What's it like in the rest of the world?
 

I have taught in Korea and talked to plenty of people with teaching experience in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. But does anyone know what the teaching conditions are like in Europe or Central and South America?

• I know the pay is lower in South America but what are the work conditions like?
• Also, what is the pay like in western Europe?
• What kind of qualifications do you need to teach ESL in Europe?
• How about the Middle East? I've heard that if you get hired there they really take care of you!

If anyone has any information about these please let me know. I might need a change of latitude soon ;)

i2i

I've read that if you are a guy, Saudi Arabia really favours the male teachers/lecturers etc.and getting the job is easier. ;)

I also heard the money is great in Saudi Arabia :) I talked to one girl who used to work in Turkey and she said she felt a bit oppressed and it was tough for her. But I know it wasn't too tough because she stayed there for a while...

I teach in the States, but I've done my homework:

In general, you must have your EU passport to work in Western European countries. Most Eastern European countries don't care - they just need the teachers badly. Most European schools work with children and summer positions are usually for camps. If money is not an issue, Romania, Czech, Poland, etc. offer wonderful teaching opportunities and plenty of weekend getaways to various European cities arranged by the school you work for.

Scandanavian countries prefer the Brits & Aussies, but it's always worth a shot.

Middle Eastern countries do prefer men, however the UAE offers positions to women and is considered one of the safest of all the ME countries.

Bottom line: do your homework, ask other teachers, and check out as many esl forums regarding the countries your interested in and collect 411 from that.

sighisoara, you have done your homework!

Now i have a few questions. What's involved in getting an EU passport? That sounds pretty tough! What (in USD) can you expect to make in eastern Europe. I have heard its beautiful and a great place to teach, is the low pay the deterrant?

Thanks for the info on the UAE!

Later
i2i

i2i - glad I could help. In general, pay in most countries is enough to live comforably in that country & leave you w/ a little extra to visit other parts of that country. If you have a car payment, mortgage payment, or anything else major that you cannot defer (like student loans) than your best bet is to look at the top paying countries: Saudi Arabia (only for men - it's not worth the hassle as a woman); UAE (safe for women & contracts can start at approx. $35,000.oo a year plus housing, transportation, medical, vacation pay, & allowances for shipping, materials, & if you have family, and visa); Japan (w/ a lot of opportunities for private tutoring outside of class - great way to make extra $).

Working in Canada or the US is funky because the requirements vary from school to school and so does the pay. Privates schools can either pay really good or really crappy. Adult Ed programs through school districts is good pay, but there is no job security in the sense that these programs rely on how many immigrants are in the area & hours are limited in many districts & no benefits - unless f/t which is rare. Community Colleges are also good pay w/ benefits but are tough to get - you have to be in the door as a p/t teacher first to even have a chance. University positions are the big $$, but a total bitch to get & in most cases you need a PhD in Linguistics or something similar.

If you really want a shot at Europe, but you're concernced with $ - my suggestion is to look for a school that hires just for the summer. You'll get the experience that looks great on your cv, you only risk 2-3 months for your bills - you can make that work, you get lots of weekend opps to see the sights, and you might be offered a longer position w/ better pay or w/ admin. which ='s more $.

Gosh, that was long, but I hope it helps. :)

edited to add: you can't get a EU passport - you have to have been born in one the EU countries or perhaps married & gained citizenship to that EU country. Most schools will post if this is a requirement & you can e-mail to inquire if they make exceptions.

WOW, great info sighisoara!

A friend of mine who is teaching in thailand just emerged from the job fair with a job in Turkey. he wanted to stay inThailand but could not get a job here and was not happy at his exosting school.

he mentioned like about 2500US per month plus housing for the new Turkey job

Wow! 2500 USD. Maybe i should relocate... ;)

he is not just an english teacher. Teaches noprmal subjects as well.

Another friend of mine just got his tefl and got a job at a international school near bangkok--they have him teaching math--he gets 40K baht plus housing

thats 1000$ us plus housing-worth another 3-400$

I've worked in the United Arab Emirates. The working conditions are good and you get a lot of holidays.Its also fairly liberal you can drink alcohol and there are plenty of Russian women who are freelancing in Dubai.

On the down side. There are tons of discipline problems in the schools. You will have to brush up on your classroom management skills.

Why do you think there are such bad discipline problems in the UAE?

There are many reasons for the discipline problems. The society has lots of Sheiks. Certain families that are friendly with the Shieks have lots of advantages. In other words the Shiek will help them out of any difficult situations. These can range from anything to legal problems to getting into a good University to getting a student who has been expelled back into the classroom.

Most of the teachers who work in the schools are not Emirities but other Arabs from Gulf countries. They usually know which families are well connected. Therefore they may choose to turn a blind eye to that boys Tomfoolery. Also while corporal punishment is officially banned in the country it is widely acceptable by cultural standards. I find this situation similar to the Korean situation.

Cheating on exams is rife in almost all Gulf countries. If you happen to be supervising an exam you have to keep a sharp eye out for cheaters. If you have caught someone cheating and plan to give them a goose egg be prepared for all kinds of retaliation. Bribing teachers is also common.

Knowing this situation there are things you can do to fit into the culture.
Understanding the language in one in fact you may already know some Arabic words Alcohol Assasin Alchemy

Growing a beard helps you to blend in better.