Working/Teaching Abroad - How to get Involved? Forum

[hadisious]

I'm currently a senior undergraduate student and I plan on taking a year off before applying to law school for the fall 2012' cycle. I'm thinking a great way to spend my year will be abroad to force me out of my comfort zone and pick up some interesting experience.

I'm a poly sci major, english minor. Basically I'm looking for common places to voltuneer or apply for work abroad. Does anybody know of some good resources along these lines?

I've looked at Teach for America and the Peace Corps but both of them require at least 2 yrs service. Which I was hoping to only take one year off.

Thanks for any insight for advice!

[DieAntwoord]

Universities in China are fun and relaxed. But dont pay well.

[littlepiggie818]

Teach English in Korea. I did it for 1.5 years and loved it! However, not everyone shared the same experience. I have met a lot of teachers in Korea who hated it. So make sure you do your research before you take on a year contract.

I also think Korea is great because you do save money (that is if you don't go out every night and drink your money away) from the decent salary. I think teaching in Korea is paid a lot more than teaching in China and you only need an undergraduate degree to teach in Korea.

[DieAntwoord]

Teach English in Korea. I did it for 1.5 years and loved it! However, not everyone shared the same experience. I have met a lot of teachers in Korea who hated it. So make sure you do your research before you take on a year contract.

I also think Korea is great because you do save money (that is if you don't go out every night and drink your money away) from the decent salary. I think teaching in Korea is paid a lot more than teaching in China and you only need an undergraduate degree to teach in Korea.

But China is the center of the world: a lot more interesting. Who cares about turtle boats.

This is the mountain I climbed one weekend: --ImageRemoved--

This is what I saw the next weekend:--ImageRemoved--

This is what I saw on my way to work:

[teebone51]

But China is the center of the world: a lot more interesting. Who cares about turtle boats.

Teach English in Korea. I did it for 1.5 years and loved it! However, not everyone shared the same experience. I have met a lot of teachers in Korea who hated it. So make sure you do your research before you take on a year contract.

I also think Korea is great because you do save money (that is if you don't go out every night and drink your money away) from the decent salary. I think teaching in Korea is paid a lot more than teaching in China and you only need an undergraduate degree to teach in Korea.

But China is the center of the world: a lot more interesting. Who cares about turtle boats.

I definitely recommend it as sort of a "gap year" in between undergrad and grad school.

I think your choice should really depend on what your priorities are. I chose korea for its pecuniary advantages (salary is higher, apartment is paid, 1 month salary bonus at the end of contract, private lessons pay up to ~35/hour), however with this choice there are some sacrifices. It can be a really difficult, frustrating place to live sometimes. But, I was able to save like $15,000 (Won was stronger when I was there, pre-global recession) and was able to backpack and scuba dive around the better half of south east asia after my contract was over.

If you're looking for a deep cultural experience, without a doubt go to China. The language is more relevant and marketable, if you dedicate yourself to learning it, and you can earn a good amount of money relative to the cost of living. However, the downside is that you won't be able to really take any of this with you for traveling or savings or whatever.

If you've got some money stacked away (or wealthy parents) that you wouldn't mind spending, I'd say go to japan. There are higher start-up costs involved, like a security deposit, and cost of living while you try to find a job, but I've heard it's a blast. You won't save anything because everything is so expensive over there, but I know many people who used korea as a stepping stone to save up money for japan.

I suggest checking out eslcafe.com, the undisputed heavyweight mecca forum for all things ESL. I secured all my interviews, and my eventual job, through this site.

[littlepiggie818]

I do agree that China might be more interesting in terms of traveling and learning Chinese would be very beneficial. In the end, it depends on your priorities.

I had a similar experience to teebone51. I took a portion of the money I saved and backpacked through southeast asia (where I also learned how to scuba dive). That experience was unbeatable. But my experience in Korea was also amazing. I had a chance to experience a culture that I knew nothing of, tasted amazing food, and learned a martial art.

If you do have any question, feel free to pm me.

[cinephile]

I've been doing this program for 2 years and I love it:
http://www.frenchculture.org/assistantshipprogram

Granted, you can't save as much when you're living in France (compared to living in Korea), but we get 2 weeks of vacation every six weeks, time off work every time the teachers go on strike (which is often), and you can travel easily around Europe. I love being here. If you speak Spanish or German look into these:

http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/ ... ault.shtml

http://www.fulbright.at/us-teaching-ass ... ption.html

[worldtraveler]

I also taught abroad for a year in Korea and loved it. Other things to check out are the Princeton in Africa, Asia, and Latin America programs which are one year volunteer with a stipend things.

[Eugenie Danglars]

If you're interested in Peace Corps, look into Peace Corps Response. It's a short term thing, but you do have to have some skills.

I teach in China now (with the Peace Corps) but our schools also have free lance foreign teachers. They make 3500 rmb a month and get a free apt. I live on about 500 a month, so you can clear 3000 rmb (about $450) a month. This is assuming you don't take on any tutoring or other school offers. If you do, you can get anywhere from 40-80 an hour.

If you want some suggestions of specific places to apply, PM me, and I can hook you up.

[hadisious]

Wow! Thanks for all the great responses guys. I'm going to spend some time this week looking through all of this and trying to make some decisions.

I'll be sure to update this post and let everybody know if I have any questions or have made any choices.

Thanks again!

[hadisious]

Question:

Should I be pursuing an ESL certification of sorts before I plan to do this?

I have minor to mediocre experience Spanish, but no other foreign language. Is it still realistic to teach in Korea/China with no prior experience in the language?

[thisguy456]

If you're interested in Peace Corps, look into Peace Corps Response. It's a short term thing, but you do have to have some skills.

I teach in China now (with the Peace Corps) but our schools also have free lance foreign teachers. They make 3500 rmb a month and get a free apt. I live on about 500 a month, so you can clear 3000 rmb (about $450) a month. This is assuming you don't take on any tutoring or other school offers. If you do, you can get anywhere from 40-80 an hour.

If you want some suggestions of specific places to apply, PM me, and I can hook you up.

I'm pretty sure you need to have already been a Peace Corps Volunteer if you want to do Peace Corps Response.

[DieAntwoord]

Question:

Should I be pursuing an ESL certificationof sorts before I plan to do this?

I have minor to mediocre experience Spanish, but no other foreign language. Is it still realistic to teach in Korea/China with no prior experience in the language?

Dont need one but it will help a little.


No prior language experince needed. You will learn more practical language skills after you are there for a month than you could possible pick up in a book anyways.
I would be sure to know some basics like numbers though, just to make things smoother.

[teebone51]

Question:

Should I be pursuing an ESL certification of sorts before I plan to do this?

be wary of ESL certification programs. caveat emptor.

they're not necessary but they can provide some boost to your resume especially if you have zero teaching experience. putting some skin in the game by getting a certification can make you look like a more serious applicant, but IMHO they're useless pieces of paper.

in terms of language, if you go to korea, learning how to read hangul (the korean alphabet) would probably be the most advisable thing, as it will make everything else fall in place easier once you're on the ground.

[worldtraveler]

Question:

Should I be pursuing an ESL certification of sorts before I plan to do this?

I have minor to mediocre experience Spanish, but no other foreign language. Is it still realistic to teach in Korea/China with no prior experience in the language?

No, unless you plan on doing it for a few years. You wouldn't make that much more money to make it worth it. If you have a college degree, are not a pedophile or weirdo/creeper you will get a job. I should add that it is MUCH easier to get job offers in Korea if you are white and female. If you're not white, expect some rejections just based on your color. It's sad but true, but it does mean that shitty schools won't give you an offer that you didn't want anyway.

[hadisious]

Thanks for the replies.

Well I am a white male, so at least I got half of it going for me However I do not have any teaching experience currently. I've got a high GPA and will be graduating in May. Poly Sci Major, English Minor.

I keep hearing a lot of good things about going to Korea. I just need to find some reputable resources. Everything out there seems like it could be a scam, there is just so many different programs. I just need to get a feel for it all.

[Sandro]

I've been doing this program for 2 years and I love it:
http://www.frenchculture.org/assistantshipprogram

Granted, you can't save as much when you're living in France (compared to living in Korea), but we get 2 weeks of vacation every six weeks, time off work every time the teachers go on strike (which is often), and you can travel easily around Europe. I love being here. If you speak Spanish or German look into these:

http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/ ... ault.shtml

http://www.fulbright.at/us-teaching-ass ... ption.html

How much french do you need to know for this? It says "proficient" I took pretty relatively intensive French from 4th-9th grade and two semesters in UG.

Also for anyone else, how hard is it to break into a teach abroad program with A. no language experience in the host country and B. no teaching experience.

[Eugenie Danglars]

I've been doing this program for 2 years and I love it:
http://www.frenchculture.org/assistantshipprogram

Granted, you can't save as much when you're living in France (compared to living in Korea), but we get 2 weeks of vacation every six weeks, time off work every time the teachers go on strike (which is often), and you can travel easily around Europe. I love being here. If you speak Spanish or German look into these:

http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/ ... ault.shtml

http://www.fulbright.at/us-teaching-ass ... ption.html

How much french do you need to know for this? It says "proficient" I took pretty relatively intensive French from 4th-9th grade and two semesters in UG.

Also for anyone else, how hard is it to break into a teach abroad program with A. no language experience in the host country and B. no teaching experience.

In China (outside of the top 5 cities), this is easy peasy. I'm working with some people like that right now. Do yourself a favor and learn how to count to ten before you come. Also, you might look into one of those quickie online certs if you have zero idea what you're doing ,but it's not necessary.

[cinephile]

I've been doing this program for 2 years and I love it:
http://www.frenchculture.org/assistantshipprogram

Granted, you can't save as much when you're living in France (compared to living in Korea), but we get 2 weeks of vacation every six weeks, time off work every time the teachers go on strike (which is often), and you can travel easily around Europe. I love being here. If you speak Spanish or German look into these:

http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/ ... ault.shtml

http://www.fulbright.at/us-teaching-ass ... ption.html

How much french do you need to know for this? It says "proficient" I took pretty relatively intensive French from 4th-9th grade and two semesters in UG.

Also for anyone else, how hard is it to break into a teach abroad program with A. no language experience in the host country and B. no teaching experience.

When you apply, you'll need a French professor as one of your recommenders and they will use a rubric to determine your proficiency. However, I think it's pretty inclusive because there are plenty of assistants here with limited French ability (or limited oral expresion at least).

As for how much you'll need to get by in every day life, it really depends where you're placed. If you're placed in a city with a university, a major tourist attraction, or even just a large town you can probbly get by just by speaking English. But even if you're in a little village where you're the only anglophone, you'd be surprised how easy it is to communicate. Really, the towns where you're forced to rely on your French are better for achieving fluency, and it happens relatively quickly.

[aesis]

Does anyone have any information on teaching in Italy? Particularly Milan, Florence, or Rome? Actually, almost any city north of Rome would do. I'm itching to go back and willing to postpone law school for a year to do it.

[cinephile]

Does anyone have any information on teaching in Italy? Particularly Milan, Florence, or Rome? Actually, almost any city north of Rome would do. I'm itching to go back and willing to postpone law school for a year to do it.

I know of a summer English camp near San Remo. They also have programs (teaching English drama) during the school year, but I believe you need to be an EU citizen to apply to that one. But check out the summer camp http://www.acle.org/

[worldtraveler]

Thanks for the replies.

Well I am a white male, so at least I got half of it going for me However I do not have any teaching experience currently. I've got a high GPA and will be graduating in May. Poly Sci Major, English Minor.

I keep hearing a lot of good things about going to Korea. I just need to find some reputable resources. Everything out there seems like it could be a scam, there is just so many different programs. I just need to get a feel for it all.

Look at the forums on dave's esl cafe. you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about what people think of certain schools/employers. I went with YBM ECC, which is a big chain of schools in Korea. You will work more hours but you will get what you're promised in your contact, so it's not amazing but not bad either.

[AceintheWhole]

I'm actually teaching in China right now. I got a year deferment from my future law school. I had no prior teaching experience and was a also Poli-Sci major. I will say most of what people have said about China is true. I don't know about Korea because I haven't made it over there yet.



If you want more details about what it's like over here, send me message.

[whymeohgodno]

Korea is nice. I can speak from personal experience.