Guest firetotheworks Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Anyone on here doing it/done it before? I'm really interested in doing it but wouldn't mind collecting as much advice and opinions as I can beforehand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Did a year of it in Italy. Pretty good fun. I don't have any teaching qualifications but it wasn't really a problem for me. Ideally you should really do the CELTA or something similar. It gives you teaching experience, makes you more employable, and you can command a higher salary. If you need to make money out of it rather than doing it just for the experience then I recommend putting on a suit and teaching "business English." More money in it for essentially doing the same job. Also, there will always be a market for it. There isn't a huge market for teaching English in Italy but from what I've read Spain, Japan and South Korea are excellent. Japan is quite an easy one so long as you have a degree, because there are some big companies that recruit a couple of times a year and generally streamline everything for you. South Korea has a ton of private schools you can get in with and the pay is very good. I was offered a contract in South Korea a couple of years ago for $2000 a month. In the end I couldn't take it because the girlfriend didn't want to come. Where exactly are you planning on going? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firetotheworks Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Did a year of it in Italy. Pretty good fun. I don't have any teaching qualifications but it wasn't really a problem for me. Ideally you should really do the CELTA or something similar. It gives you teaching experience, makes you more employable, and you can command a higher salary. If you need to make money out of it rather than doing it just for the experience then I recommend putting on a suit and teaching "business English." More money in it for essentially doing the same job. Also, there will always be a market for it. There isn't a huge market for teaching English in Italy but from what I've read Spain, Japan and South Korea are excellent. Japan is quite an easy one so long as you have a degree, because there are some big companies that recruit a couple of times a year and generally streamline everything for you. South Korea has a ton of private schools you can get in with and the pay is very good. I was offered a contract in South Korea a couple of years ago for $2000 a month. In the end I couldn't take it because the girlfriend didn't want to come. Where exactly are you planning on going? Japan probably. Its a toss up between going all out to Japan, and being miles away and going to somewhere in Europe and not immersing in a massively different culture. The main stumbling block I have is finding someone to go with out of my mates, and the cost of living. That advice you've just given there though is awesome, thanks Did you find work before you went over to Italy? It seems a lot of the advice I've read is based on the assumption that the reader will travel without arranging a job, or even any interviews. I don't really fancy doing that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Did a year of it in Italy. Pretty good fun. I don't have any teaching qualifications but it wasn't really a problem for me. Ideally you should really do the CELTA or something similar. It gives you teaching experience, makes you more employable, and you can command a higher salary. If you need to make money out of it rather than doing it just for the experience then I recommend putting on a suit and teaching "business English." More money in it for essentially doing the same job. Also, there will always be a market for it. There isn't a huge market for teaching English in Italy but from what I've read Spain, Japan and South Korea are excellent. Japan is quite an easy one so long as you have a degree, because there are some big companies that recruit a couple of times a year and generally streamline everything for you. South Korea has a ton of private schools you can get in with and the pay is very good. I was offered a contract in South Korea a couple of years ago for $2000 a month. In the end I couldn't take it because the girlfriend didn't want to come. Where exactly are you planning on going? Japan probably. Its a toss up between going all out to Japan, and being miles away and going to somewhere in Europe and not immersing in a massively different culture. The main stumbling block I have is finding someone to go with out of my mates, and the cost of living. That advice you've just given there though is awesome, thanks Did you find work before you went over to Italy? It seems a lot of the advice I've read is based on the assumption that the reader will travel without arranging a job, or even any interviews. I don't really fancy doing that. My girlfriend was working in Italy at the time so it wasn't a big problem for me to go over to her place without any work. That said, I went over at the start of December and started working at the end of January. IT wasn't too difficult to find somewhere to teach. You can more or less get away with the same thing in Spain but I wouldn't attempt it with anywhere else... and for immigration reason you can't even try it in the far east. If you're going to Japan then there are two ways to do it: - JET programme. If I remember correctly this is a government-run scheme so the pay is better, it's safe, secure, but the places are very limited. I forget all the criteria you need to meet but if you google it there will be loads of information. - Private companies. The likes of AEON and GEOS are big companies that recruit all the time and have established links with schools. The quality of the teaching is piss poor. It's often referred to as McEnglish... you're basically just following a set curriculum from set textbooks. But the plus side to that is you don't need any special qualifications... you need a degree in any subject (Japanese immigration law) and that's it. These companies will interview you in the UK before sending you anywhere and you will need them to process the paperwork. If you do some searches online you will find stories of people having bad experiences with the big companies but when you dig down they are mainly minor grievances and vary a lot depending on which city you get sent to. In South Korea it's different again. You will often find brokers for private schools do recruiting online. They will interview you on the phone and post/fax you a contract to sign before you go anywhere. In South Korea you will need all the paperwork done before you can go over, just like Japan. The big difference between South Korea and Japan is that South Korea is more like the wild west. You stand to make more money but the private school owners will often treat people badly, not paying them their final salary, or not paying their returned flight after they promised, that kind of thing... obviously this isn't everywhere, but I found it a lot more common than when I was researching Japan. You'll also have more freedom over the classes. In Japan and South Korea you will undoubtedly have a good time taking in the new culture, but in Japan there is a chance you may end up creating a little England with other teachers. In South Korea the English-speaking community is smaller so in my opinion you'll probably get to sample more of the local culture. I'd suggest giving google a bash. I never actually made it to South Korea or Japan but I was seriously looking into it for a long time and I know there is a ton of information available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firetotheworks Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Thats brilliant, cheers. One thing, when you say about teaching Business English, is that by doing the TBESOL course, or like you say just in wearing a suit and telling them you do a business English with just a TEFL or a CELTA? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TêteDeMaure Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I find it amazing you can teach English in Japan and South Korean, yet you don't have to speak their language. How the hell are you supposed to explain things to them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I find it amazing you can teach English in Japan and South Korean, yet you don't have to speak their language. How the hell are you supposed to explain things to them? It's called "full immersion with a mother tongue" and they pay extra for that. It's the next best thing to actually going to England. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Thats brilliant, cheers. One thing, when you say about teaching Business English, is that by doing the TBESOL course, or like you say just in wearing a suit and telling them you do a business English with just a TEFL or a CELTA? Well that was more if you're staying in Europe... you can always supplement your income by giving private classes or going into companies (possibly through agencies) and teaching business English. You don't need any specific qualifications do that either. Obviously it's better if you have qualifications as you'll have a better idea of what you're doing but there's no law against doing it without. Fact is as you're a native English speaker people want to speak with you and learn from you. If you're going to the far east often you can't give any extra classes outside of what you're contracted to do with the school that takes you. I can't remember if it's something in the contract they give or something to do with visa restrictions but I can remember there was some problem with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 It's called "full immersion with a mother tongue" and they pay extra for that. It's the next best thing to actually going to England. I've never understood why they don't do that in schools over here with French and German. Isn't it a more effective way to learn than the way they teach now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TêteDeMaure Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I know a woman that teaches English as a foreign language in England, and she speaks no other language. Not bad getting payed a good salary for doing something that is completely natural to you. I can't get a job with 2 lingos, nevermind my own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Always thought about it. Maybe in 2 years when i decide what country I want to live in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I find it amazing you can teach English in Japan and South Korean, yet you don't have to speak their language. How the hell are you supposed to explain things to them? It's called "full immersion with a mother tongue" and they pay extra for that. It's the next best thing to actually going to England. Do they pay extra for an undecipherable accent? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I know a woman that teaches English as a foreign language in England, and she speaks no other language. Not bad getting payed a good salary for doing something that is completely natural to you. I can't get a job with 2 lingos, nevermind my own. What languages do you speak? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattypnufc Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 How good with Espanyol do you have to be to teach English over in Spain? I'm pretty cack at it, however I'd love to do something like that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Heneage Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 How good with Espanyol do you have to be to teach English over in Spain? I'm pretty cack at it, however I'd love to do something like that. Calling it Español is a good start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattypnufc Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 How good with Espanyol do you have to be to teach English over in Spain? I'm pretty cack at it, however I'd love to do something like that. Calling it Español is a good start. You knaaa what I mean leeek! I've been speaking to a good friend of mine today who is fluent in Spanish and has done English teaching over in Madrid before. She advised that often the Spanish schools prefer people who have only a small grasp of Spanish to teach. Sounds like something I'd love to do. I'd imagine it would be the same in other countries too, however the Spanish do tend to have a unique way of doing things. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TêteDeMaure Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 All this is great for people with a degree, those who haven't like me, are bottom of the pecking order. You can't just seem to go to Uni abroad without doing a bloody year here first, which i don't want to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macphisto Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 This online magazine has information on the EFL industry, including jobs: http://www.elgazette.com/ You also don't have to teach English either, a few people I know taught in private schools overseas. Try this site for overseas teaching jobs http://www.tes.co.uk/home.aspx Don't let the teaching qualification put you off as I knew a fair few people in jobs who didn't have a teaching qualification. Some of the schools have open days in the UK where you can meet people. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TêteDeMaure Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 A levels seem to count for nothing, why do we waste 2 years? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Bee Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 A levels seem to count for nothing, why do we waste 2 years? I think most people do them so they can go to uni. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 A levels seem to count for nothing, why do we waste 2 years? I think most people do them so they can go to uni. And to get good at something. School is shit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TêteDeMaure Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 A levels seem to count for nothing, why do we waste 2 years? I think most people do them so they can go to uni. You can go anyway if you've got the spoondools. Someone i know got an E in pyschology and was actually offered a place by the university to do said subject! I doubt they wanted her for her brain power. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firetotheworks Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Bump. Ive decided to try and get on a CELTA course in order to get a better job. Does anyone have any experience in doing specifically the CELTA course? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatwax Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Bump. Ive decided to try and get on a CELTA course in order to get a better job. Does anyone have any experience in doing specifically the CELTA course? It's a hell of a lot of money but it's internationally recognised and stands head and shoulders above other TEFL qualifications. I was going to undertake a CELTA course in Sheffield before circumstances changed and it had to be cancelled. Roughly a year on I'm about to start my PGCE qualification in September, but I'm tempted to start up the CELTA after I've achieved QTS. Since I'm reasonably young there's nothing stopping me from returning to secondary teaching a few years on. If you search messageboards, the likes of TES (The Times Educational paper) and even places like Yahoo Answers you'll find out loads of info about the course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keefaz Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Have been thinking about this myself. How much are you paying for your course, FTTW, if you don't mind me asking? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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