Hello Everyone!
Thank you in advance for any advice you have to offer.
teaching couple
teaching couple
Last edited by MMMC on Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:19 am, edited 2 times in total.
These are good, but highly relative questions. The chances of you both finding something are very good (assuming you have good references). That part is easy to answer.
Where should you work? This depends upon where you want to go. Europe is expensive and hard to save a lot, but there is lots to see, the weather is more like North America, and that's where a lot of people who dream of going on their vacation to many of its cities. Asia is highly variable - some schools pay well with a low cost of living, others have a very high cost of living (like Europe). Japan is very expensive, but very nice. South America is cheap, but the pay is low. Same goes with Africa, although the pay is much better, but still not like Europe or Asia.
I would suggest deciding on a couple of continents first and then narrow your search from there. The recruiting agencies put your materials together, but more and more schools are hiring via Skype/email/telephone/ etc. so you can easily do it that way as well. Same goes for the job fairs. I like the UNI job fair, but others have had good luck at other fairs. With your combinations, all of the job fairs would be pretty good. However, don't wait until February or March to start looking. Many schools are actually hiring as early as November and December which means you need to have all your info ready by October.
A good website to join is www.tieonline.com
They have lots of listings and links to the schools. I would suggest you use the pay side of this site, but there are lots and lots of negative reviews and it is very hard to tell what is real from people who expect too much and are difficult. A whole bunch of negative reviews is probably reliable, and no to very few might be an indication of a decent school.
My view of how you get treated is how you treat others. If you get along with others and you are flexible and not demanding (and I mean demanding - it has to be done now, in my way, and there is no there way), then you will have a good experience.
So my advice is to first pick an area/location and ask for the best schools and go from there. There is a listing of the top schools in Asia that most people agree are pretty good schools. When you see a good candidate, ask to email some of the current teachers. This will give you a good idea of how it really is to work at that school. Let's face it, not many schools are going to tell you the bad/difficult parts of working any more than a person is to honestly tell an employer all of your weaknesses.
I can tell you I love international teaching. I am saving a lot of money each month, I like the people I work with, and I like the travel. For me, it has been a very good decision. Good luck!
Where should you work? This depends upon where you want to go. Europe is expensive and hard to save a lot, but there is lots to see, the weather is more like North America, and that's where a lot of people who dream of going on their vacation to many of its cities. Asia is highly variable - some schools pay well with a low cost of living, others have a very high cost of living (like Europe). Japan is very expensive, but very nice. South America is cheap, but the pay is low. Same goes with Africa, although the pay is much better, but still not like Europe or Asia.
I would suggest deciding on a couple of continents first and then narrow your search from there. The recruiting agencies put your materials together, but more and more schools are hiring via Skype/email/telephone/ etc. so you can easily do it that way as well. Same goes for the job fairs. I like the UNI job fair, but others have had good luck at other fairs. With your combinations, all of the job fairs would be pretty good. However, don't wait until February or March to start looking. Many schools are actually hiring as early as November and December which means you need to have all your info ready by October.
A good website to join is www.tieonline.com
They have lots of listings and links to the schools. I would suggest you use the pay side of this site, but there are lots and lots of negative reviews and it is very hard to tell what is real from people who expect too much and are difficult. A whole bunch of negative reviews is probably reliable, and no to very few might be an indication of a decent school.
My view of how you get treated is how you treat others. If you get along with others and you are flexible and not demanding (and I mean demanding - it has to be done now, in my way, and there is no there way), then you will have a good experience.
So my advice is to first pick an area/location and ask for the best schools and go from there. There is a listing of the top schools in Asia that most people agree are pretty good schools. When you see a good candidate, ask to email some of the current teachers. This will give you a good idea of how it really is to work at that school. Let's face it, not many schools are going to tell you the bad/difficult parts of working any more than a person is to honestly tell an employer all of your weaknesses.
I can tell you I love international teaching. I am saving a lot of money each month, I like the people I work with, and I like the travel. For me, it has been a very good decision. Good luck!
I stand corrected about Brazil (I was thinking about most of the other countries in South America, but I think Central America fits the "lower pay spectrum as well").
I would also seriously consider how much money is worth to you. You may find a wonderful school with a lower salary, or a high salary school you absolutely hate. I'm not saying they are opposites, but I am saying they don't necessarily go together either. I would stay longer at a school I love (with lower pay) than I would stay at a school I hate, but pays really well. Saying you could "tough it out" sounds nice now, but when you are in a foreign country and you hate your situation, toughing it out is easier said than done (I do commend the people who do try. I also totally feel that if you sign a contract, you need to fulfill that contract). Besides salary, there are also such things as housing, tuition, and transportation that should be put into the compensation package. A $24,000 a year position sounds awful but if rent/utilities, transportation, and tuition/childcare are taken care of - it's not too bad! Teachers in Europe would kill for a position that grossed $24,000 after those items are taken care of.
I would also strongly encourage you to go with your instincts. If you get a bad vibe about a school, you are probably right. It's much easier to say thanks, no thanks and move on than it is to go, hate it, and try to get out early. Think about how many times your instincts were wrong when you got a bad vibe. Usually those instincts are spot on.
I would also seriously consider how much money is worth to you. You may find a wonderful school with a lower salary, or a high salary school you absolutely hate. I'm not saying they are opposites, but I am saying they don't necessarily go together either. I would stay longer at a school I love (with lower pay) than I would stay at a school I hate, but pays really well. Saying you could "tough it out" sounds nice now, but when you are in a foreign country and you hate your situation, toughing it out is easier said than done (I do commend the people who do try. I also totally feel that if you sign a contract, you need to fulfill that contract). Besides salary, there are also such things as housing, tuition, and transportation that should be put into the compensation package. A $24,000 a year position sounds awful but if rent/utilities, transportation, and tuition/childcare are taken care of - it's not too bad! Teachers in Europe would kill for a position that grossed $24,000 after those items are taken care of.
I would also strongly encourage you to go with your instincts. If you get a bad vibe about a school, you are probably right. It's much easier to say thanks, no thanks and move on than it is to go, hate it, and try to get out early. Think about how many times your instincts were wrong when you got a bad vibe. Usually those instincts are spot on.