Serious Teachers Forum

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► Created by Michelle Manuel on January 2, 2012

Hi I am Michelle and I am from India (Kolkata). I have been teaching for the past 22 years. I have completed a TEFL course through Thailand I have a passion for teaching the little ones age groups 3 – 9. However every time I have searched a job site I find out that all jobs are for Native speakers. I am near native English speakers and it is really sad not to be able to find a job. If anyone is able to help me with some suggestions, It will greatly be appreciated.

► Created by Aprillyn Darling on January 2, 2012

Recently, I was contacted to work in South Korea because I had a degree. It was for conversational English. I went to school for EC ED but did not make it in my last fieldwork. I love to teach, but I was extremely nervous and I was placed from a Pre-K situation into a 3rd grade class. I really want to teach, but I need to know if I need to be certified in the USA and have a certain amount of teaching experience before I spend money on an ESL certification. Can someone help me out in providing me with some good information? How much teaching experience is needed? I still sub and do a very good job.

► Created by Alex Dodsworth on December 10, 2011

I am considering teaching English in Russia and wondered if anyone could tell me what it is like? What are the differences between working in a town outside of a city and working in Moscow or St. Petersburg for example? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

► Created by Miriam Hamdi on December 9, 2011

Teaching in the UAE: If you have experiences you would like to share with new comers UAE, please add a thread here. I am interested in the interview process and wait time, schooling positive and negatives, and any advice you may believe is useful. Thank you

► Created by Nina Jack on December 9, 2011

Hi! My name is Nina Jack and I am an EFL teacher. I recently finished teaching a semester in Thailand and have my sights set upon a 2nd year in South Korea. For those of you who have been to South Korea, you know they’ve tightened their policies on bringing in foreign teachers and ones from the United States now have to provide a nationwide background check. Aside from the arduous process of obtaining the results, where do you applicants go to get fingerprinted now? The sheriff’s office in my county has switched to electronic scanning but they still require me to bring in MY OWN official fingerprint cards & I don’t have any. I’ve missed the deadline for March 2012 but the main problem is finding fingerprinting cards. Any suggestions?

► Created by Aisha Rashid on November 13, 2011

Hi, and Assalamu Alaikum!
(Peace be Upon You)
My name is Aisha. I hold three U.S.A. degrees, a 100 hours TESOL certificate, and a credential in ECE. I am living in Kuwait and have experience teaching EFL and social science in PYP year programs. In addition I have taught first grade and EFL in middle school. I am 68 years old and still wish to remain in the EFL workforce. I have recently read that one can be hired in Saudi Arabia on a Business Visa. Has anyone out there been hired on this status? Also, I am thinking of China and would like to know if the cost of living is high. How does inflation influence the RMB in comparison to the U.S. Dollar. Also, are EFL native English speaker teachers who wear a scarf, hired?
Salam

► Created by Renate Fekete-Kenny on November 7, 2011

repeated question : I do NOT have a degree but I want to be a TEACHER! How would they feel if they or their children were taught by someone who had not become a specialist in their subject -
I do not want to be a spoil sport, but degree students spend years and years learning ’facts’ and ’ways’. Mine, a language degree, was 4 years- no pension for those year. Why do people think we go to Uni (I was over 40 yrs old) if just ANYONE can teach? I would not want my teenage children to be taught by someone who was not qualified! You do not want your doctor to be without a degree, teaching is also a PROFESSION. I have seen degree-less teachers classes and was not impressed! Find a skill and train, be useful at something you can achieve!

► Created by Tania-Rae Donald on November 2, 2011

Hi everyone,
My partner and I left corporate life after 20 years, (He was an inorganic chemist and I was in project administration) a couple of years ago. We have both completed the CELTA and have for the last 6 months been substitute teaching at private language schools and we love it and are told that we are great teachers, which has made us believe that we were right to follow our dreams. We want to move to Brazil and teach, we currently reside in Cape Town. Is there anyone out there who is currently working in Sao Paulo or anywhere in Brazil that could advise us of things to be aware of or just give us
some suggestions as to where to start job hunting when we land there in December 2011.
Thanks in advance, Tania and Shawn.

► Created by Eve Dobbins on November 2, 2011

If you have a MA in TESOL with several years of community college experience, certification, 2nd language is French.. and one year of experience (primary) in GUlf. How much should you expect to earn and where is the best place overseas?

► Created by iolanda scripca on November 1, 2011

Hello Everybody!
I was not born in the US but have lived in California for 27 years. I am 51 now, have an active California Teaching Credential, Multiple Subject (1990) and a BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures (+Linguistics)from University of Bucuresti, Romania. (1983). I would love to teach in Italy, Spain or Costa Rica. I still have an Eastern European accent even after 27 years though. What chances do I have to get a job abroad. Have you met a hired teacher who is not US Native, with or without the ESL Certification? Are any other certificates equivalent to the ESL (that I can just pass an exam, not long courses)? Any information will be deeply appreciated. Thank you, Iolanda

► Created by Felicia Brown on November 1, 2011

I have recently received an offer to teach English in Kuwait. Right now we are in the redtape phase of processing work permits and authenticating our US documents for overseas travel. My family is coming with me (husband and twin daughters). Does anyone have any advice for us? Local customs?
Do’s and Don’ts? I am a certified teacher here in the U.S. I also hold a TEFL certification from Oxford Seminars. So I feel confident in my ability to teach. I just don’t know about the Middle East. I need to know about international schools for my twins...a nanny, housekeeper and local customs. We will be living in Hawally. We are excited and nervous. I just want to minimize culture shock as much as possible on this adventure we are taking.

► Created by Maria Panos on November 1, 2011

Does anyone know of a country that hires ’older’ female teachers? I have run against this over and over. I am 62, and even though I look 15-20 years younger, it doesn’t make a difference. So many countries will not issue a work visa to someone my age. As I have no other income, I do need to make enough to survive and pay my bills back home. I am a native English speaker from the U.S. with a BA in secondary ed social studies and bilingual ed/ESL and an MA in counseling and guidance. I had worked abroad for many years but have been out of the international circuit for a few years. I am now finding it extremely difficult to find employment at my age.

► Created by Sarah Montoro on November 1, 2011

Hello. I am thinking about taking a position in the Republic of Georgia. I’ve done some reading about the country and culture online, but I’d love to here some first-hand experiences if anyone has them to share!

► Created by FRANCIS POLLARD on October 19, 2011

Can anyone enlighten me about their teaching experience(s) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam? Are there significant differences between government schools versus private schools when hiring new teachers?

► Created by Boris Pan on September 20, 2011

Has anyone else experienced or heard of reverse-discrimination when applying for ESL jobs in China?

I’m a Canadian of Chinese descent and have lived in Canada since I was 4. My English is considered to be perfect "Canadian neutral" but I’m having a hard time getting many interviews. One recruiter pretty much told me to my face (over skype) that it’s too bad I wasn’t white.

What can I do? Any tips?

► Created by Mahesh Londhe on September 11, 2011

I am interested to find out the proven tactics that may increase your chances of succeeding in a phone job interview. Please thoroughly discuss it in the forum.
I hope many who wish to benefit from this, come forward and respond to this call.
Thank you

► Created by Kristi Wheeldon on August 27, 2011

My husband and I are both certified teachers in the US but would like to teach abroad. Do we also need a TEFL or TESOL certificate?

► Created by Keith Dolan on August 26, 2011

Hi,
I´m really interested in going to korea to teach english, but don´t really know where to start. I have my profile uploaded but not sure what to do after that. I´d like to go to a fairly lively city thats easy to meet and get on with people. Native english speakers would be my preferred choice at the start anyways. Any help would be great.

► Created by Kok-fai Lo on June 20, 2011

Hello!!

I´m looking to go teach English in Hong Kong, South Korea or Taiwan. Can someone give me some pointers as to getting the ball rolling?

► Created by Alexandra Bochmann on June 7, 2011

Hello all. I am seriously looking for EFL ESL work in sub-Saharan Africa. Could anyone give me any pointers of where to look who to contact...? Thanks!

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