If you have no experience teaching English in Japan, it's easy to get a job as long as you have a university degree. But having no experience is a hard thing to call because you won't know if you even enjoy teaching ESL until you do it for a few months. What if you get to Japan and you realize you hate the job? I highly suggest teaching ESL in your home country before moving to Asia to teach ESL and discovering then that it's not for you. It's easy to teach English in your home country as a volunteer.
Depending on where you live, it can be easier or more challenging to track down a volunteer ESL job, but it can absolutely be done. Do you have a university nearby? Go to the International student lounge or student department and ask them about volunteer conversation partners. If you have a lot of new immigrants or refugees in your community (and you probably do even if you don't realize it), go to your local community center or library and post up an advertisement for free ESL classes. Craigslist is a great way to find potential students. Conversation exchanges like the Alice Clubhouse in Vancouver is a great way to gain experience, bulk up your resume, and learn another language for free.As for a paid job, remember that the best way to get an ESL job is through connections. Even if you have the fanciest resume in the entire world, full of TESL certificates and university degrees, you're still just a random stranger to most potential employers. When you have volunteer jobs and letters from referring students, you're in much better shape. You might even meet people who can recommend you to a school in the future.
1 comments:
Great advice, the fresh ESL teacher has a mark on their back. Having experience in their home country, even twenty hours, will enhance them as to the ways of the ESL world. Getting a certificate is a bonus, an dat least in Japan a much asked for item. This home country plan can also include a good chance to study the new language. Teaching is a skill, once one can teach anything, one can teach everything. Assuming a proper level of understanding of the subject matter. I had a ESL teacher trainer, who was in a past life a tank commander of some sort in the Canadian military. He was a terrific communicator and as a result a wonderful instructor to learn from. Learn to teach, teach anything, and the world is a better place.
On a side note, check out any potential employer in full. Look to chat forums, postings, etc online. Google the heck out of the place. Ask to speak with a teacher at the school, etc. There are more great schools out there than not, which camp do you land in? In the end it really comes down to the students, they are the real joys in teaching. Keep it at their level.
Cheers, Steve
WWW.eslspider.com
www.healthyexpat.com
Post a Comment