OK, so I have decided to try and make this site active again. I can't possibly post everything that I have missed in the last 3 or 4 years, since blogging from behind the Great Fire Wall frustrated me enough to make me stop...but I will try and get some photos posted from the second half of my time in China, from Thailand and my second tour in Korea...so keep checking in.
Also, having been encouraged by many friends to write down the crazy stories I tell of my adventures in various countries...but not really thinking that I am an author, I am going to create a new section called Stories...and here you will find them. I will try to post one a week or so for the next little while.
Enjoy,
Monday, November 08, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Teaching Overseas
I often get asked for advice on jobs teaching English in Asia. Very fair, since I have many years experience. And my experience combined with that of my friends has made me fairly knowledgeable, but it makes for very, very long emails and lots of typing. Since I have finally gotten tired of doing that over and over, I decided to put a summary up here. First I will give brief overviews of the countries, and then I will post details about types of jobs, and I will finish off with general info. All are fabulous cultural experiences, each with it's ups and downs, which you can read about anywhere...so that stuff has been left out (for the most part).
Countries
Japan -- You make money that translates into real money at home, but the living costs are high, and often they are not as well supported as in other countries. Contracts may or may not have end of the year bonuses. Contracts are generally followed and honored.
Korea -- The best to make money. The cost of living is low, and even lower because the schools pay travel costs to arrive/leave, and rent. You can easily save money. The government requires all employees who work a full year to receive a month's salary on contract completion. Companies are not always honest (many are, but not all). Do your best, by asking questions, to make sure rules are followed, and all will be good.
China -- Varies greatly from countryside, to small city to places like Shanghai and Beijing. You really don't make a lot of money, unless you are a trained teacher (but that would be a whole other post), but you can if you want to spend a few years there. China has sooooo many opportunities, not just in education. You do have to watch for contracts not to be followed, and lying to staff in general. You also need to keep in mind that you will be behind the 'Great Firewall of China'.
Thailand -- Paradise -- Ok, the teaching is not perfect, but the country is so wonderful. It is a country full of laid back people, if you are easily stressed it might not be the country for you. Most jobs outside of Bangkok are with public schools, and are hired through recruiters. The only downside is that the money you make does not really translate well into dollars (of any kind). The kids as a large group are the sweetest, kindest, most comfortable in their own skins, kids and teens I have ever met (this does not mean they are perfectly well behaved -- no kids are)
Vietnam -- One of two that I will mention that I have not worked in myself. This is an emerging EFL market. To try and standardize things they seem to accept only people with really good TESOL certificates like CELTA (basically month long programs). It sounds like there are some good jobs there, and the money is better than in Thailand, but not yet at the level of Korea or Japan.
Taiwan -- The second country I have not worked in. It seems like you can make almost as much as in Korea. It also seems to be similar to Korea in trustworthiness.
Job Types
(generalizations to for all the countries unless otherwise stated)
International Schools: Real schools that only hire teachers who are certified to teach in their home countries or that have special qualifications (like music). They usually pay very well and treat teachers quite well. They do not post ads on sites like Dave's ESL. They will hire EFL teachers, but the pay is less and they usually have a fair number of applicants so they hire from people already in the country.
Quasi-international schools: These are popping up more and more. They say international somewhere in the title, but most of the students are local, they charge less in tuition than proper international schools, and they have fewer hiring standards than proper international schools. They feel superior because they call themselves international, but really they are a lot like academies with more normal hours. They are the most common in China, but they are popping up in Korea and probably exist in other countries too.
Universities: Are usually considered to be among the most reputable EFL jobs. They often look for a masters, some even want a PhD (but they rarely find people like that so usually settle for a masters). They will hire people with the bachelors, but again usually from within the country when you have a local reference. For the most part they pay less, but have great paid vacations, and usually opportunities to earn more with camps or extra classes.
Public Schools: These seem to hire mainly through recruiters (JET -- Japan, various in other countries), but not exclusively. They generally are larger classes (~30ish), the largest in Thailand at 50 students/class. You usually teach very little, as classes get canceled for various reasons. Also you do not get to go through too much material, because there are a lot of students at a variety of levels. They usually pay well for the country, and are usually trustworthy to stick to their contracts.
Kindergartens: Many countries have private kindergartens (ages 3-6). These are of 2 main types, where you have 1 class all day, and do lots of stuff in English, or you have an English class with several different classes throughout the day. The second option is usually exhausting, but there is little planning, because you can reuse a lot of stuff. The first option involves a lot of planing, but more in class supervising rather than the more crazy active individual class lessons. There are pretty common in Korea, China and Taiwan, and seem to be becoming more common in Japan.
Academies: Every country has their own name for these. They usually run unusual hours (but they become normal for you). The hours usually are from afternoon to evening and into the night. Some have split shifts to teach business people in the mornings (these should pay more). They generally have smaller classes (<12) that are separated by level. You may teach any age at an academy. Class lengths vary as do philosophies, so it is good to ask lots of questions before signing on. These are probably the most common jobs especially in Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but they have a huge range of quality!
Other factors:
Recruiters: Some are good, some are not, but if you are working with a recruiter (I have only used one for Thailand), make sure you get to talk to your school directly. This is the one major downside to the public schools is that you often cannot speak to the school you will work for, and so it is hard to judge what they will be like. Some public schools are great, others are crap. Try to get as much info as possible. Public school or not ask your recruiter questions. Remember they get paid not by you but by the school, so keep in mind where their incentives are and go with your gut.
Questioning schools: When I talk to a school I ask to have contact with at least 2 teachers, one who has renewed in the past and stayed longer than a year, and one who will still be there when I arrive. I figure they will give me the best idea of what the place is like. I ask the teachers questions about materials, curriculum, computer availability, reporting, books, library facilities, pay (on time, mistakes)...all the stuff you might worry about with a job.
Contracts: Most (I think) schools follow their contracts. Many problems result when people do not read their contracts carefully. Pay close attention to sections on hours and how they are calculated, holidays, pay, pay days, bonuses, work hours...Just read it carefully. If you don't like something ask for a change or a clarification in writing.
Hours:
Day time hours are 8 or 9 to 4 or 5, at public schools, universities, some kindergartens, international schools and quasi-international schools.
Academy hours start between noon and 3 and finish between 8 and 10 (sometimes midnight!). Often academies pay a salary based on a maximum number of hours a week and then pay overtime if you teach more hours of class. You want to make sure the hours are calculated weekly (or daily but that is very rare). Also pay attention to if classes are counted by the minute or if a 50 minute class counts as a hour. (usually they ask for 25-30 hours a week -- 30 is a lot, you will not get much overtime with that). Also some Hagwons have split shifts... early morning, large break, evening classes. These shift usually are for teaching adults before work and should be very well paid.
Pay: Varies with each country, and also you need to think about where you will be living. It is best to ask a current teacher what an average person in the area spends.
Other Benefits:
Flight -- Korea, Japan and Taiwan usually cover this, but they may pay it after you arrive, and they may wait until you are nearly finished your contract to pay for the return flight. China and Vietnam sometimes cover this cost.
Housing -- Varies from country to country, but the costs can be high if this is not covered. Korea almost always covers this cost, as does Thailand.
Bonuses -- Read this section of your contract carefully. Varies from country to country.
Health care -- Japan, Korea (and I think Taiwan) provide national health care which is quite good. No problem there. In the other countries the companies usually provide private health care, at least for basic coverage. You can look into this if concerned. Teachers do get sick.
Kids: Asian kids are not the perfect little angels you see on TV. They are kids. They act like kids. The older ones can be rude (although not quite as bad as in western countries). They are often spoiled (especially in the country full of government mandated only children). They are also cute and funny. They will make you laugh everyday. If you don't like kids find and way to teach adults (university or other adult classes).
Countries
Japan -- You make money that translates into real money at home, but the living costs are high, and often they are not as well supported as in other countries. Contracts may or may not have end of the year bonuses. Contracts are generally followed and honored.
Korea -- The best to make money. The cost of living is low, and even lower because the schools pay travel costs to arrive/leave, and rent. You can easily save money. The government requires all employees who work a full year to receive a month's salary on contract completion. Companies are not always honest (many are, but not all). Do your best, by asking questions, to make sure rules are followed, and all will be good.
China -- Varies greatly from countryside, to small city to places like Shanghai and Beijing. You really don't make a lot of money, unless you are a trained teacher (but that would be a whole other post), but you can if you want to spend a few years there. China has sooooo many opportunities, not just in education. You do have to watch for contracts not to be followed, and lying to staff in general. You also need to keep in mind that you will be behind the 'Great Firewall of China'.
Thailand -- Paradise -- Ok, the teaching is not perfect, but the country is so wonderful. It is a country full of laid back people, if you are easily stressed it might not be the country for you. Most jobs outside of Bangkok are with public schools, and are hired through recruiters. The only downside is that the money you make does not really translate well into dollars (of any kind). The kids as a large group are the sweetest, kindest, most comfortable in their own skins, kids and teens I have ever met (this does not mean they are perfectly well behaved -- no kids are)
Vietnam -- One of two that I will mention that I have not worked in myself. This is an emerging EFL market. To try and standardize things they seem to accept only people with really good TESOL certificates like CELTA (basically month long programs). It sounds like there are some good jobs there, and the money is better than in Thailand, but not yet at the level of Korea or Japan.
Taiwan -- The second country I have not worked in. It seems like you can make almost as much as in Korea. It also seems to be similar to Korea in trustworthiness.
Job Types
(generalizations to for all the countries unless otherwise stated)
International Schools: Real schools that only hire teachers who are certified to teach in their home countries or that have special qualifications (like music). They usually pay very well and treat teachers quite well. They do not post ads on sites like Dave's ESL. They will hire EFL teachers, but the pay is less and they usually have a fair number of applicants so they hire from people already in the country.
Quasi-international schools: These are popping up more and more. They say international somewhere in the title, but most of the students are local, they charge less in tuition than proper international schools, and they have fewer hiring standards than proper international schools. They feel superior because they call themselves international, but really they are a lot like academies with more normal hours. They are the most common in China, but they are popping up in Korea and probably exist in other countries too.
Universities: Are usually considered to be among the most reputable EFL jobs. They often look for a masters, some even want a PhD (but they rarely find people like that so usually settle for a masters). They will hire people with the bachelors, but again usually from within the country when you have a local reference. For the most part they pay less, but have great paid vacations, and usually opportunities to earn more with camps or extra classes.
Public Schools: These seem to hire mainly through recruiters (JET -- Japan, various in other countries), but not exclusively. They generally are larger classes (~30ish), the largest in Thailand at 50 students/class. You usually teach very little, as classes get canceled for various reasons. Also you do not get to go through too much material, because there are a lot of students at a variety of levels. They usually pay well for the country, and are usually trustworthy to stick to their contracts.
Kindergartens: Many countries have private kindergartens (ages 3-6). These are of 2 main types, where you have 1 class all day, and do lots of stuff in English, or you have an English class with several different classes throughout the day. The second option is usually exhausting, but there is little planning, because you can reuse a lot of stuff. The first option involves a lot of planing, but more in class supervising rather than the more crazy active individual class lessons. There are pretty common in Korea, China and Taiwan, and seem to be becoming more common in Japan.
Academies: Every country has their own name for these. They usually run unusual hours (but they become normal for you). The hours usually are from afternoon to evening and into the night. Some have split shifts to teach business people in the mornings (these should pay more). They generally have smaller classes (<12) that are separated by level. You may teach any age at an academy. Class lengths vary as do philosophies, so it is good to ask lots of questions before signing on. These are probably the most common jobs especially in Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but they have a huge range of quality!
Other factors:
Recruiters: Some are good, some are not, but if you are working with a recruiter (I have only used one for Thailand), make sure you get to talk to your school directly. This is the one major downside to the public schools is that you often cannot speak to the school you will work for, and so it is hard to judge what they will be like. Some public schools are great, others are crap. Try to get as much info as possible. Public school or not ask your recruiter questions. Remember they get paid not by you but by the school, so keep in mind where their incentives are and go with your gut.
Questioning schools: When I talk to a school I ask to have contact with at least 2 teachers, one who has renewed in the past and stayed longer than a year, and one who will still be there when I arrive. I figure they will give me the best idea of what the place is like. I ask the teachers questions about materials, curriculum, computer availability, reporting, books, library facilities, pay (on time, mistakes)...all the stuff you might worry about with a job.
Contracts: Most (I think) schools follow their contracts. Many problems result when people do not read their contracts carefully. Pay close attention to sections on hours and how they are calculated, holidays, pay, pay days, bonuses, work hours...Just read it carefully. If you don't like something ask for a change or a clarification in writing.
Hours:
Day time hours are 8 or 9 to 4 or 5, at public schools, universities, some kindergartens, international schools and quasi-international schools.
Academy hours start between noon and 3 and finish between 8 and 10 (sometimes midnight!). Often academies pay a salary based on a maximum number of hours a week and then pay overtime if you teach more hours of class. You want to make sure the hours are calculated weekly (or daily but that is very rare). Also pay attention to if classes are counted by the minute or if a 50 minute class counts as a hour. (usually they ask for 25-30 hours a week -- 30 is a lot, you will not get much overtime with that). Also some Hagwons have split shifts... early morning, large break, evening classes. These shift usually are for teaching adults before work and should be very well paid.
Pay: Varies with each country, and also you need to think about where you will be living. It is best to ask a current teacher what an average person in the area spends.
Other Benefits:
Flight -- Korea, Japan and Taiwan usually cover this, but they may pay it after you arrive, and they may wait until you are nearly finished your contract to pay for the return flight. China and Vietnam sometimes cover this cost.
Housing -- Varies from country to country, but the costs can be high if this is not covered. Korea almost always covers this cost, as does Thailand.
Bonuses -- Read this section of your contract carefully. Varies from country to country.
Health care -- Japan, Korea (and I think Taiwan) provide national health care which is quite good. No problem there. In the other countries the companies usually provide private health care, at least for basic coverage. You can look into this if concerned. Teachers do get sick.
Kids: Asian kids are not the perfect little angels you see on TV. They are kids. They act like kids. The older ones can be rude (although not quite as bad as in western countries). They are often spoiled (especially in the country full of government mandated only children). They are also cute and funny. They will make you laugh everyday. If you don't like kids find and way to teach adults (university or other adult classes).
Monday, September 10, 2007
Vancouver and the Alaskan Cruise
So, at the party for my mom's 60th we all pitched in and bought her an Alaskan cruise. She flew out to Vancouver, and I met her there and we went on the cruise together. My mom spent a few days with good friends of hers, then some more days with family, when I joined her, then the cruise and back to her friends' place. The the photos start in Vancouver:
Diane and Ray.
A Stellar Jay -- Diane feeds them peanuts so they come pretty close and are really loud when they haven't been fed.
The Vancouver skyline.
Stanley Park
The first evening.
The first formal night, at dinner.
The inside passage.
Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
How to make shadow puppets, from a poster in the museum in Juneau.
My mom with a totem in Juneau.
The ship.
The ship again. 
This contraption removes the snow on train tracks so the train can travel from Skagway, Alaska into the Yukon.
The giant town of Skagway (pop'n: 800, number of passengers on one cruise ship ~2000, number of cruise ships in port at the same time 3-5). Talk about a tourist town! It did have great shops.
The Hubbard Glacier. This is a very large glacier and it is just north of Skagway. We were able to get very close to it, as the next few pictures will show. In the glacier the blue colour comes from the density of the ice. The more dense and well formed the ice the deeper the blue. Therefore the whiter pieces have more air.
Our dinner companions, from back to front, left to right: My mom, myself, Sam, Cheryl and Robin (Sam's mom & Cheryl's cousin)
Our waiters Michael and Ovidio.
The beautiful shoreline of the inside passage.
Creek Street in Ketchikan, Alaska. This is the old red light district.
Dolly was the most famous madam of the time. Amazingly she is still with us today and her house has been made into a museum of sorts.
A very interesting totem pole.
The coolest fountain I have ever seen. All the taps were turned on a different amount from drips to slow trickles -- very interesting.
The most unique maple I have ever seen the leaves were green on top and purple on the bottom.
More totems.
I really liked this newer one.
The funicular to get to the top of town.
Ketchikan, Alaska
My mom and I.
The next few photos are of the midnight buffet. The theory was that this buffet was to showcase the talents of all the chefs, which it did. The problem was that I couldn't even think about eating anything while looking at all of this beautiful food, beacuse I had only finished a huge dinner 1.5 hours earlier. One thing a cruise does not lack is food!
It was beautiful, but I didn't stay to try anything.
My mom looking for whales. We saw a few dorsal fins that were probably orcas, but not much else.
This wonderful view comes from the area around Vancouver Island.
My mom giving me the 'why are you taking a picture now?' look while we were enjoying some sushi as a between lunch and dinner snack.
Our last night had a fantastic sunset. It was so nice I got up from the dinner table to take some more photos of it.
So that was the cruise. We had a blast.
Back in Vancouver we spent a couple of nights with friends and went to visit my great aunt Rose.
Me, Aunt Rose and my mom.
Me, Ron, Dianna and my mom.
That's it for now. I will soon start a China page and you can check out there for pics.
Diane and Ray.
A Stellar Jay -- Diane feeds them peanuts so they come pretty close and are really loud when they haven't been fed.
The Vancouver skyline.
Stanley Park
The first evening.
The first formal night, at dinner.
The inside passage.
Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
How to make shadow puppets, from a poster in the museum in Juneau.
My mom with a totem in Juneau.
The ship.
The ship again. 
This contraption removes the snow on train tracks so the train can travel from Skagway, Alaska into the Yukon.
The giant town of Skagway (pop'n: 800, number of passengers on one cruise ship ~2000, number of cruise ships in port at the same time 3-5). Talk about a tourist town! It did have great shops.
The Hubbard Glacier. This is a very large glacier and it is just north of Skagway. We were able to get very close to it, as the next few pictures will show. In the glacier the blue colour comes from the density of the ice. The more dense and well formed the ice the deeper the blue. Therefore the whiter pieces have more air.
Our dinner companions, from back to front, left to right: My mom, myself, Sam, Cheryl and Robin (Sam's mom & Cheryl's cousin)
Our waiters Michael and Ovidio.
The beautiful shoreline of the inside passage.
Creek Street in Ketchikan, Alaska. This is the old red light district.Dolly was the most famous madam of the time. Amazingly she is still with us today and her house has been made into a museum of sorts.
A very interesting totem pole.
The coolest fountain I have ever seen. All the taps were turned on a different amount from drips to slow trickles -- very interesting.
The most unique maple I have ever seen the leaves were green on top and purple on the bottom.
More totems.
I really liked this newer one.
The funicular to get to the top of town.
Ketchikan, Alaska
My mom and I.The next few photos are of the midnight buffet. The theory was that this buffet was to showcase the talents of all the chefs, which it did. The problem was that I couldn't even think about eating anything while looking at all of this beautiful food, beacuse I had only finished a huge dinner 1.5 hours earlier. One thing a cruise does not lack is food!
It was beautiful, but I didn't stay to try anything.
My mom looking for whales. We saw a few dorsal fins that were probably orcas, but not much else.
This wonderful view comes from the area around Vancouver Island.
My mom giving me the 'why are you taking a picture now?' look while we were enjoying some sushi as a between lunch and dinner snack.
Our last night had a fantastic sunset. It was so nice I got up from the dinner table to take some more photos of it.
So that was the cruise. We had a blast.Back in Vancouver we spent a couple of nights with friends and went to visit my great aunt Rose.
Me, Aunt Rose and my mom.
Me, Ron, Dianna and my mom.That's it for now. I will soon start a China page and you can check out there for pics.
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