teaching english abroad (specifically HK)

[l/l/rX]

So right now I'm just gathering some information on teaching English abroad. What do you need? I heard and read from some sites your TEFL (teaching english as a foreign language) would be a great asset to you but not necessary. Your TEFL will just basically give you more pay. I'm not really in it for the money, just the experience of living alone in a foreign country, although I guess if the TEFL does make THAT much of a difference in pay then sure I'll get it.

How much is the TEFL course and where can I take it?

What are some good companies to recommend?

What are the steps to go about becoming an english teacher? ie) Should I be getting my working visa first before even applying?

Have any of you ever taught english abroad? What are your experiences?

Does my age have an impact on me getting a job? I will be 22 when and if I decide to go forth with this.

If you have ZERO teaching experience what age group do you typically teach?

All input bad or good is welcome =D

thanks!

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by l/l/rX


If you have ZERO teaching experience what age group do you typically teach?



high school

[Machi]

You need a degree to teach in HK..

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/
This is one of the best sites that has job postings and forums with all other information you need to know. There are alot of "teachers" on there that are very knowledgable as well.

[adam c]

you need a degree to teach english anywhere not just hong kong

[GQBalla]

really? i thought it was just high school diploma needed

[adam c]

no you need a degree.. the degree you have isn't specific, but you need one

i know someone who is looking into this and i asked him how since it's a totally different discipline, he said as long as you have a degree, that's all you need

[GQBalla]

ahh i see - Jarett your out of luck than

[LUDELVR]

Originally posted by GQBalla
ahh i see - Jarett you're out of luck then

I guess you're not applying are you? :devil: :rofl:

[GQBalla]

Originally posted by LUDELVR


I guess you're not applying are you? :devil: :rofl:

hehe nope, i dont have a Degree either

[em2ab]

Originally posted by GQBalla
really? i thought it was just high school diploma needed
Are you kidding? Look at the spelling and grammar of some of the cream of the crop highschool graduates here. :rofl:

[adam c]

i have another friend who taught English in china but she has a bachelors in education, so that's not really relevant to this

but after seeing pictures of the living conditions and things she dealt with there, it was quite shitty

[LUDELVR]

Originally posted by em2ab

Are you kidding? Look at the spelling and grammar of some of the cream of the crop highschool graduates here. :rofl:

I know! It's shocking isn't it!! Well, after reading half of what my students have produced and seeing how our English faculty is structured and what they do to help teach these essential writing skills is absolutely appalling!! :thumbsdow

[buh_buh]

I've got a friend teaching English in Beijing and he doesn't have a degree. He's been doing it for about 3 years now. The (mainland) Chinese don't really give a shit whether you have a degree or not, or if its a fake one from an imaginary school. :D

[JAYMEZ]

I know 2 friends who have taught English as a second language (One in China , one in Ecuador) , both do not have degrees.

Hell it is China , make someone make you a piece of paper from Harvard Uni hehe

[chkolny541]

Originally posted by adam c
no you need a degree.. the degree you have isn't specific, but you need one

i know someone who is looking into this and i asked him how since it's a totally different discipline, he said as long as you have a degree, that's all you need

yea i also have a friend who just got back from china after teaching for about 3 months, he doesnt have a degree either, just diploma. Given he also didnt teach in HK, it was some smaller city ( dont know name)

[l/l/rX]

hrm I remember my friend going to Korea to teach english for 2 summers back in high school. All she needed was a TEOSEL. I guess HK is a little more strict. MEH I wouldn't mind teaching in Guangzhou or Shen Zhen.

[GQBalla]

go teach them mainlanders Jarett

[Machi]

Originally posted by l/l/rX
hrm I remember my friend going to Korea to teach english for 2 summers back in high school. All she needed was a TEOSEL. I guess HK is a little more strict. MEH I wouldn't mind teaching in Guangzhou or Shen Zhen.

That would be better than HK imo.. everything is generally cheaper there, no need for a degree (unless you're teaching in the bigger cities like Shanghai or Beijing), and you're still not too far away from HK to visit..

[BananaFob]

If you're of Chinese descent, you may have a tough time doing this. I'm not sure about Hong Kong, but the mainlanders expect caucasian tutors to teach them English and are extremely discriminatory of Chinese or Chinese looking people who come to teach English.

[gkAeris]

i was looking into this route 2 years ago.....

MOST companies required a degree.......

and the ones that didn't paid SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER and was not offering nice packages for boarding and stuff

ok the people that know me can stop laughing hahahaha ME teach english i know...i know....

[B20EF]

My sister has done this in Korea. She was required to have a degree and the Teaching certificate and this only let her teach elementary kids. To teach highschool kids or adults she said you needed a masters.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by LUDELVR


I know! It's shocking isn't it!! Well, after reading half of what my students have produced and seeing how our English faculty is structured and what they do to help teach these essential writing skills is absolutely appalling!! :thumbsdow

haha I was one of those students back in high school. You basically have to reteach them. Give them a grammar test. If it wasn't for the grammar test at SAIT my writing would be terrible. lol


Originally posted by gkAeris
i was looking into this route 2 years ago.....

MOST companies required a degree.......

and the ones that didn't paid SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER and was not offering nice packages for boarding and stuff

ok the people that know me can stop laughing hahahaha ME teach english i know...i know....

Yes. You? Teach English? HA guys. jk ;) :rofl:

[autumnrain]

I believe certain places require you to have a degree...

I have a degree and my spoken english and written is worst then that of a high school drop out..

yeah, if your azn, they don't like to hire you.
which sucks

and you better not be in it for the pay, cause by the time your finished you will have nothing to show for it.

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by B20EF
My sister has done this in Korea. She was required to have a degree and the Teaching certificate and this only let her teach elementary kids. To teach highschool kids or adults she said you needed a masters.

There was also a big crackdown in SK a couple of years ago, those without degrees were tossed in jail until their fines were paid... deported and banned for life. All on Google if anyone seeks proof.

Anyone wanting to fake a degree and sit in a jail in SK or say China, be my guest. You are supplying a service under the belief you have a real uni degree, anything less is fraud.

The days of fake anything are gone, one phone call to the school to confirm the graduation and the jig is up. Schools are at risk of losing face by employing instructors who are not qualified and losing face in Asia is a very big deal.

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by BananaFob
If you're of Chinese descent, you may have a tough time doing this. I'm not sure about Hong Kong, but the mainlanders expect caucasian tutors to teach them English and are extremely discriminatory of Chinese or Chinese looking people who come to teach English.

That sucks. If only they knew me I'm the biggest banana. Lol. I cannot carry a conversation in Chinese. I can only say 'I'm drunk' 'I'm horny' little things like that and I can barely understand it too. Haha

Fail when it comes to my native language.

[l/l/rX]

I wouldn't mind teaching kindergarten kids at all.

Can some of ya post some reliable links to some information regarding this stuff? Some of the sites I've visited look like my old cp page haha!

[Prolifique]

Besides your TOFL, where would you go to get your Teaching Certificate mentioned. And can you teach English somewhere in South America with just a bachelor's degree?

[Grogador]

Originally posted by l/l/rX
I can only say 'I'm drunk' 'I'm horny'

Teach me, Sensei

[TDA]

Originally posted by BananaFob
If you're of Chinese descent, you may have a tough time doing this. I'm not sure about Hong Kong, but the mainlanders expect caucasian tutors to teach them English and are extremely discriminatory of Chinese or Chinese looking people who come to teach English.

+1 I've heard this over and over, both online and from friends who have tried it.

You may be born here, speak perfect english, and the german guy who barely speaks english is preferred due to his looks.

Example of friend: he speaks mandarin and english fluently due to coming here as a little kid, has a chinese sounding name. When he was introduced to the parents over there, they introduced him as "Alex", claimed that he grew up in the USA, and also claimed that he spoke no chinese. Pissed him off, didn't last long before throwing in the towel and coming back here.

Also due to this in some circles English Teachers are not highly thought of, especially in expat communities; as even caucasian expats percieve english teachers as people who would have been failures/losers in their own home country, that can barely speak passable english to begin with.

No wonder FOBs who come here - sometimes their english is so weird. Torpedoed by the the shitty english teacher - ie, they could have learned "shitty english" perfectly.

[PureDeXteritY]

In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea it is REQUIRED by LAW for you to have a degree to teach ESL.

Japan, and China do not require a degree for teaching ESL.
A lot of Chinese companies will still hire you to teach english in China with only a High School diploma.
However in Japan although not required, Not many companies in Japan will hire you unless you have a degree. Japan used to let anyone with a high school dip teach English, but after the whole Nova english school fiasco most companies will now only hire Uni-Grads.

For the OP.
Keep in mind that even if you do have a degree. Hong Kong is probably the hardest Asian city to get a job teaching English. English in HK is not like English in TW or JP, It is pretty widely spoken and most people in HK have a very good English dialect.
*So to teach English in HK you'd most likely need a Teaching degree with some ESL background.

*I don't know this for a fact, I'm just assuming that's what would be required

[l/l/rX]

MAAAAN this sucks. haha. I thought it was as simple as paying $1000 to get your TESL and then you're set. This has now gotten a whole lot more complicated and a tad bit frustrating.

All I wanted to do was live and work temporarily in Asia. Teaching English was (in my mind) the easiest form of work to find.

:(

[tacsniper]

maybe you can consider tutor instead of teaching (if you are referring to a classroom enviornment in a school)? I think with tutor you might not need a degree then?

[thrasher22]

Originally posted by BananaFob
If you're of Chinese descent, you may have a tough time doing this. I'm not sure about Hong Kong, but the mainlanders expect caucasian tutors to teach them English and are extremely discriminatory of Chinese or Chinese looking people who come to teach English.

A good friend of mine is Vietnamese and is teaching English in Korea ATM, and he didn't have a problem getting a job, so its do-able if you're not white

[Power_Of_Rotary]

Originally posted by Grogador


Teach me, Sensei

haha kimochiiiii is a start :poosie:


*yes its both jap*

[GQBalla]

I would like to bump this.

has anyone ever heard of http://www.globaltesol.com/
???


just wondering as ive been looking into teaching english in asia

[sexualbanana]

My cousin (Chinese) met and married her husband (English) teaching in South Korea. They tell me when it came time to reapply for jobs, her husband was getting accepted no problem but the moment they realize his wife is Chinese/Asian, they either say no right away, or drill you with questions about whether she can speak 'American'

[GQBalla]

Originally posted by sexualbanana
My cousin (Chinese) met and married her husband (English) teaching in South Korea. They tell me when it came time to reapply for jobs, her husband was getting accepted no problem but the moment they realize his wife is Chinese/Asian, they either say no right away, or drill you with questions about whether she can speak 'American'

would i benefit me in the opposite way since im chinese but im engaged to a whitey?

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by GQBalla


would i benefit me in the opposite way since im chinese but im engaged to a whitey?

Nope. They are very very discriminatory, if you look Asian you have virtually 0 chance of landing a teaching job.

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by GQBalla
I would like to bump this.

has anyone ever heard of http://www.globaltesol.com/
???


just wondering as ive been looking into teaching english in asia

lol what dude you're thinking of teaching english in asia? haha since when?

How about if you have a friend teaching english in asia right now, could they help you out in any way and be a reference?

[GQBalla]

Originally posted by BananaFob


Nope. They are very very discriminatory, if you look Asian you have virtually 0 chance of landing a teaching job.

well shit...

[Power_Of_Rotary]

Originally posted by GQBalla


well shit...

nah dont listen to him... i have 2 friends (both asian) went to korea to teach english. tho it may be easier for a white person.

[PureDeXteritY]

Originally posted by GQBalla


well shit...

Do you have any sort of university or college degree? That usually helps quite a bit.

I wouldn't take too much of what bananafob said to heart.
I'm Asian (Chinese) and I got a job teaching English no problem. Although I do agree that it's easier for a non Asian person to get a teaching job in Asia.

As for the global tesol course, It's not always necessary. It's worth a try to apply for a job without one and let them know that you plan to take a tesol course before leaving to work for them.
I would recommend getting it though, when I taught English in Tokyo they give you salary bonuses such as: if you have a degree, how far you lived from the teaching location (commuting fees), what certificates you have, and just things like that.
I got a $100(CAD)/month bonus because I lived 45 mins from the location, and another $250/month bonus for having a tesol certificate.

[GQBalla]

i dont have a degree, but i guess i could try and apply and see what happens