If you do, you can apply through the Dept. of Defense to work as a teacher on a military base overseas. A friend's daughter worked as a teacher on a base in Korea for three years.

What about the Peace Corps.? They are always looking for bright talented people.

Christine
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Old Aug 14th, 2006, 10:30 PM
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I'm a UK and US citizen so the paperworks not an issue. However, I do realize that some folks want British English or American English specifically so obvious in British English cases I wouldn't be much help as I've never lived in Britain. I have heard that the pay is awful but as long as it pays the rent I'd be ok. I'm curious as to how many hours you can expect to work in most teaching jobs. Would it leave enough time for another job?
I'd love to hear stories from people and what countries they worked in, how much they made, etc.
oh, Christine,
yes the peacecorps is a great option as they TEFL train you as well as teach you the language of the country where you will be. In addition the student loan payoff and resume booster is great. However, at 26 I'm just not willing to sign away two years. sigh. if only I'd done that at 22 perhaps.............
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Old Aug 15th, 2006, 03:11 AM
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Winesavvy, you are at such a crossroads. But heck, is there really that much difference between 22 and 26? Four years over the course of 80 or so won't really "delay" you! You are really so young, and if you don't have commitments here, I'd just go for it! I've heard that many US colleges hire TEFL certified teachers to help their foreign students, and also to recruit them. You having dual citizenship, and having lived (and taught) in Europe, could only help in any career path later. I would think it would be great for "International Relations" in both education and global corporations. I hope you get some one to respond with more definitive experience. Have you posted on other websites or chat rooms (perhaps those catering more to teachers/education rather than travel) ? Good Luck! And best wishes for success. Please post back with your decision and experiences.


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Old Aug 15th, 2006, 03:59 AM
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In the more popular cities, teaching English will not pay the rent. You may be able to find a chambre de bonne that someone will rent to you under the table (rent in cash, no protection, no lease), but that's about it.

The pay does not improve over time, either.
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Old Aug 15th, 2006, 04:07 AM
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Hi Anthony, I'm interested to know if you have been a TEFL teacher in Europe? (I asked the same question on the other threas as well). Just curious as you have what sounds like strong opinions based on some kind of direct experience.
 
Old Aug 15th, 2006, 04:11 AM
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Paris. If you teach English in Paris with no other source of income, you'll starve. It's as simple as that. Those who do it tend to be students who already have some other means of support, married people with a spouse who has a decent job, and people who do other types of work and need scheduling flexibility and a bit of extra money.

The work is enjoyable if you like to teach, it just doesn't pay much. Don't be surprised if you clear only €600 or so a month. A decent apartment in Paris will cost you perhaps €350-€400 (a very small apartment), and you may not be able to rent one anyway if you are being paid by the hour (today many rental agencies require that you have a salaried job with a fixed, guaranteed monthly income).

I don't know if the situation is as bad in other cities, but I presume that the cities where everyone wants to be are just as bad. In contrast, I know people who have taught in the Third World or in other places where not too many Anglophones like to go, and they earn more than enough to live on, although they don't get rich. A small town in Thailand isn't quite the same as London, Paris, or Rome, however.

None of this is new. George Orwell nearly starved in Paris trying to teach English, too, and that was back in the 1920s (and he certainly knew English well, so he was qualified).

On the bright side (?), many schools hire continuously, since turnover is enormous. Look at the FUSAC newspaper to find open positions in Paris; there are always plenty.
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Old Aug 15th, 2006, 05:14 AM
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My son taught in Lithuania although he'd had offers from Turkey, Poland & Korea. The first position was the most difficult for him to find as he had no experience other than that TEFL course he had completed. As far as the first position, his thought was that he'd take just about anything to get some experience. He made enough to live on (just barely), but certainly not enough to save anything or have any extra cash. He also ended up changing positions within Lithuania several times because of enrollment fluctuations in the places he was teaching and the need for the school to support a work visa for him. He actually didn't work that many hours per week and had a lot of free time. But, that also became old because there wasn't all that much to do where he was teaching. By the time the teaching was over, he had about enough for a plane ticket back to the US and then had to move in back home with us for a while so he could earn some money.
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Old Aug 18th, 2006, 06:52 PM
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Hello WS,

I think Europe is a lot different from Japan and Korea at least. I have been in Japan for four years and it has been lovely. The area is beautiful, near the mountains and the sea. My boss is very professional and the school has a wonderful atmosphere. I have complete freedom to make my own lessons.

Here you can easily make 1500 pounds a month working a twenty hour week in a private language school, add privates to that (around 15 pounds an hour) and it is comfortable. If you go to one of the big schools like Nova, they will handle everything for you but the pay will drop considerably, as will your freedom in every sense of the word. Having said that, it`s an easy way to start but a small school might help you a lot in a small place.

In the future, if you have a masters, or are a bit lucky you can work in a university and can earn 50 pounds per class. The British Council also pays well.

I would recommend going somewhere with some savings and visit as many schools as possible to find out what`s on offer. You can do a surprising amount of research just on the internet. There are many options. Find out when the schools employ aswell.

I had a wonderful experience in London, but again I worked for a good school. I think another problem in Europe is that students don`t study all year round as they do in Asia. They quality of the job really depends on the place where you work and your possibilities improve with experience. If you go to London you won`t have the chance to learn another language either.
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