It took Ken Ferguson four and a half years to follow up on a high school whim. One week after writing his final exam at McMaster University, and three days after Christmas, Ferguson flew to Japan to find a job teaching English.
“I loved the geological processes—earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes—that went on in the country,” says the 24-year-old, who has a degree in geography and earth studies. “But the thing that pulled me to Japan was a boyfriend.” Ferguson left Canada in December 2007 to live with his English-teacher boyfriend in Kannami while he searched for a job to repay his student loans.
Teaching English abroad is practically a rite of passage, like prom or frosh week for the post-university crowd. David Roberts, a placement co-ordinator at Oxford Seminars, one of the largest Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) training centres in Canada, says the company’s biggest client are graduated students that do not want to enter the regular workforce yet. The company has no records of the number of certifications it has given out but there has been a “constant steady increase” and “tens of thousands” of graduates over the last 15 years.
Graduate schools are experiencing a spike in applications as the first graduating class of the recession avoids starting a job search. The interest in teaching abroad could get even bigger this year with addition of graduates who couldn’t find a job in their field.
Will Butler, 23, is graduating in May with a degree in international relations from Queens University of Charlotte, in North Carolina. “I did spend several months looking for a regular job in (the travel) industry but started to consider other options as the economic conditions in the U.S. worsened,” says Butler, who found work in Korea through Dave’s ESL Café, a popular TESL website.
If you’re thinking about taking the plunge, here are the main things you need to consider:
The Countries:
These days, the words “teaching English abroad” are synonymous with Asia. “Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan dominate the market for now,” says Roberts. “Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are smaller (markets) but still viable.”
Roberts says jobs are available to a lesser extent in Eastern Europe and Latin America. There are also some opportunities in northern Africa, whereas it’s mostly volunteer positions in the southern part of the continent. India recruits native speakers to instruct in call centre English.
The Certification:
The general consensus is that schools will hire people without TESL certification so the usefulness of getting certified is up for debate. At Oxford, students pay $1,095 for 60 hours of class and a job placement service. Roberts says the service lets students to skip the legwork of weeding out employment scams and go straight to trusted schools.
Both Ferguson and Butler, however, found jobs without it. “For me, it was largely a waste of money,” says Ferguson. “I got offered job positions at three of four places that I applied to. This was also because I was in the country and not overseas, so I could go to job interviews at the companies.”
Mark Quan, 24, took the “cheap and online” route to get certified. Quan, who has a criminology degree from York University, found a job in Shanghai through his university professor. Quan says he only got certified to get the foreign expert permit China requires from workers without years of experience. The 40-hour online course Quan took through i-to-i, a UK-based company, cost $168 and took him 20 hours to complete.
The Money:
Like any job, money isn’t the bottom line. Roberts says teaching isn’t for people who want to earn a lot of money. “There can be a good living made out of teaching (abroad), but the living wouldn’t be the money you make, but what you learn about yourself and the world you live in. That’s invaluable; that, you can’t purchase.”
However, if you have student debt to pay back, it’s important to know what you’re getting into. Salaries vary greatly depending on experience, credentials and location. Roberts, at the height of his own teaching career, made $4,000 monthly teaching in Dubai. On the low end, there are jobs in Costa Rica that pay by hour where teachers may make $800 a month.
Don’t be deceived by sticker shock when converting into Canadian dollars. Salaries are always relative to the country’s cost of living. Ferguson says his monthly salary of 250,000 yen, about $3,200 is average for Japan. What he didn’t count on was the high cost of food. “I’ve seen 10 strawberries in winter (priced at) $38,” he says.
Quan earns 11,000 yuan, about $2,000, a month. It doesn’t sound like a lot compared to Ferguson’s salary. However, the numbers stack up differently when you consider the average working-class person in Shanghai survives on less than 2,000 yuan monthly. “Which means I have a lot of money to play around with…or save,” he says. Despite that, Quan wishes he knew his contract was negotiable before he signed it. “Everything in China is negotiable. Don’t be afraid to say you want something ridiculously high because that’s how things work here.”
Generally, Roberts says jobs in Taiwan and South Korea offer the most in terms of money and benefits like airfare, paid accommodation, vacation time and health insurance.
The Life:
With the excitement of moving across the world, it’s easy to forget about the work itself. Quan has taught community centre programs since he was 16 but Shanghai was his first chance to teach public school. “Most people who come to China are hired by private schools or international schools,” he says. “I find it very rewarding to work with these kids who generally aren’t spoiled and are excited you’re there.”
Where you live can make a big difference in your social life. Rural and urban mean completely different things outside Canada. Ferguson describes rural Japan as “tall apartment buildings beside rice fields.” If you don’t live in an urban area, meeting people could be difficult. “It’s still pretty easy to get isolated when you don’t know the language or any other English speakers in the area.” Living in a bigger city with an expatriate community can be comforting but can make it harder to learn the language and immerse in the culture.
Civic service
Some governments hire citizens from countries where English is the primary language to help teach in public schools. Going through the government has perks like employer credibility and a guaranteed support system, abroad and at home.
The
Ministry of Education of Spain will hire approximately 1,200 students from Canada and the U.S. to be language and cultural assistants in 2009. Applicants should have completed at least two years of university and possess a functional knowledge of Spanish.
The
International Centre of Pedagogical Study hires native English speakers to teach in France and its overseas regions. Applicants should be between the ages of 20 and 30, have completed two years of university and able to speak French well.
Teach and Learn in Korea is a government scholarship for those interested in both teaching English and learning Korean. Applicants should have completed at least two years at university or college. Quebec applicants should have attended an English-language school from junior high school through university.
The
Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme is one of the world’s biggest exchange programmes, boasting more than 46,000 alumni. Participants are hired for teachers and positions at local government offices. Applicants should have completed a Bachelor’s degree by the time they arrive in Japan.
posted by vicky at 11:30 am under Asia, Pre-departure, Taiwan
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