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Teaching
Jobs Overseas: Talking with the experts - Page Two
Igor
Salaries and benefits vary
greatly from school to school, from $15,000 to $80,000 for teaching positions,
and $25,000 to $120,000 for administrative jobs. The real question
is not how much you are going to make, but how much you'll be able to save.
If you have free housing, no utility bills, no taxes, no car payments --
and if the cost of living
is low -- even a modest salary overseas is still better than huge paychecks
at home that have to cover these expenses.
Q:
Do you teach all ages or
can you choose the age of your students? - Asked by David Hill
A:
Pam
It depends on what sort
of job you have. I was hired to teach first grade in Spain and then second
grade in Bulgaria. If you teach at a language academy you will have to
teach five or six classes per day, and you probably will not get to choose
what age level you will teach. You may be able to ask for one group that
is your preferred age. And sometimes you can make a little extra money
by teaching an after-school activity or sport, or by tutoring privately
in town. Right now I teach English to students in grades two to five, which
is nice because I interact with lots of kids. For more info, please visit
our Web site at http://joyjobs.com/index.html
Q:
Do you have to speak the
language of the country you're teaching in? - Asked by Jonas Ethan
A:
Pam
No. When I taught in Spain
it was actually an asset that I didn't speak Spanish because it forced
me to speak English with my students. However, you will pick up the
language while you live there. By the time I left Spain, I was conferencing
with the parents in Spanish.
Igor
In Bulgaria, the school
community was truly international and the common language was English.
We took lessons for two years while we lived there, but we never mastered
the Bulgarian language. It makes everyday life a lot easier if you know
the host country's language, but you don't need it at all to get
a job overseas.
Q:
What's your favorite country?
- Asked by Christian Todal
A:
Igor
This is such a difficult
question. Each country has its pros and cons. The answer will also depend
on where you are in your life, how you are feeling and what you are looking
for as you live and travel. I suppose it will also depend on how much money
you have and what your standard of living will be.
Pam
My first foreign country
was Germany, so it will always have a place in my heart. I grew to love
Spain with its diversity and history. I traveled almost exclusively in
Spain during the three years that I was there. Bulgaria was an amazing
country to live in. It had changed from communism to a market economy just
before I moved
there, and I was able to
witness many interesting changes (not all of them positive). I'm sure as
you travel around the world, you will find the places that you love and
will want to return to, as well as the places you will want to avoid in
the future.
Igor
In Bulgaria, we didn't always
have all the modern conveniences we may have been used to, but it didn't
matter. I loved England with its neat and trim neighborhoods -- suddenly
I could read and understand things around me. Turkey is also quite an amazing
country --- a mixture of the Muslim tradition and a western-type
economy.
Q:
What are the best ways (or
places) to get info on the good-paying opportunities that exist overseas?
- Asked by Paul Thomas
A:
Probably the best-paying
jobs are with the international schools circuit. There are recruiting fairs
which look specifically for certified teachers and these jobs are high
paying and very secure. There are, however, many options for teaching abroad.
It's always safer to be paid in U.S. dollars. We knew of a teacher who
had to leave Korea because the currency devalued suddenly and he was left
with bills he could no longer pay.
You can also consider Department
of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) that operate in 14 foreign countries,
including most of the Western Europe. They pay well and the benefits are
good -- they even ship your vehicle free of charge.
There are many other advantages
to working at an international school. For example, your school takes
care of your housing expenses as well as your airfare to and from the job,
along with a substantial amount of personal belongings. You are also entitled
to a $72,000 exclusion on your taxable income. And you travel and meet
all kinds of people -- it's an adventure every day.
For young teachers, it is
advisable to gain some overseas experience working at a local language
academy or a small private school. Fullbright Teacher Exchange Program
is also a good start for a recent college grad.
We maintain a Web site about
teaching overseas at http://joyjobs.com/tips/index.html
Please feel free to stop
by if you need more info.
Q:
Have you ever been to England,
if so what's it like? - Asked by Ethan
A:
Pam:
I have been to England several
times. My experiences there were very positive. My first trip to England
was with a rail pass, so I travelled by train for several weeks before
my school term began in Germany.
It's quite an expensive
country. I found it very tidy and very much in order. London is one of
the most amazing cities in the world. I travelled there several times from
Spain and I found it extremely colourful, vibrant and exciting. I had some
difficulty understanding the English spoken in Great Britain, especially
in Scotland, but I
remember laughing a lot
because I couldn't make myself understood either. Write again if you have
more specific questions about travel there and I'll be happy to answer.
Igor:
London has the best Indian
food outside of India, if not better. It is incredible.
Q:
Hi Pam and Igor,
I have a student who is
interested in teaching English as a second language but is unable to obtain
education further than Grade 12 at this time (financial reasons). Is there
any opportunity for someone without a teaching certificate? He has taught
some people from Korea while they were here in Canada, so he does have
some experience. Asked by Jacquie Thom
A:
Sure. He could teach at
any language academy. There are thousands of them all over the world. At
my school in Spain there were dozens of academies, and most of the teachers
filling the positions didn't have certification. Actually, the more popular
teachers were the younger ones who could share the American ways and customs.
The academies cater to all sorts of locals from school kids to business
professionals. Simply being a native speaker of English counts for a lot
at a language academy. If he can narrow down a little bit where he wants
to live, he can zero in on some academies in the area or city there and
begin applying.
Q:
I read your article that
was published in CX. I myself am taking two foreign languages and hope
that someday I will also be able to travel abroad. My plans for college
are to major in foreign language (education) and international marketing.
I had noticed that you had gone overseas to teach which interested me greatly.
I was wondering if you might give me some hints as to how I could get started
on such an endeavor. I speak German and Spanish. I'm eager to hear from
you.Thanks again. Asked by Brian Walk
A:
Our initial reaction is
to suggest that you also take some TOEFL classes or even some basic
education classes when you are in school (maybe cut down on electives and
fill in with education classes) so you will be certified to teach English
to non-native speakers of the language. This may open more doors for you
for teaching overseas and, quite possibly, get you into an international
school in Germany or Spain or South America.
If you are certified to teach
Spanish or German, you will have to rely on the schools overseas which
offer those programs (my hunch is that French is offered more than the
other languages). And usually a local person is hired (cheaper) to teach
the host language to the students. Teaching at an international school
would be in English, however your language skills would be necessary outside
of school or for helping the administration deal with the host country
and local staff. Our friend Erik Richardson is a language wizard. He mastered
Bulgarian quickly and is presently in Indonesia. The school sent him to
an intensive one-on-one language course this summer to improve his language
ability and he is instrumental around the school on a day-to-day basis.
Q:
Was it ever dangerous on
your travels? - Asked by Beth Robertson
A:
Pam:
I was only physically scared
once or twice in all the time I was overseas. Once was in Portugal while
walking down a very narrow fish alley in a coastal town. Sharp and enormous
filleting knives were being used on all sides, there were mounds of fresh
fish to be prepared for market and there was barely room to turn around.
I became claustrophobic in a big way and knew that an enormous arm was
going to come out and haul me off into one of the closed doors.
The other time was when I
attended a gypsy festival in the south of France. Heaven knows why we decided
this would be fun. We were going to camp out on the beach and, luckily
for us, we found a large hospice tent set up by a local church. I entered
that tent on Friday night and didn't come out until Sunday when we were
leaving. It was SCARY! I saw enough just sitting in the tent watching the
people coming in and out to know that I really didn't want to see more
of what was on the other side.
Igor:
Most crimes in the places
where we lived were against property, not people. We were robbed in Bulgaria
while we were at school. Someone was probably scoping out our house, watching
our schedule. We were robbed about an hour after school began. Our neighbour
said there were three robbers and they split up and searched the house
looking for nothing but jewellery and gold (which they found because we
had everything in our top drawer!). They disappeared before the police
arrived. Apparently they had a portable radio that was tuned to
the police channel to warn
them in advance.
However, the violent type
of crime is much lower abroad compared to the United States. In Japan,
for example, gun-related violence is 0.5 per cent of the U.S. level --
that means it's practically non-existent. Personally, I feel quite safe
almost everywhere because of the strict gun control laws in most foreign
countries. Yes, they can steal your bags at the airport, but it is very
unlikely that someone will confront you with a weapon. In Spain, people
are out on the streets until 3 in the morning and nobody cares.
Did you see page one of
Pam & Igor's questions & answers? Go
to page one
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