Quote: (04-20-2015 11:22 AM)Hedonistic Traveler Wrote:
Quote: (04-20-2015 12:37 AM)Moto Wrote:
A trick I've stumbled upon to getting into 2nd-tier international schools with little/no experience is this: be available.
During peak hiring season, it is competitive. During odd times of the year, many schools get desperate when someone leaves because of family emergency (real or contrived) or a pregnancy.
Be a/ say you are a TEFL teacher. That way, they won't look too closely at what you've been up to, ask themselves why you don't currently have a teaching job, and won't consider you unemployed.
Nice. Yeah I'm doing TEFL right now. I noticed most jobs hire in January, which is around when I'd be ready. I figured that short-notice jobs would be available too, I'm honestly down to live pretty much anywhere in my 20s, although there are certain places I'd prefer. I'll definitely be available.
You've done IS jobs? What was your experience like? You enjoy it? Did you move around a lot? Save a little money?
I've done IS teaching in Latin America and North Africa. If you get foreign hire, yes you can save money (maybe $1,000 USD/month if you're frugal, and depending on the country and school). Places like China and Korea pay more. The most would be in Saudi Arabia. The middle east generally pays well, but the only places where it would be worth going and expect to hook up without risk of legal punishment would be Dubai and possibly Morocco.
It can be very enjoyable, and sometimes thoroughly unenjoyable. The cons: when kids are unruly, it can be a very difficult job. Some countries/cultures have very different kinds of kids. Spoiled rotten rich kids, the kinds you teach in IS, though not nearly as bad as ghetto kids in the states, are still more challenging in other ways than, say, middle class suburban kids. They are chatty as hell and aren't used to taking orders. I've noticed that kids in Islamic countries seem to lie like nobody's business.
I'm being somewhat vague about my locations, as there are only so many schools and I don't want to be easily identifiable.
Yes, I've moved around a lot. I haven't quite been able to settle, or have a stable job yet. I may be leaving the profession soon, there are some factors at play. With a good group of kids, it's a good gig. But I don't have the personality type to be good at controlling unruly kids, and I don't particularly enjoy putting on the front necessary to be a hardass super-strict teacher. I've learned how to do it, more or less, but it's not sustainable. From what I hear, Asian kids are generally much better behaved. I hope I don't get in trouble making generalizations about race, but hey every international teacher does and there is basis in fact.