I'm starting a Cambridge CELTA course at the end of next month, with a view to fucking off to France or Japan at the end of the year (waving a hearty goodbye to my bank manager and Mayor Ken Livingston!)

If there are any people who are on a TEFL course, or have a career in TEFL, I'd love to hear about your experiences!

peterfalconer said:

twenty plus years ago i lived and worked in japan teaching english.

things have changed a lot since then i heard

Its something Im thinking of doing in the future. Possibly in South America.

was in Korea for a year.....loved it

but they will hire any homeless person off the street to teach English there

and sometimes there are lousy conditions

but i was lucky

make sure you do research in advance (contracts, housing, salary, etc.)

Whatever you do DON'T come to Spain

There's something in the average spanish brain that refuses to accept the English language.
I don't know what it is. Maybe I should write a book about it

One of my mates qualified, went to Mexico and LOVED it. Had the time of her life.

That's all I can offer, sorry, but good luck to you and hope it turns out to be an amazing experience!

JDINTERACTIVE said:

You are really sprung, aren't you?

onenitealone said:

Thanks, mate! And thanks everybody for posting!

i taught ESL here in the States. it was a blast! of course, going overseas is a lot more fun...

spelling edit, of all things!
[Edited 3/15/07 18:35pm]

I taught a course in Austria that prepared students for their Matura. That was a private thing though. I didn't have any certification or anything.

It was good money and fun enough.

peterfalconer said:

I have my Master's in TESOL and planned to teach abroad after my stint in the Peace Corps. Unexpectedly I became pregnant and got married and am now teaching in a low income district which requires me to teach basic ESL skills. My colleagues, however, have or are teaching in such places as Thailand, Korea, China, and Russia. It seems the Asian countries hire more readily.

I have a TESOL certificate and have taught here in Thailand in learning centres with small classes (4-7 people) of adults and children, and also worked in a primary school and kindergarten with larger classes of kids ranging from 4-7 years old. I'm not sure I'd recommend Thailand as the ideal place to ply one's trade since the pay is not very good. It's an enjoyable and inexpensive country to live in though. Your money will go far, but by Western standards it's peanuts.

Relationships with my bosses and fellow teachers weren't always particularly easy and I came to really dislike my job. The kids are pretty well-behaved here, but the situation has to be right. I don't think anyone ideally wants to be teaching in a government school with up to 60 children in a class for 450 pounds a month. It'd be hard here even with a masters in education and lots of experience to get more than 1000 a month, even as a head of department.

Another thing, when I first came out here I was fresh from my TESOL course at Inlingua and didn't know much about how teachers are regarded here. I honestly never considered being a teacher before my situation forced my hand, but I did care about doing a good job. There are plenty of teachers in Thailand who do not though, and I've since become aware that many Thais do not think favourably of teachers owing to problems with paedophiles, drunks and the suspicion that rather than being real teachers these are just people using the profession as a way to stay in the country. It was what allowed me to move out here, after all.

You should ask Retina for advice about teaching in Japan.

...
[Edited 3/15/07 21:53pm]

i took a teacher training course once before i was shipped to Korea and another guy in the class told me to go to Thailand for the young hookers.....i almost vomited in my mouth

I'm teaching here in Chile.
Sprained my ankle earlier 2day. The Pain is now getting Personal.

thedribbler said:

It can be stressful when students cancel the class half an hour in advance, or simply don't show.

I'd strongly advise you to get the money in advance. Often people in poorer countries think that if you come from a richer country you therefore have no material concerns whatsoever.

I like to learn new languages, but I'm not boring enough to learn from books. It's the front line for me. Take care of your heart and try 2 keep your pecker in your pants.

sounds amazing! I have a friend doing that in japan right now

thedribbler said:

I was planning on working in a language school rather than as a private tutor - I'm a singing coach at the moment and I know all about people cancelling at the last minute!

As for your closing sentence, it's great advice but much easier said than done!

peterfalconer said:

working for a school 1 makes a lot less money, and has to deal with the administration personel. Sometimes a school will engage your services without the perks of a contract.

Probably you've already encountered most of the stesspoints with your coaching work.

I am currently in Japan. Word to the wise:

If at all possible do not work for the large language schools the conditions SUCK!

You are much better working as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) not the JET program which does the same thing but you work much longer hours.

If you do work for the large language schools immediately start hunting for other work.

If you do it right you can have a GREAT time. I ran two English schools, at one I was working 12 hours a week and making over $4,000 US a month. Which left me a lot of time to do other things I consider more important.

I would also recommend you move to one of the larger cities. My preference is Osaka or Nagoya. Tokyo is too crowded, too polluted and not enough greenery.

Hope things work out for you!

Thanks to everyone so far for your advice and stories - keep 'em coming!