Teach English in Colombia, Interview with Colin Post

How long have you been teaching English in Colombia?

Almost one year.

Please tell us about your job?

I work for an institute at the high end of the English industry here in Colombia. The institute charges companies top dollar and sends us to busy professionals’ offices for classes early in the morning or after their workday. Most classes are at multinationals you’d know. My hours are very irregular, rarely keeping the same schedule from one month to the next. But it pays well and I never teach more than 20 hours a week.

How did you find your first teaching job?

I found my institute through a referral from a gringa at the same hostel. I didn’t have an English-teaching job before arriving.

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

If you’re a native speaker, it will be difficult NOT teaching English. In other words, very easy.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

I imagine it depends on the country and the institute. I was TESOL-certified and that helped me get on where I am, but you can teach English with no training if you’re a native speaker.

How did you get your first work visa?

My institute sponsored mine.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

That’s what I did. Tourist visas in Colombia are limited to six months per calendar year.

What is the cost of living in Bogota?

I pay $300 / month in rent, average restaurant meal costs $3, going out can run the gamut depending on your scene. The most expensive beer in town is $3.

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

Save? Teaching English? HAHA!

Are there many opportunities to earn income on the side?

I offer web development and e-marketing services, I have an import deal from Peru, I do freelance writing, and I actually launched my own English language business: Bogota English Immersions.

Do you recommend Colombia for other English teachers?

Students are friendly, life is great. Crime may be higher than many are willing to tolerate. The catch-22 is that I highly recommend Colombia but I don’t want it to be flooded with gringos.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

Pull the trigger.

How long do you plan on staying in Colombia?

At least another few years, maybe my whole life.

LINKS
Expat-Chronicles Colin’s blog about life in Colombia
Follow Colin Post on Twitter

English Teaching Jobs in Colombia

Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan

How long have you been teaching English in Korea?

Just over 10 months ago. My wife and I started in early March 2009.

How did you find your first teaching job?

On the internet. There are several websites (Dave’s ESL Cafe) dedicated to providing job postings for teachers from schools and recruiters.

We initially dealt with a recruiter who was helpful in explaining the process and helping us prepare all the paperwork, but we eventually found the school through another recruiter and negotiated a contract about 6 weeks before our departure.

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

I found it very easy at the time. There were plenty of opportunities, but we were patient and interviewed with 15-20 different recruiters and schools before settling on our eventual destination. We received at least 10 offers but were very specific about salary, working conditions and location so we wanted to wait for the right fit.

I understand that it’s a little bit harder to find a good job as there’s been an influx of new teachers who are fleeing North America during the current economic downturn. Also, many of the current teachers here are opting to renew or extend their contracts instead of returning home to uncertain job prospects.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

No, I have no formal training or teaching certificates. My wife is a certified teacher so it certainly helps and will garner a higher salary, but as long as you have university degree and your native tongue is English, most schools will give you consideration.

How did you get your first work visa?

The school arranged all of this for us. We had to go to the Korean consulate in Canada to finalize some paperwork and an informal interview, but most of it was just procedural. I recommend getting all of your documentation in order prior to beginning the job search so that there isn’t any delay once you find a school you’re comfortable with.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

I believe so. Sometimes schools hire teachers but can’t get all the Visa documentation finalized before the start of the school year. So they bring the Teacher to Korea on a tourist Visa and then once the work Visa is ready, they ship the teacher to Japan for 48 hours and bring them back in order for the work Visa to take effect. This is commonly referred to as a “Visa-run” and I know several people who have done it. The school pays for everything in the cases I’ve been privy to.

What is the cost of living in Korea?

In my experience, most schools will pay for your accommodation. I highly recommend asking for pictures and description of the dwelling and to speak or correspond with current teachers at the school to ensure that they are provided with appropriate living quarters.

The cost of living is actually quite cheap compared to North America. Most restaurants are dirt cheap compared to back home and there’s no shortage or eating options, especially in our neighbourhood.

It helps to live with someone else and share certain costs or being able to buy food in bulk without having it go bad, but I know certain individuals who are smart with their money and are able to live comfortably and still save money to send home for other expenses (student loans) and put into savings.

My wife and I have actually been able to able to live off just one of our salaries for the entire year and put the other salary in savings to use for our 3-month long trip at the end of our contract. We have  been more frugal than we are accustomed to  living back in North America but still go out to eat a couple times a week and enjoy at least one night out at the bar with friends during the week as well. Others aren’t as disciplined and live paycheck to paycheck but saving money is very possible.

Do you recommend Korea for other English teachers?

Yes. My expectations have been exceeded and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of our experience. The students are very respectful for the most part and our working and living conditions have been favourable.

What do you love and hate about Korea?

I don’t really hate anything about it. Sometimes it can be frustrating not being able to communicate with strangers or being starred at on the subway, but these are small petty things that you have to expect coming in.

I like most of the food. I admire the pride and work ethic of the Korean people and their rise from virtual poverty as a nation. I like living in central Asian country that has allowed us to take trips to China, Japan, Taiwan and all over Korea for much much less than it would cost coming from North America.

I love the friends I’ve made with both the foreign and Korean people that I’ve met here and throughout our travels abroad. I love going to Korean baseball games for less than $5 and drinking beers that cost less than $2, not to mention being able to drink anywhere you want whenever you want.

Some of the public bathrooms can be pretty nasty and people have less regard for personal space here, but once again, petty differences that shouldn’t deter someone from the benefits of the overall experience.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

Do as much research as possible and familiarize yourself with Korean culture and etiquette prior to arrival. Don’t obsess and compare everything to how things are done back home. Be respectful of their cultural differences and embrace them as best you can.

With patience and the right attitude, you’ll have no problem getting comfortable and integrating yourself into their society.

How long to you plan on staying in Korea?

Two more months. We signed a one year contract and will be traveling for three months throughout Southeast Asia and Europe before returning home to Toronto in June 2010.

Links
An Asian Odyssey Jordan Lunan’s Blog

English teaching jobs in Korea
Information on teaching English in Korea

Teach English in France, Interview with Roni Weiss

How long have you been teaching English in France?

I have two jobs currently. One is as an English language assistant in the French public schools. The other is in a school teaching Business English. I started the first job on October 1st, which is the start date for everyone for that job. I started the second job during the first week of December. My first time working in France was last summer.

Please tell us about your jobs?

Language assistant: I work in two middle schools in Vaulx-en-Velin, which is in the Lyon metro area. In theory, I work 12 hours a week. In reality, this fluctuates (meaning, sometimes it is less) if teachers have tests, etc. I have a lot of vacation, actually.

My vacation schedule: Oct 24-Nov 5, Dec 19-Jan 4, Feb 13-Mar 1 and Apr 10-Apr 26.

Vaulx-en-Velin does not have a great reputation. In 1990, they burnt the city down. My students are mostly of North and Central African descent. It has been an interesting adjustment, but after a few weeks, I found my groove. I work with kids ages 12-16.

The main way to get this job is via a big application process that you mail to the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Another way is to be a local recruit, in which case you need to contact the local Academie (equivalent of a school district) directly.

Business English: I just started, but what I can say is that they have proven themselves to be very flexible, so far. They asked me when I could work and have yet to pressure me to add more hours than I am comfortable with. My students are business people at multinational companies. So far, it is very similar to the job I had in Chile, with the exception that classes can be up to 3 hours with one student at one time. Most of my classes are one-on-one, while a few are multiple people.

Have you taught English in other countries?

I have taught English in 4 different countries (in chronological order): Italy, Taiwan, France and Chile. I have found all of my jobs via the internet, with the exception of my current English Assistantship job, which was something that many people in my English immersion camp job had been doing and recommended.

My jobs in Italy, Taiwan and initially in France were all in English immersion camps. My job in Chile was my first time professionally teaching English to adults.

It was interesting how vastly different the English immersion camps were in the 3 different countries.

Italy: There were a group of native English speakers that worked with the Site Director to come up with a schedule, part of which involved a final performance by the kids. There was no set curriculum, but everyone went through a 5-day training course at the beginning which gave us a sense of what they wanted the program to look like. We had cheers and songs that we taught the kids every day. As English Tutors, we usually lived with host families, but sometimes lived in other situations, such as the company apartment in the outskirts of Milan or a shared room in a bed and breakfast. One important note was that this was a day camp. We ate lunch with the kids. We were done with camp before dinner.

Taiwan: This was also a day camp, but the English Assistants were put up at hotels and taken via taxi to the camp. This was my only immersion job where the kids (only at the highest level) were not allowed to speak their native language to one another. The curriculum was more set. We had classes in the morning, lunch, then a group activity, such as a mock-exercise involving the kids booking a ticket and taking an airplane.

France: In this job, every day had a theme centered around the US, such as “Wild West and Native American Day”. This is the only camp where we had “camp names”, which we decided. (Mine is ‘Ace’.) This is a residential camp. We live at the site with the kids. There are 3 different types of counselors. ESL counselors, who run 2 hours of classes in the morning, Activites Counselors, who run 2 hours and 45 minutes of activities in the afternoon and Daily Life Counselors, who are fluent in French and oversee the kids during bedtime, wakeup, teeth brushing, etc. We eat meals with the kids, making sure they are using English to ask for items, etc. In addition to the above schedule, we also have Congress, which is where the kids see skits, learn songs and cheers and hear about the day’s schedule. There is also an Evening Activity, which is a camp-wide event, usually some sort of competition.

In all of the jobs, I have worked with a lot of people that don’t seem to know what they are in for. Camp life is a lot different from ‘normal’ life. A lot happens, quickly. It helps to really like kids and to truly be flexible to be able to succeed at an English immersion camp.

How did you find your first teaching job?

I found my first job the way I’ve found most, via the internet. My sites of choice have been eslcafe.com and tefl.com. I know other people that like seriousteachers.com and anyjobanywhere.com

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

I have found it fairly easy to find jobs that I want. I have only been rejected once, which was for the JET program in Japan, which seems to be at least as competitive as they claim, if not more so, based on the rejection of myself and others that I know. It is even easier if you’re willing to work anywhere. South Korea, China and SE Asia in general have no shortage of jobs. South America is pretty chock-full, as well. Contract lengths vary. My current job is the longest contract I have taken (with a contract of Oct-Apr). Year-long contracts are the norm in a lot of places, but I have always found ways around it.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

I was trained for 5 days during my initial orientation at my first job in Italy. That TEFL training has taken me through all of my positions. At this point, I have built up enough experience that I think I could get most jobs that I am interested in. I do not have a teaching certificate back home. I don’t have a CELTA or any other sort of TEFL certificate. My bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington are in English (with a Literature Emphasis) and Drama.

How did you get your first work visa?

I have only gotten one work visa, and that is with my current position working for the Ministry of Education of the French government. I have always had contracts. I have never looked too hard at how legitimately they fit into the myriad tax codes of the local government. All of my jobs have been explained to me as reasonably official. In Chile, I was in the process of getting a work visa, a process that was not completed before I left, although I was required to do various paperwork.

It used to be that you could not get outside work while working as an English language assistant in France, but they changed that within the past couple of years.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a  job?

It depends on how official one wants to be. There are plenty of teachers that do tutoring under the table. In Western Europe, I don’t think one will have much luck with just showing up (in regard to getting a totally official job). In Southeast Asia or South America, I think you would be fairly welcomed. It is more a matter of how comfortable one would feel showing up with no guaranteed income and the potential to be paid in a less than legitimate fashion.

Are you an EU citizen?

I am not an EU citizen. My grandmother was born in Poland. I have tried to get EU/Polish citizenship via that, to no avail.

Are teachers without an EU visa at a disadvantage?

Teachers without an EU visa are at a great disadvantage. That doesn’t make it impossible, as my experience proves. English immersion camps and the French Assistantship program are good methods.

What is the cost of living in France?

Wow, as for cost of living, I am the totally wrong guy to ask. I spend as little as possible and I got fairly lucky with housing (after a month and a half of not having somewhere permanent to live and moving around to 12 different places). I live in the Lyon area, but not exactly close to where I work. A bus ride to a metro to another metro to another bus is how I get to school. It takes me about an hour. I pay 49 Euros a month for a dorm room in a high school. My understanding is that the only way I have this is because I work in the assistantship program. If I were to have shared a room in an apartment, it seemed like 250-300 Euros was a going rate. Depending on the situation, one might be eligible for government assistance (CAF), which is a higher amount for people under 26. Students also have more options for housing.

I don’t drink alcohol, so I can’t speak to how much drinks really are. Nor do I eat at restaurants. In the end, I generally am saving up money, while others seem to be spending a lot of it going out. My expenses:

• Rent 49 Euros
• Metro card; 22 Euros for students, 46 Euros for others
• Groceries run me; 40-60 Euros a week, but I probably could be eating a lot cheaper than that.

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

Saving really depends person-to-person. I make 780 Euros (give or take) after tax for the Assistant job. Rates at private English language institutes seem to range from 9-15 Euros an hour. Private lessons seem to be 10-20 Euros an hour, depending on a variety of factors.

Do you recommend France for other English teachers?

I would highly recommend teaching English in France. The lifestyle is a lot different than the States or Canada, which some people take for granted. It definitely requires adjustment. The students vary greatly. At the immersion camp, they are mostly kids from wealthy families, with at least half from the Paris area. In the assistantship job, it varies greatly, depending on placement.

Business students tend to be more similar from country to country, with cultural differences sometimes coming into play.

How long to you plan on staying there?

I will finish my Assistant contract at the end of April. After that, I will work at the English immersion camp through the end of July. Depending on circumstances, I might return to either try the assistantship job again or continue my work with the Business English school.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

My biggest piece of advice for teaching English abroad is to figure out what you are doing it for. If it’s for the money, definitely don’t do immersion camp. If you need to have a certain lifestyle, don’t settle for a country that won’t provide that. If you really don’t like kids, don’t work with them. There are plenty of ways to teach English abroad without working with kids.

Know exactly what you’re getting into before you go. Ask any question you may have before committing to a job. And always contact other people that have done the job, to know what it’s like from the perspective of someone that was where you once were. Look over your contract very carefully, knowing if you are required to go to meetings or do paperwork. Know about your overtime and what days, and hours of the day they will be having you work.

Once you get there, use whatever resources you may have at your disposal. Ask people for help if you need it or if you’re confused about something. Don’t suffer in silence. Don’t accept random changes that you never agreed to.

Most importantly: Don’t give up too quickly. If you arrive somewhereand it’s difficult, that’s normal. If you’re really, really miserableand feel like you’ve done everything you can, don’t force yourself to stay. With all the times I’ve moved and all the different jobs I’ve had, I still give myself a 2 month adjustment time. Sometimes things go quicker, but sometimes it takes that long. It took about 2 months for me to settle into my current situation and now I’m starting to feel like I’m thriving.

Links
RoniWeiss.com
Follow Roni on Twitter
Roni On Location His video travel show on YouTube
Roni’s Facebook Fan Page
Email Roni at roni@dontworry.tv
French Assistantship Job

Information on Teaching English in France

Teach English in Korea, Simon and Martina Stawski from EatYourKimchi.com

How long have you been teaching English in Korea?

We’ve been teaching in Korea now for a year and a half.

Have you taught English in other countries?

We taught English in two high schools and one elementary school in Canada. This was during our practicum for our Bachelor’s of Education. It was much different than what we teach now, because here we’re teaching the basics of conversation while there we worked with students who already knew English, and were already conversationally competent. So, apart from the obvious proficiency difference, the biggest differences are the class sizes here (40, compared to roughly 26 in Canada) and the lesson planning prep time. Here I’ll make two lessons, one for every grade, and teach them for a week, which adds up to two lesson plans a week, essentially. Back in Canada, we had to make two to three different lesson plans PER DAY! It was intense. We’d stay up until 3AM every night trying to make decent lessons. So the workload is much lighter here, and the quality of sleep is muuuuuuch greater.

How did you find your first teaching job?

We attended a presentation during a workshop day for teachers while at Teacher’s College. Different representatives from different districts came by to give presentations to prospective teachers, and among them was a small recruiting agency. We listened to this recruiting agency talk about teaching in Korea. We spoke with them for a bit after the presentation, and then got job offers immediately. It was a very bizarre experience.

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

Well, for us it was exceptionally easy. Step 1) Sit through a presentation. Step 2) Talk to the presenters afterwards. Step 3) Get offered a job. I can’t say what it will be like for others, because we haven’t really looked for any other positions since. We were placed in two good schools and we haven’t thought about finding jobs elsewhere. We have looked into this for other people, though, since we get many emails about how to become a teacher in Korea. And so we made a video, which we call “How to Become a Teacher in Korea,” in which we outline the difference between public schools and after school programs, as well as what recruiting agency you should go through. Essentially, we suggest that you teach in Public schools, and that you go through Korvia Consulting.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

It’s not necessary, but it’s very, VERY helpful. You’ll have your “Teacher Voice” which will do you a world of good in a class full of 40 students, and you’ll also have a better sense of how to prepare lessons. Many schools – from what I’ve heard – will simply put you in your class and say “teach!” and the experience can be overwhelming if you haven’t had teaching experience beforehand.

How did you get your first work visa?

We got it through our recruiters. They told us to fill out some paperwork and mail it to them. We did as we were told and, voila! Visa in hand. Getting the paperwork done was a bit of a hassle, because we had to get criminal record checks, notarized copies of our degrees, have an interview at the Korean Consulate in Toronto, have a health check in Canada and then another in Korea after we arrived. What makes this process a bit easier is that your recruiter should give you a checklist of things you need, so you won’t have to do the research yourself. Just complete the list and you’re good.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

I’m not too sure about that, so I don’t want to give a definite answer about this. I know of someone who was between jobs in Korea for a couple of months, and surely his Visa must have expired by then, so I’d assume it’s possible to be in Korea without a Visa, then find a job and get a Visa for it afterwards.

What is the cost of living in Korea?

God! So cheap! Our rent is covered by our schools (and our place is totally awesome as well!). Taxis cost us an average of 5 bucks or so. The subway starts at 90 cents and charges you for distance, but the most we’ve ever paid (for a two hour subway ride) was something like a buck fifty! Can you believe it! Compare this to the TTC we’re used to in Toronto, which is charging something close to three bucks! Absurd! Otherwise, we can eat for anywhere from 2 bucks if we’re feeling cheap or 20 bucks if we’re feeling lavish. The only things that are more expensive, we’ve found, is fruit and clothing. Watermelons can set you back 12 bucks. Yes. 12 bucks. They are the most delicious watermelons I’ve ever tasted, though, so quality over quantity wins out here. Also, clothing is more expensive. Levis jeans will set you back over 100 bucks. I’m not joking.

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

That really depends on your saving habits, but it is definitely very easy to save money here. We live very comfortably, eat out every day, take the taxis whenever we want to, and still send back half of our paycheques. I think our situation might be a bit misleading, though: I’m sure if we could fit into the clothing here, we’d be sending back a lot less. We really like Korea’s fashion sense, but we both don’t really fit into Korean clothes. It’s heartbreaking, but good for saving money.

Do you recommend Korea for other English teachers?

I highly, highly recommend Korea for other English teachers. We love it here. We’re staying another year, as soon as our contracts expire in June. Teaching presents different challenges than what we were used to as teachers in Canada, but it’s still a lot less work (did I mention I don’t have to mark any homework or tests? Yeah: no homework or tests). As well, since we were teachers in Canada, teaching English is a very useful experience for us if we ever go back. Since Canada has a very high immigration population, I feel like we can much better understand the students in Canada who are struggling because of the language, and I feel like we will be better teachers for them now as a result.

What do you love and hate about Korea?

This isn’t something that I hate about Korea as much as I find it a bit disappointing: as a teacher in Canada, I was able to communicate with my students much better, to joke with them more. Here, I can’t speak with my students as much as I’d like to. There’s a big bridge between us. The more I pick up on Korean the smaller that bridge will become, but right now the ability to joke with my students is something I sorely miss. As for the stuff I love, the list is huge, but I think my number one choice is the streetfood. I have no clue how we will be able to go on without it.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

I think it depends on how long you have before your planned teaching stint. If you want to go in a few years, and want to prepare yourself for it in the meanwhile, I think the best things you can do is a) pick up some teaching experience and b) learn the language beforehand. I think that would make things much easier for you. If you don’t have the time to put into getting teaching experience, I’d still suggest learning the language. It’s something I kinda regret not putting enough effort into beforehand.

How long to you plan on staying in Korea?

We still don’t know. When our contracts expire in June we plan on re-signing with our schools, so that means we’re here for at least another year and a half. What started out as “oh, we’ll teach for a year and then go back” has now become a three-year plan. Maybe more. Who knows. What we do know is that we’re enjoying our time in Korea far more than we ever imagined we would, and we have far more reasons to stay here than to leave.

EatYourKimchi Simon and Martina’s Blog
Follow EatYourKimchi on Twitter
Simon and Martina on YouTube
Eat-Your-Kimchi on Facebook

More Information on Teaching English in Korea
English Teaching Jobs in Korea

Teach English in Vietnam, Interview with Sherry Ott

How long did you teach English in Vietnam?

I taught English there for 1 year – all in and around Ho Chi Minh City. I held a couple of different teaching jobs – one in an English Language School and one private job at a factory teaching business English.

Have you taught English in other countries?

Sort of. I did volunteer work teaching English in Delhi, India and in a small village in Nepal. This was before I had any ‘formal’ training on how to teach English – so it was a rather haphazard. I didn’t really know what I was doing and like most volunteering gigs it didn’t have many resources to work with. You had to be really creative!

How did you find your first teaching job?

Six months before I arrived, I secured the job with ILA Vietnam, one of the large English Language Schools in Vietnam, After I finished my CELTA certification in the US, I wasn’t ready to leave the US right away. However I subscribed to daily email newsletters such as TEFL.com joblink daily. It lists vacancies which range from immediate to 6 months out by country. There was an opening at ILA Vietnam and it had various start dates in the future, so I contacted them and sent my resume. They sent me some pre-interview work which basically asked me to prepare a lesson plan. I sent them back the lesson plan I prepared and then had an interview on skype and was offered a position. They didn’t mind that I couldn’t start for 6 months – so it worked out perfectly.

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

I’ve only done the job search once and I have to admit it seemed rather easy because I wanted to work in Asia. There are lots of teaching opportunities in Asia. Plus – when I received my CELTA certification I did really well and passed with an above average mark; therefore schools seemed to be very eager to speak with me. I am also older than your average ESL teacher. I’m 39 and had been working in corporate business for most of my career, so I think that was appealing to potential employers too. I interviewed with a couple of schools – one in Vietnam and one in Prague and had job offers from both of them.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

In my opinion – it really, really helps. Most of the big schools in Vietnam require a CELTA or TEFL certificate. However – you can find some more ‘local’ type schools that will simply hire you if you are a native speaker. The problem is that it’s hard to learn about the more ‘local’ schools prior to arriving there. If you arrive in Vietnam and give yourself a month or so to find a job – then you can probably find some places that don’t require a certificate, you just need time to make some contacts and get to know the city.

How did you get your first work visa?

Well, I technically never had a work visa in Vietnam. Vietnam is a country where you can work pretty easily on a tourist visa and simply have it renewed from time to time. I know people that have been there for over 3 years working on a tourist visa! However – if you get a job with a bigger school such as ILA, then they will take care of the visa for you. You will initially come over on a tourist visa with their assistance, and then they will apply for a work permit on your behalf. It took about 6 months for me to actually get my work permit – so it’s not too strict!

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

Yes – absolutely. You can come in on a 3 or 6 month tourist visa and then find a job that fits you once you are there and make some contacts. If you are the type of person that can live with uncertainty – then I totally recommend that. You make a much more informed decision once you’ve lived in the city for a few weeks or a month!

What is the cost of living in Vietnam?

You can live quite nicely with a monthly salary of $1200 to $1500. You will most likely live with a roommate – but you can also live alone if you want for a bit more. With a roommate, a furnished apartment will cost about $300 to $500. Food can vary depending on if you shop at a local outdoor market or an expat grocery store. If you like fresh produce then go to the local markets and you can buy seafood and produce for a complete dinner for less than $10. However, if you don’t like to take the time to cook for yourself – then there are many great cheap restaurant options that will also run you about $10 for dinner and a beer! Beer is normally $1. If you want to be brave and rent a motorbike (which I totally recommend!) it will cost about $50 to $70 a month for your own motorbike. Medical costs are also much cheaper then in the western world and insurance is easy and cheap to get. I basically lived quite comfortably on a small salary which is why so many people stay in Vietnam for much longer than a year!

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

One great thing about working in Vietnam was that you could actually save money. This was one of the reasons why I chose Vietnam over Prague. Plus – it’s really easy and fun to travel around the area for very little money. Thanks to some additional freelance work that I did and house-sitting when other expats went home for the summer – I was able to save about $3000. This was after I made trips to Mongolia, Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Philippines, and places within Vietnam. Other teachers I knew also saved a similar amount and also did a great deal of travel around the area.

Do you recommend Vietnam for other English teachers?

Yes, I would recommend it to other teachers. However, you do have to be comfortable with living in a developing country and you have to be pretty independent. So – if you know that you like developing/challenging environments – then it can be a really rewarding experience.

The good: low cost of living, amazing food choices, great travel around the area, beach is a short 2 hr trip away, very strong culture to explore, fun expat community and lots of good live music. The bad: pollution, traffic, rainy season can be challenging, no pedestrian rights, difficult to walk anywhere in the city, no good public transportation (only taxis), no art scene and few museums.

The students are pretty good to teach, yet the teenagers seem a bit immature, but that seems pretty typical in most Asian countries. I usually taught adults. My biggest complaint about the students is that they were frequently late and they seldom did homework assignments on time.

What do you love and hate about Vietnam?

I really loved the food – there was such a variety of food and everything was great! I also loved driving a motorbike there in the heart of the city. At first it was terrifying – but once you got the hang of it, it was so much fun – even in the rain! Overall, I loved the freedom that you had – there are very few rules in Vietnam and if there are rules, they are seldom followed! Hate is a strong word – but Vietnam certainly had many challenges. I was a single woman in my upper 30’s – one of the worst demographics to be in Vietnam. It was a real challenge to live there solo at times. I hated the fact that you were unable to really relax when you were walking on the sidewalk – there were always motorbikes driving on the sidewalks or parked on the sidewalks – you could never take your guard down. The pollution was also really tough. I’m an athletic person and tried to run outside for the first few months – however I quickly found that it was about impossible thanks to the lack of room on the sidewalks and the lack of public park space.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

I think you really have to examine why you want to live abroad. Do you want to make money, do you want to explore a culture, do you want to strengthen your CV? Teaching English is really fun and can be really rewarding; it’s a super way to delve into a country and a culture. However – I personally feel like you have to be a really strong, independent, and an adventuresome person – especially if you choose a developing country to work in. I was looking for a challenge – and I found it in Vietnam. However with most challenges – if you can overcome them and make it successful – it is super rewarding.

Links
OttsWorld Read about Sherry’s teaching and living in Vietnam at her blog
Pictures of Ho Chi Minh City at her photography site
Photography of Vietnam Motorbike Culture
BriefcaseToBackpack Sherry’s Travel and Career Break site
Follow Sherry Ott on Twitter

More Information on Teaching English in Vietnam
English Teaching Jobs in Vietnam

English Teacher in Taiwan, Tina Wu

How long have you been teaching English in Taiwan?

I have been teaching English since August 2008, so a little bit over a year.

How did you find your first teaching job?

Back when I was still in the States and trying to make contacts here in Taiwan, I emailed many schools and a place called Asian Consultants International. Some of them didn’t respond, and some of them told me to contact them again when I arrived in Taiwan for openings at that time. So when I arrived, I emailed Julie Teng again, through ACI. Her company is to help schools find English teachers, and so she helped me to find interviews at schools that fit me and also had what I was looking for. All I had to do was to go to the interviews and accept  the school that I wanted.

There are some companies who do similar things, and they require a consultant’s fee which is usually 10% of the first month’s salary. But through ACI, the fee was paid by the school I accepted.

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

It was pretty difficult in the beginning, especially trying to find teaching positions while still in the US because most schools wanted to meet in person immediately, or they needed someone right away. They were also really bad with responding to emails right away. I later learned that making phone calls and showing up in person are definitely more effective than emails. However, once I arrived in Taiwan, I used websites such as tealit.com and esl99.com to find listings. ACI was also very helpful. I was able to obtain interviews rather quickly and within a couple of weeks of landing in Taiwan, I had accepted a position.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

Teaching certificates are not required when teaching at bushibans (the private after-school programs) in Taiwan. Some schools would prefer work experience, however, most of them seemed to require only a bachelor’s degree and a native English accent.

How did you get your first work visa?

I did not need one since I am a Taiwanese citizen. However, my roommate last year obtained hers rather quickly and efficiently through the school she was working at. My understanding so far is that the schools will issue one for those who need it upon hire.

Have their been any benefits or problems with being a Taiwanese American?

Some benefits are definitely not having to worry about work visas and paying the ridiculous amounts of taxes foreigners have to pay. Some problems are that there are some schools that are strictly looking for Caucasians in their teaching positions (Why? I still haven’t quite figured it out yet.) so getting hired by them is quite impossible. Also, if you do get hired at a school, you have to pretend to not know any Chinese!

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

Yes, very possible. My roommate last year showed up without one, found a job within a couple of weeks using the websites mentioned before, and her work issued her a visa. She entered on a visitor’s visa which was good for 30 days, so as long as she found a job within 30 days, there were no problems.

What is the cost of living in Taiwan?

Rent would probably average about $10,000NT ($311USD) a person including bills, maybe a little less if there are roommates involved. Food is relatively cheap. A simple meal from a roadside vendor can range from $50-$100NT ($1.55 – $3.11USD). Although, one would expect to eat out more often because most studio apartments here do not have kitchens. Going out on a weekend night can range from $500-$2000NT ($15.55 – $62.20USD), depending on the location and costs of drinks/meals. Most covers at clubs/bars tend to be around $700-$1000NT  ($21.77 – $31.10USD).

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

The typical salary for an English teacher is $50,000-$60,0000NT ($1555 – $1866USD). After food, bills, entertainment expenses, one can expect to save about $20,000 – $30,000NT ($622 – $933USD) a month.

Do you recommend Taiwan for other English teachers?

I definitely recommend Taiwan to other English teachers. The students are pretty easy to teach. Most of them are pretty well-mannered and genuinely want to study English. The quality of life is excellent, especially in a big city like Taipei. For those city-lovers, Taipei is definitely the place to be. And on an English teacher’s salary, you could live quite comfortably in Taiwan. Public transportation is also clean and easy to navigate, so you can get anywhere without trouble. There are also signs in English, so you wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost either.

What do you love and hate about Taiwan?

In Taipei, I love that there’s always something to do, somewhere to go, a diverse group of people to meet, and endless amounts of food and shopping here. The other cities in Taiwan, as well as the coasts, are close by and could easily be made in one-day or weekend-trips so there’s so much to explore around the island.

I hate that Taiwan is so far away from the US, and the plane rides are 13+ hours just to go home.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

Bring at least $1000USD to hold you over before you finally get a job. Come with an open mind, especially when trying some of the local food. Sometimes, the locals can make you feel like an outsider with the stares and the “Oh, you sound like you’re American,” comments, but most importantly, that it’s important to try to adapt and learn a little bit to be able to somewhat understand and fully experience the local culture. Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on your basic grammar and phonics rules that you’ve forgotten you learned way back in elementary school.

How long to you plan on staying in Taiwan?

As of right now, maybe a few more years, but I thought I was only staying for a year when I arrived, and now I’m going on two. So I’m really not quite sure yet.

Thailand English Teacher, Amanda Dorough

How long have you been teaching English in Thailand?

A year and a half. I came in on a one year contract and I loved it so much I signed on for another year.

How did you find your first teaching job?

I had never planned to teach. Even more than that I had no desire to teach. Then, a few months after I graduated from college, something changed. I had a some friends that were teaching at different schools in Thailand and the more I read their blogs and looked at their pictures the more I wanted to be there too. I did a lot of research and looked at several schools but eventually settled on one that my friend was currently teaching at, Global English School. I sent my application to the school fairly early (November) and I was officially hired the next March for the 2008-2009 school year.

How easy is it to find English teaching positions?

Very easy. Education is a high priority in Thailand and many students will take extra classes in the afternoons and on weekends. English based international schools are viewed as the premier schools in the country and parents view English as THE way to help their children be successful in life. Nearly every school, whether Thai, International or a language academy, will have at least one position for an English teacher.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

This will depend on the school and the position. In Thailand, International Schools only hire teachers with teaching certificates and experience is preferred. I work at a Bilingual school where they prefer, but do not require teachers to have teaching certificates. I have a degree in history and no teaching certificate and I was hired without a problem.

How did you get your first work visa?

Obtaining a work visa in Thailand is a long process that can’t officially be started until you arrive in the country. Many schools, including the one I work at will take care of it for you, making the process markedly less painful.

For me the entire process took about 2 months. I signed maybe 20 copies of my passport pages, made a trip to the work permit office and finally immigration, and then I had my visa.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

You can’t get a work Visa until you arrive in Thailand but the process is much easier if you already have a school to sponsor you.

What is the cost of living in Thailand?

Thailand is cheap; that is what makes it so amazing. I can eat for less than $5 a day, I rarely have to spend more than $6 on a taxi ride (and that is across the city), and a movie will run about $4.

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

Salaries in Thailand vary depending on the school and your experience. I am able to add about 10,000 Baht (US$301) a month to my income through extra tutoring. It’s this money that I live off of primarily (except on occasions when I take a trip) and I am able to save the rest of my salary to put towards American bills and any adventures I may go on.

Do you recommend Thailand for other English teachers?

Yes! It’s easy to get around, you can eat amazing Thai food everyday or go to McDonalds for a hamburger if you’re having a craving. A beach vacation is only hours away and if you want to see the latest Tom Cruise movie it will be in the theaters and you wont have to sell your firstborn just to pay for a ticket.

What sets Thailand apart even more are the people. They are genuinely friendly and kind. It is called the land of smiles for a reason and if you can speak even a little bit of Thai to a Thai person their spirits will raise even more. Teachers are also highly respected in Thailand, and there are special holidays set aside for students to show teachers their gratitude.

What do you love and hate about Thailand?

Love: The food, people, beaches, markets and beautiful countryside

Hate: The general dirtiness of the city. Thankfully you can easily escape…

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

Do your research and know what you want. I knew that I would feel most comfortable moving literally across the world if I would be working in a school with many other foreign teachers so that was high on my priority list when I chose my school. Also, be open minded and willing to try new things. It will make the experience so much more memorable.

How long to you plan on staying in Thailand?

Right now my contract is until April 2010. I may come back for another year, which I would love to do, or I might move on. I’m still deciding.

Are there many holidays or days off?

The Thai calendar is filled with holidays. Unfortunately they change days of the week from year to year so sometimes we get lucky and have a holiday on a Monday or a Friday, giving a three-day weekend with extended opportunities to travel, but quite often they also fall in the middle of the workweek, which is still appreciated but a little more awkward. For extended breaks we are given 2 weeks off when the semester ends in October, 2 weeks for Christmas and a week for the Songkran festival in March.

How easy is it to travel around Thailand?

Traveling around Thailand is both cheap and easy. I’m based in the Bangkok area and frequently take weekend trips to Kanchanaburi, a town in the mountains, and Koh Samet, a gorgeous island in the Gulf of Thailand. When I’ve had more time to travel I have taken night buses to each region of Thailand. A ticket costs about $15. And the overnight train to Chaing Mai is not to be missed. Flights can also be found for decent prices through Air Asia when the destination is far and your time is short.

Links
A World Extraordinary Amanda Dorough’s blog.
A Life Extraordinary Amanda Dorough’s other blog.
Follow Amanda Dorough on Twitter

More Information on Teaching English in Thailand
English Teaching Jobs in Thailand

Teach English in Japan: Neil Mullens

How long have you been teaching English in Japan?

I came to Japan in late 1996, initially with the intention of working my way around Asia. However, within three years, I’d gotten married, started my own school and the rest, as they say, is history. Apart from a 12 month stint in Osaka, I’ve spent the entire time in Shizuoka, famous for its mountains, rivers and beaches.

How did you find your first teaching job?

Obviously, back in 1996, there wasn’t access to jobs online. If I remember correctly, I used to subscribe to a monthly overseas jobs publication that had a small section for TEFL/TESL jobs. I think I landed my very first teaching gig in Denmark by responding to one of those ads, and may well have found my first job in Japan that way, too.

I’m not entirely sure whether I would have made the same choices if I’d had access to the wealth of online information available today. It’s certainly easier these days to make a more informed choice and avoid some of the pitfalls lying in wait for prospective teachers.

How easy is it to find teaching jobs?

Once you’re established in Japan, it’s very easy to find teaching jobs, even in the present economic climate. That’s why it’s often beneficial to secure an initial contract with one of the big chain schools, or perhaps try to enter the JET Program. Once you’ve got your foot in the door, numerous other opportunities will become available.

However, there is a caveat. The quality of jobs offered, in terms of salary, working hours and conditions varies greatly from school to school. If you limit yourself to a narrow location when job searching you may find yourself having to take whatever you can get. If, however, you’re prepared to be flexible and move anywhere in the country, far greater opportunities will arise.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

In recent times, a few companies have been requesting TEFL certificates, but it is not the norm. Most schools provide some kind of in-house training, which is usually paid, and generally only takes 3-7 days to complete. However, for university positions, an M.A. or PhD is a prerequisite, and many good universities also expect a number of publications.

Is it necessary to be able to speak Japanese to find employment?

Language schools generally insist that only English is used in the classroom, and they invariably have staff that can communicate well enough to be able to assist the teachers. English-only classrooms would also be encountered by those working within the JET Program. However, as you would be working in State schools, often in remote places, some ability in Japanese would certainly make your life easier.

In recent times, many school boards have taken to using third-party dispatch agencies for the purposes of hiring teachers. Although you would be teaching the same kind of classes as those working within the JET Program, you are essentially employed by the dispatch agency. On the whole, these agencies provide a very limited support network for their teachers and, indeed, requesting help is often frowned upon and may result in your contract not being renewed. Not only do many of these agencies request basic Japanese proficiency in their job advertisements, but you should also consider it essential for survival in the workplace. You should also be aware, that while these agencies often require Japanese ability and previous experience, the salaries and working conditions they offer are among the worst in Japan.

How did you get your first work visa?

My first visa was arranged by my employer before I landed in Japan. This certainly saved me a lot of stress and heartache down the line. In Japan, once the visa has been issued, it belongs to you, not your employer, as is the case in some other countries. This means that there are no problems switching employer within the duration of the visa. Of course, that’s not to say there won’t be other contractual complications!

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

Yes, it is possible, but be aware that it can be costly and time consuming to get a visa later, as you will have to leave and reenter the country in order for a visa to be issued. Also, because of the large number of teachers already in Japan, with a legitimate visa on hand, it’s unlikely that most reputable employers would even consider hiring you. In the case of renewing visas, however, most companies are quite happy to handle the paperwork and assist you with the submission of those documents.

What is the cost of living in Japan?

The cost of living in Japan varies greatly depending upon where you are based. New arrivals generally get assistance in finding accommodation from their employers, and it may be subsidized. Still, expect to pay anything from ¥50-65,000 (US$549-714) per month for an apartment that will be small, by western standards. It’s usually much cheaper to find your own apartment, however, most Japanese landlords would prefer to have empty apartments than rent to a foreigner. Those who are more open-minded may still require a Japanese guarantor. Also bear in mind that renting by yourself will incur quite high deposits. This can be equal to two months rent in the Kanto region or as much as seven months rent in Kansai.

Although food is expensive by American standards, Brits won’t see such a huge difference. If you cook and prepare most of your own meals, you can get by on ¥40,000 (US$ 440) per month, and eat pretty well. Utilities and other costs such as a broadband internet connection are likely to set you back another ¥20,000 (US$220) per month. Public transportation is cheap and efficient, and work travel is generally paid for.

Your lifestyle will have a huge bearing on your total monthly costs. Entertainment is very expensive in Japan. Drinking, clubbing, eating out, going to the movies, visiting museums and staying in hotels, will quickly dispose of your ‘disposable’ income!

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

A lot of recent (and some not so recent) college graduates come here and want to continue the full-on lifestyle they enjoyed as a student. Invariably, they save almost nothing, and more likely find themselves borrowing money from their frugal friends the week before payday. Having said that, I have known some people who were able to save ¥100,000 (US$1,100) per month on an average salary.

What is the typical number of teaching hours per week?

For anything other than university positions expect to work a minimum of 40 hours per week, however 50 hours per week is becoming increasingly common. Actual contact teaching hours varies greatly from school to school, and can be anything from 20-40 hours per week. You should also be aware that working for dispatch agencies may incur a considerable amount of (unpaid) commuting time.

How many weeks of holidays per year can teachers expect?

Again this varies greatly from school to school. On average, you can expect 5-10 days paid leave per annum. Foreign-run languages schools may give up to three weeks paid leave per year. JET program teachers can expect most of the regular school holidays. However, teachers doing essentially the same job as their JET program equivalents, are either not paid during school vacations or receive a greatly reduced income.

Did your employer provide you with medical Insurance?

Some employers do provide State healthcare and pension contributions, as they are required to do by law. However, it is increasingly becoming the norm that employers find ways to circumvent these contributions. This is usually done by registering teachers as part-time workers, counting only their contact teaching hours. The government is perfectly aware of these illegal practices but seems unwilling to take any action. Therefore, you may well need to take out private healthcare insurance which can be quite expensive.

Do you recommend Japan for other English teachers?

I probably sound very negative about teaching in Japan, but I think people should be aware of the possible pitfalls. Despite everything, Japan is wonderful country in which to live. The cuisine is first-class; the cities cater for almost every imaginable interest; and the countryside is simply breathtaking. There are still some good jobs available in Japan, but you may not find them immediately upon arrival. If you can suck it up at a lousy job for a while and be flexible in your approach to finding something better, you perseverance will be worthwhile.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

At the end of the day almost anyone can teach abroad but there are three words which will make the difference between a rewarding experience and utter misery: research, research and RESEARCH!

Links
Follow Neil Mullens on Twitter

Japan Information (More information on teaching English in Japan)
Jobs in Japan (English teaching jobs available in Japan)

Teach English in China: Interview with Gordie Rogers

Gordie Rogers is a Kiwi, who has been teaching English in Tianjin, China for nearly 7 years and also has runs the blog Lifestyle Design for You. He was kind enough to share some of his experiences teaching English in this interview.

How long have you been teaching English in China?

I have been teaching English in China for about six and a half years since early 2003.

In that time I’ve taught mostly at the university level, but also spent a year teaching English to primary school kids and taught adults at various times in private English language schools.

How did you find your first teaching job?

I’ll talk about how I found my first job in China, even though I taught for a year first in South Korea. I was travelling in Malaysia at the time. I placed my resume on several English teaching websites such as Dave’s ESL Café. A university in Tianjin, China found my resume on one of those sites and emailed me asking if I was interested in working for them. I replied that I was and then got a tourist visa and flew to China to start teaching.

How easy is it to find teaching jobs in China?

It’s getting more difficult for the inexperienced, under qualified and the older teachers. It also varies from city to city. I don’t know the reasoning, but the government has introduced rules where most schools can’t employ EFL teachers over 60 years old. As a result many older foreign teachers I knew struggled to find regular work and couldn’t get a work visa and so in the end went back home. I’ve actually heard of universities even refusing to employ EFL teachers over 45 years old.

However, if you aren’t too old and are properly qualified i.e. have a degree and either a TESOL/TEFL certificate and/or at least two years teaching experience then it’s still pretty easy. The English learning market is still growing here, and demand for good teachers is growing, especially in the private school sector.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

By Chinese law, all foreign English teachers should have a college/university degree and either a TESOL/TEFL certificate or at least two years teaching experience.

How did you get your first work visa?

In 2003, I came to China on a tourist visa. In the first week the university took me to get a health check and then they got the tourist visa converted to a work visa within a couple of weeks. The university did all the processing for me.

However, this way of doing things is no longer possible. Now, if you want to teach legally in China, you should get your health check and work visa organized in your home country before arriving to work at your school in China. They may even make you double up by taking another health check upon your arrival in China.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

Yes, they could come in on a tourist visa to look for work, but they would have to leave China to get their work visa and re-enter which defeats the idea of coming here to look for and start working in the first place. Laws in China change frequently and are enforced differently and arbitrarily. I wouldn’t recommend you come here to look for work without a work visa and a job unless you wanted to explore and travel to get a feel for China and be willing to leave again until your work visa has been processed so you can start teaching. If you find a job, you can get the school to send the paper work including work invitation back to you in your own country.

What is the cost of living in China?

Rent varies hugely from city to city. Beijing and Shanghai are the most expensive. I can talk about Tianjin, which is China’s third largest city. You can find an average two bedroom apartment for about RMB 1800-2500 (US$264-$366) per month. Going out varies. Most clubs don’t have a door charge, so you’ll just be paying for what you drink inside. Average price of a pint of beer in a club is RMB 20-30 (US$2.93-$4.39). However, in restaurants and cheaper bars, you could get a pint for 6-10RMB (US$0.88-$1.46).

Food in markets is usually cheaper than supermarkets, however because you’re a foreigner, you may be charged more because they view you as being rich and therefore worthy of being cheated because the color of your skin. Lol! You can get by on 1500-2500 (US$220-$366) per month on food. However, if you like Western food and other imported foods, then you’ll be paying substantially more.

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

This naturally will vary. Saving much is not that likely if you only teach at a university because they normally give you a free apartment, return airfare and only 10-16 hours of classes per week. However, if you wanted to supplement your income by doing private lessons then you should be able to start saving.

If you work at a private school, you’ll be working more hours, but you should also be able save a bit. If you like to go out a bit and eat out a lot, then I think on a RMB 8,000-10,000 (US$1,172-$1,464) monthly salary you could save RMB 2000-4000 (US$293-$586) per month.

Do you recommend China for other English teachers?

Yes and no. It depends what you want. If you’re an education idealist who wants develop your teaching to a highly professional level and have a professional environment and a school which puts a strong emphasis on English teaching then perhaps not.

However, if you want to get some experience teaching and are realistic that most schools here do the bare minimum in regards to English education then it can be a good place to teach.

Have you found opportunities to do work other than teaching?

Very few. I had a brief stint for a few months with a private school as their human resources manager, but then they ran into the trouble with the law and moved away. So, it was back to teaching for me. In China, the law strictly states that if you’re invited here to teach, then you should only teach and not engage in any other kind of employment as the condition of your visa is that you’re a teaching expert. There are expats here who work illegally doing business here, but they’re normally on tourist or student visas.

What do you love and hate about China?

I just love the fact that it’s so different from my home country, New Zealand. There’s lots of growth and change, different culture, etc. I love China for traveling. It has a huge variety of places to travel to. I also love the cross-section of expatriates that I can meet here from all over the world. It’s cheaper and more convenient to go out here in the evenings too than it is back in the West.

Hygiene is a major problem in China. Spitting, public urination and littering are common place. Air and water pollution are shocking. Corruption and inefficiency can also be frustrating when dealing with Government departments and businesses.

However, these are bearable once you get used to them. I don’t regret one moment of my time in China and will be sad to leave next July to return home.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

I can only speak as one who has had teaching experience in South Korea and China. Realize that the private schools are all about maximizing profits from their students and teachers. Educational quality comes a distant second to profits.

In the public schools, they do the minimum to get by. At every university I’ve taught at, I’ve only taught each class once a week for two hours. I feel it’s very hard to make much of a difference with such little contact time with students. So, if you’re an idealist who thinks you’re going to be able to make a huge difference in the English level of students, then be prepared to do it in your unpaid free time.

Links
Lifestyle Design for You
Follow Gordie on Twitter

More Information on Teaching English in China
English Teaching Jobs in China

Teach English in Thailand

Mark Reynolds, a five year veteran English teacher in Thailand shares his experiences in this fantastic interview.

How long have you been teaching English in Thailand?

I’ve been teaching in Thailand for 5 years.

How did you find your first teaching job?

Well first, I did some online research and visited many Thailand teaching sites to get an idea of who the major employers in the business were. I came up with a list of about 5 big language schools that I believed would be a good choice for a newcomer like myself. After that I rented a cheap apartment in Nonthaburi a province just outside of Bangkok and went out for a walk one day and came across a language school that I’d never heard of. I walked in the door and asked if they had any job vacancies. They told me that they were only a small franchise branch and that I should contact their head office in Bangkok.

This I did and an interview was arranged for the next day. I went down and got a start for the following week.

How easy is it to find teaching jobs?

It’s very easy to get a job teaching English here in Thailand. Though there are a few less jobs available now due to the recent world recession. Having said that the larger language institutes are always on the look out for teachers and if you want a job quick, then they are the places to go to.

Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?

Yes and no. Having a tefl certificate or some other form of certification will help you, and it also shows that you know what you are doing. There are many agencies and schools who will hire you without certification, because they are desperate for teachers. Some of these agencies and schools are normally at the lower end of the esl scale over here and the pay tends to be rather poor.

How did you get your first work visa?

The language institute that I worked for gave me some company documentation and a copy of my working contract that I had with them. After that I had to leave Thailand and fly to a neighboring country, I chose Laos. When I arrived in the capital Vientiane I then made my way to the Thai consulate there. At the Thai consulate, I filled in a visa application form and stated that I wanted the (non b visa) or non immigrant business visa I handed all the company documentation over to them along with a fee. Two days later I returned and picked up my passport with a new non b visa in it.

Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?

Yes, in fact in 99% of cases you just turn up on a tourist visa start your job, then get your documentation from the employer. After that you fly to a neighboring country to pick up your non b visa. This is how it’s done over here.

What is the cost of living in Thailand?

You could ask this question to 5 different people and get 5 different answers! It all depends on the individual and how much or little they want to spend. I’m very frugal and don’t require a lavish lifestyle. I live in a small condo in a province outside of Bangkok.

• Condo = 1,500 (US$44) baht per month.
• Electric = 300 baht (US$9) per month  if you get it direct from the supplier and not through your apartment owner. This will increase if you use an air conditioner.
• Water = 60 – 180 (US$1.76 – 5.29) baht per month depending on where you live.
• Food = plate of rice with pork/shrimp/squid 40 baht (US$1.18)
• Pepsi = 15 baht (US$0.44)
• Restaurant = varies however usually about 300 baht to 600 baht (US$9- 18) for two people.
• Beer in Bangkok bars = 90 to 120 baht  (US$2.64 – 3.53) per small bottle
• Beer outside tourist areas = 40 baht (US$1.18) per bottle
• Bus = 5 to 25 baht (US$0.15 – 0.74) depending on route and whether it’s air conditioned or not.
• Taxi = approximately 400 baht (US$11.76) for a journey of 20 km

How much money can the average teacher expect to save?

This is another question where you’ll get many different answers. However on a salary of 35,000 baht (US$1,029) per month I could save 20,000 baht (US$588).

What is the typical number of teaching hours per week?

If you work in the government school sector anything from 16 up to 25 per week.

How many weeks of holidays per year can teachers expect?

Depending on who you work for some companies might offer you two weeks holiday and some might offer you nothing. Though there are a lot of public holidays scattered throughout the year and you get paid for these.

Did your employer provide you with medical Insurance?

Yes, The insurance was part of the package which the employer provided. This sounds good doesn’t it? That’s what I thought until I looked closer at the package. I was only covered up to I think about 10,000 baht (US$294) per visit! Which certainly isn’t going to buy you a lot of medical treatment.

Do you recommend Thailand for other English teachers?

Yes, I do! Thailand has a few faults as do other places. Thailand’s visa laws are always in a constant state of change these days, and it’s getting harder to work without the proper certification now. On the whole I’d recommend Thailand as a good training ground for newcomer teachers into the esl world. Thai’s are fun to teach and quite laid back along with the cheap cost of living and friendly people Thailand is a great starting place.

What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?

Get certified! You’ll need a Bachelors degree in any field! Then get some kind of tefl certificate and you’ll have no problems gaining employment. After that just do it! Pick your destination do your background research then get on that plane and make it happen!

Links
Thailand Delights
Follow Mark on Twitter

More Information on Teaching English in Thailand
English Teaching Jobs in Thailand