Teaching english

>>1287957
1 year in Incheon, South Korea - Great money, I saved about £5000k in a year without trying. Great year but wouldn't have wanted to stay longer.

2 years in Taipei, Taiwan - My favorite place, it really felt like home. It's a bit off the map and the girls are wild for foreigners. The money was good but not as good, and I saved enough for one or two trips abroad per year.

3 months (1 summer) in Beijing, China - Great money and a free apartment in Beijing. Was a good summer. China is a bit hardcore as a first destination in Asia. There is a huge difference in China between the high paying jobs and the low paying (I had one of the high paying gigs).

That was a 60 second lowdown. Any more info ask away.

>>1287980
Thanks for the lowdown!
How well is your english? Are you a native speaker? Did you go through education before? At what level did you teach?
How come China is hardcore as a first destination?

>>1287982
>How well is your english? Are you a native speaker? Did you go through education before? At what level did you teach?

I'm a British native speaker with a degree. I taught all levels from kids to adults.

>How come China is hardcore as a first destination?

It's hard to say why, but it just is. It caught me off-guard. Probably the fact that they really don't speak much English over there, you need to know basic Chinese to survive really, even to order food from McDonald's. And you need a VPN for everything, even Gmail or Google Maps. It's much less Westernized than Korea or Taiwan. China has more of a third world / cut-off country feeling (but they have an elite class of very rich people...)

>>1287989
Which course did you do, and which qualifications are worth getting?

Also UK, English native. Looking for a reputable course.

>>1287994
I had a degree and 100 hour online TEFL (with 20 hours classroom training).

I think the competition is a bit higher than when I started teaching (2011) and a TEFL might be expected.

>>1287994
get a celta if you want reputable, outside of that just look for an in person course that is over one hundred and twenty hours. it helps if you take the course in the country you want to teach in. you will need a bachelors in any subject, you might get bonus points if it is in english or something to do with education.

>>1287982
your english is not good enough to teach. and that is saying something. find another job

>>1287989
What type of visa did you have to teach in China? did you have a job there before you went??

Also how is the nightlife in Incheon compared to Seoul? currently looking to teach there

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>>1289321
For China I was only looking for a summer camp gig and I taught on a 90 day tourist visa - Cash in hand deal (pic related, first payday).

Before I left, I had a few verbal "offers" for summer camps lined up. In the ESL game nothing is official until you're actually at the school and teaching.

I flew into Shanghai where one of the offers fell through. Plan B turned out to be good though - I had a chat with the school in Beijing on the phone and said I had landed in China. They told me to come up to Beijing. I was working the next Monday.

As for Incheon - The nightlife sucks in terms of clubs and a party scene and it's a grimy city (... I still have a soft spot for it). There are small expat enclaves. I went to Seoul every single weekend. I used to party in Itaewon or Hongdae and get the first train home (6am). Or sometimes pay 30k won for a taxi home or even stay in a Jimjilbang or cheap hotel. I remember the metro ride being about 75 mins each way.

Incheon is fine for weeknights and it's still open late in terms of restaurants and some bars. But Seoul is where it's happening (a huge difference).

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>>1289321
It can be done without a z visa and a little luck, but as a general rule I wouldn't teach without a z visa. Your main issue will be the health check with that because people don't know how the hell to get it done, and everybody seems to have a different standard with it. If they ask you to do it in the states most people won't recgonize the sheet they have to fill in, if you do it in China it will cost about 50 bucks and will be done in a halfass manner. It all depends on how your school asks you to do it. The visa isn't really final until you have been in country for 30 days working, but you should have something that says z visa in your passport. China is shady, and there is a lot of corruption happening, but you can be sure that if they want to crack down you won't have warning. They rolled up about 30 illegal teachers at once when I was there. Your set up is going to be a little worse than whatever you were promised overseas. The other issue with teaching illegally is paying your taxes when you get back, keep that in mind.

Overall it's better to teach in a city people know, so when you go back home they can oooh and ahhh. Its sad, but that matters.

>>1289379
>but you should have something that says z visa in your passport

I mean to say you should have something that says z visa in your passport BEFORE you leave the country, but you won't get your residency permit and multiple entry visa until you have been there for 30 days.

I too have worked in both Korea and Taiwan.

I liked Korea as a country more, very fun and lively environment. Unfortunately I was working in a small city which means I was bored a lot. Didn't like the work environment either. 6/10 overall.

Having that experience, I chose to live in Taipei when I moved to Taiwan. I had a blast, lived very close to downtown and had a chill job. 8.5/10

2 years in Korea myself, awesome experience, was near Busan,exciting night life, plenty of shit to do, good money, saved $22,000 in those two years. I'm teaching Math back in America now. Next plan is English university teaching in Central Asia (Russia/Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan, etc)

3 years in Japan for my cousin, he's fluent in Japanese, plays the guitar and sings, he absolutely loved it but he never saves any money but he's partying quite hard from his stories. Always enjoyed my vacations visiting him.

20+ years in Taiwan for my 2nd cousin, he used to be a lawyer but then started his own English school business and married a local. He only visits America once in a blue moon, really cool guy. I haven't had a chance to go personally but he always says it a great place for good teachers.

Another buddy of mine is currently in Vietnam having a blast but I don't think he's saving a dime nor is he trying to.

OP you've got a lot of options depending on your interests. Get qualified and the world is your oyster.

>>1289533
>get qualified
h-how do?

Guys, non natives need no apply?

>>1289558
I've worked in Egypt, Russia and China with non-natives. You might have to do a bit of lying, but if your accent is good, you'll get away with it.

>>1289537
get a bachelors degree from an accredited university, then get a one hundred and twenty hour in classroom tefl certificate

that's it.

>>1289537
What this guy said>>1289756

But if you want international schools, DoD schools or university positions you'll probably need a masters in teaching.

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>no degree

>>1289800
you can teach in most of Latin america with no degree but the pay is shit with or without the degree

What about other languages? I'm a Spanish speaker (EU citizenship).

>>1289820
probably better off in thailand or cambodia

>>1289823
bump for this, spic speaker too
hope this helps
http://cfp.cervantes.es/preguntasfrecuentes.htm#1

>>1289800
Why would I want an uneducated pleb to teach at my school?

>>1289895
i speak english

>>1289912
Only holders of Masters degrees should be fit to teach children. However, since the ESL field is in such high demand, we have settled for a lower standard. But you can keep your mongrel ass away, thank you.

>>1289839
yeah SEA payes better Cambodia does not need a degree nor do you need to run for visas you can get a business visa with chump change
Thailand has cracked down on degreeless folks
It's wagecuckery but you can also do Spain with no degree except you will get Latin america tier wages and 1st world costs
>>1289917
There are not enough master degrees or even bachelors for the teaching roles to be filled which is why the pay is so shit

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>>1289949
>There are not enough master degrees or even bachelors for the teaching roles to be filled which is why the pay is so shit

Well, if they raised the pay more people would get masters degrees and the jobs would be filled, it would balance out. They will never raise the pay though, and there will always be people whining about underqualified candidates. Anybody that has taught esl for a while understands it's an intentionally underfunded industry, and that is mainly because the customers are forever incapable of determining what quality actually is in a product. This is ironically due to their inability to speak english.

>>1289917
are you retarded. this is the cause of the student debt problem. there is little evidence esl even TEACHEs language

no, they don't need masters. you just put people into debt and drive up costs of education

kill yourself, seriously

>>1289951
>Well, if they raised the pay more people would get masters degrees and the jobs would be filled, it would balance out.
well yeah that's obviously the solution and it will not happen in the majority of countries i think China and Thailand might move toward those though
Look as the Middle east they have high pay and high standards

Latin america will never budge on this

>>1289958
english teachers really are retards

the ME has gigantic cash injections from the oil economy and the countries you are referencing are RICHER ON AVERAGE than americans and europeans

it's never going to happen

>>1289959
Spain is richer than LA and SEA yet they pay shit too

>>1289965
the spanish economy is in the process of collapsing

english teachers really are retards

>>1289958
Have you taught in Latin America before? I was considering doing this in Argentina as I'm unqualified and would like to learn Spanish.

https://www.teflheaven.com/

Is it difficult to find work over there?

>>1289972
Ya'll jelly that I've lived in more countries than you've been to.

>>1290013
i all not jelly you are an absolute retard with no clue how the job market works

Has anybody done online teaching? I'm curious about it. Currently doing a contract in Japan but thinking about doing that after I'm done and have a year of experience so I won't be tied down anywhere
>>1289977
All that companies does is send you to another TEFL company. I went through them and got cert with teaching nomads who I reccomend.

>>1290063
>Has anybody done online teaching? I'm curious about it. Currently doing a contract in Japan but thinking about doing that after I'm done and have a year of experience so I won't be tied down anywhere


It's an interesting field. I hope it's not the future. You know how you teach that 45 minute class but you spend 20 minutes on activities and games? You can't do that with online teaching, you have to be teaching the entire time. It's more intense for that reason, and it generally pays less. It's also hard to determine how reputable each company is. You don't get the exotic location either. You are going to be paranoid about your internet dropping out too because it's a massive deal breaker for the students and the company. It's something out of your control that can fuck you over big time.

The plus side is some companies let you set your own hours. If you are savvy enough you can get some regular students and it will be alright. I liked the aspect of getting the pay and freedom of esl without having to deal with what is normally the major pitfall of the field, middle management.

Anymore questions about it, just ask me. I thought about doing it abroad for a while, but it just doesn't feel as secure as getting that year long contract. Can I ask how you got your job in Japan? I might giving that a shot soon but it's near impossible to get hired from the USA. I check Gaijinpot on a daily basis too. Is it just me or do Japanese schools not want to deal with anyone that didn't go to Japan first. They seem to frown on my experience in other countries.

Currently working in China.

Just a heads up that things are changing here. They're really cracking down on unqualified teachers. From now on, to receive legal employ, teachers need to produce an authenticated diploma and transcript. That means authenticated by your own government and then that authentication needs to be authenticated by the Chinese consulate.

Furthermore, all new hires (as in those who are not currently working in China) need to produce an authenticated criminal background check. Similar to the transcript and diploma, that authentication must then be authenticated by the Chinese consulate.

>>1290073
I should add that I currently work at a large research university. They tend to be hit with these sort of things first.

>>1290073
I'm doing all that right now, it's a pain.
it's cost me about £1000 to get everything done, £300 just on the legalising part, company's pay you back though

>>1290077
Damn, that is ridiculous. Different prices in the UK, I suppose. It only cost me around $400.

It is a pain, though. At times I thought about finding work elsewhere.

>>1290068
Really? my experience was the opposite I was in japan and couldn't find a job I got lucky with one I found on Dave's ESL but had to go into the "grey area" with my visa. I don't work for a big company they all turned me down because I was in the country.

Thanks for your info I want to do it because I could live in cheap countries or in the states for a few months each without the commitment of a job location. I'm not too concerned about money because I have a lot saved up and a small stream of income from something else but need something to keep me going

>>1290073
These are all good things.

Increasing the barrier to entry mean you won't get loser travelers applying for teaching jobs. Cracking down on illegal, criminal, and unqualified teachers is obviously good as well.

I'm at university getting a Bachelors of Education (Secondary). Will this put me above most other English teachers in terms of qualifications?

Will I be able to make decent money, in comparison to where I'm living?

>>1291183
1. no

the only thing that will put you ahead of the pack is either a full teaching degree, a teaching dehree in a subject, preferably science, or 2 years teaching at an accredited institution

it is inflexible because degrees and quals are not generally fungible

i taught at the largest university in a first world country but with only select exceptions am not ahead of the pack anywgere except a tier 1 uni

2. money
the pay is almost universally awful. anyone that tells you otherwise is insufficiently intelligent to be thinking about the future.

>>1291183
That's minimum standards for a lot of countries m8.
>>1291185
This anon has the right idea. Also most university gigs will require a masters degree minimum. International schools with a good reputation will be similar.

If you're in Asia teaching you'll be able to save money as long as you're not partying crazy all the time. Private tutoring also helps. For what it's worth I had no trouble saving $11,000 a year while I was in Korea.

>>1291209
this anon is posting truth

but a warning to anyone impressed, and this is not a personal attack

11k a year savings is nowhere near enough to retire. thats why peoppe say the pay is awful. if you thibk 11k a year is adequate aavings to retire, you are going to be having a very rude awakening

Was interested in going this route, at least for a little while after I graduate uni, but I was curious if you all make and devise your own lesson plans or just copy-paste?
Like I feel that despite having learned 3 other languages, I would stumble on how to make a lesson around deeper grammar in English and such

>>1291235
realistically you cannot make a lesson on deeper grammar appropriate for a heterogenous classroom setting that does not involve composition.

you will not teach this outaide of a university setting, and even there it is unlikely

no one will pay high wages for lessons that do not work. universities are wary to carefully screen paying students, a necssary condition for high success rates at advanced levels

hence the pay situation

you will teach from a book in 99 percent of cases unless you are working with postdocs

>>1291236
So I'd be teaching on the rails, with half of my class time being consumed by games and activities?
It's too good to be true

>>1291237
its not too good to be true. your income is lower than a terrorist kebab salesman back home

>>1291239
I mean, I wouldn't see myself doing that forever, especially not to support a family. It's a good way to earn money and be abroad though, and in tough times, having another certification and opportunity never hurts.

>>1291242
adventurous people seem to lacj perspective.

it is not a good thing that repeat criminals are outearning educated individuals. it strongly hints at structural distortions in the western markets

if you think you can just go back home and suddenly support.a.family you might be in for a rude awakening

>>1291243
I literally said NOT to support a family.
Can you read?

>>1291244
and i said if you think you will jump from a job that is literally for european refugees into something more stable, you have another thing coming

can YOU read?

if you are going to be rude like every other english teacher i am going to leave.

>>1291247
>European refugees
What?

>>1291248
forget it. just jump in blind

>>1291249
Just explain what you mean. My image of people working these jobs is just young and recent grads who want fun.

>>1287989

Questions for anyone who can answer, I'd appreciate it:

I am interested in both Korea and China. I'm curious, since you're in Beijing I imagine it was a city experience? I'm trying to decide on a first destination & haven't even fully committed to Asia, but everything is appealing except the Middle East. I'm not sure if a city would be more comfortable than a more rural area, what are your thoughts on that? An old lost friend of mine took something right outside of Seoul awhile back & I think that's what I'd prefer as well, but the city is also exciting.

Is TEFL the way to go or are there other options worth considering? (I'm not sure if ESL refers to teaching abroad in general or if it's a program on it's own). I'm guessing all of these will require some online pre requisites like the 100 hours & then the 20 hours classroom is done once you touch down over there? I will have a bachelor's by the time I am considering this for if it makes any difference. I also wonder how tough they test you in English & whether it's based on what grade level you will be teaching?

I'm interested in the 3 month Summer gig, but will likely want to go into an extended contract following that, are there 6 month contracts available?

>>1291250
few of.them transition into careers. you should have figured that out by now. whatvdid you think wasting 2 years on fun and travel was gonna do?

wise up. employers are not dumber than you.

>>1291253
you should be begging him to teach you English judging by your shitty posts.

>>1291251
Beijing is the worst large city I've ever been to. Shockingly underdeveloped. Stick with Korea so you don't get completely blasted by culture shock, then consider China afterwards.

>>1291253
>wasting 2 years on fun and travel

Hi, welcome to /trv/. Thank you for coming here to let us know you don't like to travel.

oh boy here come the pissed off 90 iq poor people

>>1291253
>whatvdid you think wasting 2 years on fun and travel was gonna do?
Be fun

Anyone have experience teaching in Mexico or Latin America? I have the opportunity to teach in that region but I'm not sure if I should choose that area over Thailand/Vietnam. Mexico's history and culture interests me a lot but I'm not sure it's worth potentially poor wages and living conditions.

>>1292128
Also I'd have the opportunity to learn Spanish in mexico. Minimum length working there is 6 months.

>>1291333
>>1291482
He was asking about jobs you idiots

I need to see if I'm gonna be ripped

Offered a teaching job in Japan, I would make 220,000 for a somewhat heavy workload 9-6 mon-fri with a 1 hour break. Seems like a lot of jobs offer more for less but I need a job. Does anybody have experience on what standard wage/workload is in Japan?

>>1292128
Wouldn't you be poorer in Thailand/Vietnam? I'd say Latin America is way more convenient than those two. It's probably much better. You also probably won't be in poor conditions with a teacher salary. I've had foreign teachers in my school and i've never seen them struggle. You'd find learning spanish much easier than learning vietnamese, for example.

>>1292175
You'll save a few hundred dollars a month and feel exhausted. Good luck.

>>1292180
I don't really care that much about saving, I'm more looking for the experience and to live in japan. More want to see if that sounds fair.

>>1291213
Well, that's a lot more than I'm saving here in the US, and I make 70K a year and don't spend lavishly.

Cost of living is nuts, and I'm eternally cucked by student loans.

>>1292185

That is an average workload then, yes.

>>1292133
>whatvdid you think wasting 2 years on fun and travel was gonna do?
>wasting

did you miss that part?

>>1292128
You will save more money in Vietnam, Thailand is supposed to be a bust for ESL. I'm not sure about Mexico but the pay is generally shit South of the USA. I believe you can get a job in Mexico and then network into something better over time though, and while you might not save a lot for returning you can live comfortably there.

I did a year after college. Wanted to see if teaching might be a good career choice for me. It didn't stick so I quit after my year. I still lived abroad for a few years doing unrelated things.

I'd say teaching abroad is decent for two or three groups of people. Young people that want to break into teaching a bit before going back for more qualifications and people that already have qualifications and get nice offers from international schools or established universities.

The third group would be the ones we make fun of on here. I made plenty of friends that are still teaching and never bothered pursuing further education or certifications. These guys generally continue to make peanuts at cram schools and live life on the edge a bit. There is acknowledgement that retirement or developing into something else is impossible, but this is the best option for them. Reason being, if they were to go home they would likely make less money working at Wal Mart or something. In addition, in Asia or wherever they are seen as exotic and can get dates and are treated with a bit more respect than they would get back home. So essentially, it's a decent path for people that likely, for whatever reasons, would not be able to carve out a decent and fulfilling life in their own country.

That was only my experience. Maybe nice to do for a year or two, but any longer without pursuing education and certs is a bad idea.

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>>1287957
8 months, Mongolia.
Holy shit it was fucking hard but awesome as well.
Imagine starting from zero, but then your students always put in extra effort.

Say goodbye to your anus for the first two weeks. And bid your lungs farewell in the colder months.

Oh, and forget about having sex with local Mongol women. The resident neo-nazis/general male populace WILL beat your ass IF they get the chance.

Would a Bachelor's degree in English, a Master's degree in English literature, a Master's degree in teaching English, and CELTA be enough to teach at a university or a good private school if I'm not a native speaker?

>>1292615
you brainlets need to specify the country you cone from and the country you are going to

>>1287957
Bump.

Looks like the girlfriend and I will be teaching in Shenzhen about a month from now.

Can anyone offer any advice/anecdotes about teaching in China?

I'm a South African with a CELTA and TESOL certificate, no teaching experience, teaching primary school kids (8-13) at a private school. Apartment is provided. Pay is RMB13500 after tax. If any of that is relevant.

>>1292623
never taught in china but shenzhen is a decent place. kids are mostly good, you will be safe, etc

you will need.to learn basic chinese to get around

>>1292627
Thanks. Are there no English signs anywhere? I would've thought a tier 1 city catered a little more to Westerners, than typical Chinese cities do.

I'll have to break out the text books from my semester studying Mandarin at uni. I only remember how to order coffee and say hello.

>>1292633
signage is uncommon anywhere even in chinese

shenzhen doesnt cater to foreigners because the city is built to service chinese industry

the only cities with significant foreign industry are hk, ahanghai and macau

>>1292618
Fuck, that's right.
Coming from the Netherlands, going to Japan, South Korea or Taiwan, hopefully.

>>1292638
its enough for a private school but not a university. you will need 2 years experience for a private school

>>1292640
Will work placements or internships at high schools count as work experience?

Also, are those qualifications enough to 'demand' a decent job?

Anyone know what it's like teaching in France? I've got an interview both for teaching abroad on TEFL as well as teaching in France with Babylangues. I'm not really sure which to take.

>>1292645
You need to go to Japan / Korea / China to make any decent money, France is bullshit.

>>1292643
likely not

>>1292636
Thanks for the info. Any places you can recommend seeing? Would be nice to know of a pub frequented by expats/non-Chinese.

What exactly are the educational requirements for teaching in Taiwan or Korea? I have a B.A. in philosophy and a law degree. I'm sure neither of these are very useful, but it's what I've got

>>1292664
Cop that TEFL then you'll be good my dude

>>1292645

I enjoyed teaching in France and look forward to doing it again. For reference I obtained a student visa and worked part time at a catholic private highschool. Pay is incredibly good , I was making about 40€\hr but the hours were unreliable. You can make more money more reliably by offering private tutoring or by working in a business english agency for professionals. If you have any questions please ask away.

>>1292648

Dumbass. You've literally never worked in France and I doubt you've even been here before. Money can be made here and there is a demand for native english TEFL teachers. Why would you want to live in a third world asian shithole when you could live comfortably in France? Never understood weeb logic.

>>1292685
>I was making about 40€\hr but the hours were unreliable

Okay, neet, I totally believe you.

China is a shithole, but to each their own. South Korea and Japan are far, far better than France, though. Enjoy getting run over by Abdul.

>>1292664
You've got everything you need apart from a TEFL, very easy to get, I did it over a weekend

>>1292689
Yeah, much better to get sarin'd on the subway.

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>>1292764
>he literally had to go back 22 years to find a terrorist attack in Tokyo

>>1292757
>>1292681
Thanks guys

>>1289373

How brutal was the summer camp in Shanghai? Was it like a sweatshop where you had to dance and sing all day for little brat chink kids 5 days a week under supervision from the rat Chinese 'teaching assistants' and micromanaged by managers, or was it laid back?

I wanted to do it this summer, but missed my chance.

Is it possible for a teacher at a high school to also coach/be involved in the basketball team of the school? Asking for Japan specifically

>>1290077
I got mine done for about £600, but I don't think you're getting paid back, man. It's customary for you to be responsible for all the costs in the UK, and they'll pay all the costs in China.

Jiangsu province what's up?

So if you speak spanish and have a TEFL certification teaching in Latin America is feasible? Any particular countries I should look into? I realize the pay isn't great but as long as I can live decent I'm fine.

>>1293454
na dude i do, the company have told me to keep my receipts and they will pay me back after being there for 3 months, also every time i say i have got a step completed he reminds me to keep hold of the receipt so i doubt its BS

>>1293110
>brat chink kids 5 days a week under supervision from the rat Chinese 'teaching assistants'
Why even bother with China if you're so racist

>>1294294
He is everything wrong with the TEFL industry. He doesn't like teaching and he doesn't like the country. He just wants his wage slave salary and escape from real life.

>>1294299
I figured most of these types go to asia to leverage their whiteness into getting laid with farm girls

>>1292180
BS, cost of living in Japan isn't that high at all.
You can probably live off 1500USD and not cheaping it out.
Medium sized apartment with all amenities, nice suburban area etc.

Unless he meant pay in yen :)

>>1294299
>He is everything wrong with the TEFL industry. He doesn't like teaching and he doesn't like the country. He just wants his wage slave salary and escape from real life.
desu this is the majority of the english teachers overall.
a reason to avoid expat hangouts when in asia. it's literal trash