It's that time of year again, when I go home for the summer. I've been living abroad since 2003 and even though I'm still abroad, I get reverse culture shock when I go home to visit. Knowing about culture shock and what to expect will help you get used to life back home. I wrote about some tips to help people deal with reverse culture shock. Even though I know what to expect there are 3 things that get me every time I go back home.
#1 Tipping
I am not a fan of tipping. The history behind tipping is bribery. While it used to be optional and that you only had to tip for exceptional service, nowadays a tip is expect, even if the service is mediocre. 15-20% seems the norm and when you add that on top of taxes and the bill, things can get pricey.
#2 Sales Tax
Where I live tax is included in the bill, so there are no surprises when you go to check out. Although it varies state to state (some states don't have sales tax and some have local taxes on top of sales taxes), the average in 2015 was 5.45%. However, sales taxes and tipping can quickly increase how much you'll pay for things.
#3 Friendly People
I live in a very hierarchical society, where titles and bowing are the norm. While sales clerks may greet you as you enter a store, no one would think to greet you on the street or say hello unless they knew you. Since I'm not used to random people I pass saying hi, sometimes I get accused of being rude and cold back home.
Many people think that Middle Eastern countries are among the best countries to TEFL in. I've written about what it's like to teach in the Middle East before, but things change often. Like Korea, things certainly aren't the way they used to be. Degrees
Although more and more people are earning their MA online, some countries will not accept an MA that was earned online. To further complicate things, some ministries within the same country will accept them and some won't. Some places will not accept degrees done online unless you can prove that it was the same as a degree done in person. Lots of hoops to jump through.
Supply and Demand
More people are heading to the ME, especially those with families. Thanks to the internet people are starting to realise that TEFLing in the Middle East can lead to a great lifestyle. While there may still be risks to living there, it's not as bad as the news portrays it to be. People can save money and still afford to go on vacation and you usually get a good number of vacation days.
In addition, more people are earning their masters degree. This means that it's becoming an employers' market: more qualified people are trying to work in the ME than before.
Salaries
It seems to be a worldwide trend, but salaries are lag behind inflation. You need to work more hours to buy things than before.
Safety
Let's not kid ourselves, we've all seen the news and hear about how dangerous the ME can be. Whether or not this is true depends on your definition of dangerous. Single people may be willing to take more risks than married people or those with children.
Conclusion
TEFL certainly isn't what it used to, but there is no utopia. Do you research and go with your gut.
It's taken me a while, but I've finally got packing down to an art. I don't have to ship items, re-pack my luggage at the airport, or worry about weight. Here are some of the best packing tips I've learned over the years. Howdini and Heathrow Airport also have some good packing tip videos that tell you how to pack a suitcase.
Take only what you need
I'd always over-pack when I went home for the summer. I'd bring way more than what I needed. Figure out how to coordinate your clothes. Leave all the little extras; chances are you won't use them anyways.
Bring old clothes
Going home for me means relaxing. I don't really need to dress to impress. I'm on vacation. I bring old clothes. Things that I don't mind donating to charity when I leave.
Buy less
Nowadays you can find most things that you need where you live or online. Natural beauty products and food can be found on iherb (up to $10 off your first order (Code: LNQ216)). Ebay is also good for buying things, though shipping from places such as Hong Kong may take a while. ASOS is good for clothing and they have free shipping. There might be local groups where you can buy things. Korea is a very transient community and there are a number of FaceBook groups where people sell new or used items. Craigslist is also popular here for buying things.
I buy most of my clothes from Europe so shipping is international anyways (US vs Korea). I prefer to have things shipped to Korea since the Korean post office has much cheaper shipping than the USA. This way if I want to return something I'd spend far less than if I'd ship it from the USA.
There are also mail forwarding services, such as Mall Tail or Ship2Korea that can help keep shipping costs down and save on suitcase space.
Use vacuum bags carefully
I find that weight, not space is often what people have to worry about. Vacuum bags don't help with this. They create more space, but allow you to put more weight than you normally would into your suitcases.
Forget travel sized toiletries
I bring full sized items, but make sure there isn't a lot of product left. This way it takes up space going there and I can leave it behind when I come back.
Bring gifts
It's a nice touch and they take up space in your suitcase on the way there.
Go during the summer
You'll have to bring less clothes and it's less bulky than winter things.
Bring an empty suitcase
My goal is to be able to fit all my clothes and my daughter's clothes into a backpack. One suitcase has gifts and things that I'm going to leave in the USA, such as crafts my daughter made or important documents. The other suitcase is empty. You can also bring an empty carry-on bag which will allow you to take more back with you. Be careful though, some airlines weight carry-ons.
Leave things behind
I only go home once a year, but I still leave clothes behind. I have a couple days' worth of clothing at my parents house that I wear when I go back.
Plan ahead
I start making my shopping list the day I get back to Korea. Over the course of the year I can see what I really want to buy when I'm back in the USA. Somethings I'm able to get online, other things people buy for me when they go home, and other things I decide I don't really want. By doing this I'm sure I'll only get things that I really want.
For those teachers who marry locals and have kids it can get harder and harder to leave, especially due to visa restrictions on bringing your family back home. People say they'll stay for a year or two and that can quickly become five or ten. The prospect of moving back home with a spouse and kids in tow can be extremely daunting. Middle Kingdom Life has an article about a man who has been teaching in China since 1999. It's an interesting read, especially for those who have lived abroad for a while.
You Can Exceed Low Expectations
Once you’ve been teaching abroad for a year or two, it is time to start focusing more on your career and how to improve your employment prospects so you can move up in the world into bigger and better things. Teaching English as Second Language is not exactly rocket science and you will most often be teaching pretty basic things to students who often do not have high expectations for their native English speaking teachers. The administration at your place of employment is also likely to have low expectations of you as well. Nevertheless, this should not be an excuse to be lazy or fail to upgrade your qualifications; you should be constantly trying to improve yourself.
Career Behaviors to Avoid
I will give you examples of some career behaviors to avoid. I have numerous acquaintances here in Korea who have been working at universities for the past six, eight or ten years. They got their jobs back in the old days when anyone with a bachelor's degree in anything could get the job just by luck, or knowing someone on the inside. During their tenure, they have spent plenty of time at the expat bars, hanging out, or traveling around Asia--basically doing anything besides professional development training to improve their job prospects such as obtaining a CELTA or DELTA certification, or TEFL cert, getting a related master's degree, learning a second language, getting academic papers published, presenting at conferences, or getting a teaching license from their home country.
Over this long period of rest and relaxation, qualifications for university teachers in Korea have risen, such that it is now almost impossible to get the job without a master's degree and a few years of experience teaching at a university, or at the very least adults or high school students. Now, those people who were just enjoying life, sliding on by with only doing the minimum have started to lose their jobs and are finding it extremely difficult to get another job with similar benefits. Do not find yourself in that situation!
Do You Want to Make Teaching English your Career?
How do you go about improving your skills and qualifications? The first piece of advice that I could give you is to decide whether or not you want to make teaching a longer-term career option. Like many people, perhaps you just came overseas to teach for a bit of adventure and the chance to pay off some debts and save money. If this is the case, do not worry so much about improving your teaching qualifications and instead focus on making a plan for life after teaching. Perhaps you could do some online courses to improve your career prospects once you return home, maybe there is some sort of certification test you could take or you could work on applications to graduate school. Definitely be thinking about your post-teaching life because going home without a plan is the surest way to burn through massive amounts of money and find yourself teaching abroad again when you do not have any options left and are broke and desperate.
Get Qualified If You Want to Make TEFL Your Career
If you decide that you like teaching and want to make it a career, then get qualified by doing any of the following:
complete a master's degree in education, TESOL, or English
get a CELTA or DELTA certificate
get certified to administer and grade popular exams such as TOIEC speaking or IELTs
get a teaching certification and license from your home country, which opens up the option of teaching at international schools
get published, formally or informally
make a name for yourself through blogging, social media or other online ventures
present at conferences and make sure you get certificates proving that you did so
volunteer with an English teaching organization (for example, KOTESOL) and accept positions with increasing responsibility
The Salary per Hour Worked Model
Salary will (and should) be a major factor when deciding on a job offer, especially if you have significant amounts of debt to pay off or want to kick-start your journey to financial success. However, I would like to suggest a more helpful way of examining it than just simply going for the highest number possible. A better variable to consider is salary per hour worked. By having a job with the highest salary per hour worked possible, you will have one of two things: a lot of money coming in each month or plenty of free time on your hands to pursue other things such as overtime opportunities, building passive income streams or advancing your career in some way.
3 Examples from South Korea
I will give you three examples from South Korea, which is the context that I am most familiar with. Let's assume for the sake of simplicity that housing or adequate housing allowance is included in all cases (as is usually the case in South Korea). Also, to keep things from getting overly complicated, I will not factor in health care or taxes, which are the same for all jobs. As a quick reference, 1,000 South Korean Won is generally equivalent to around $1 USD, so 2.4 million Korean Won is around $2,400 USD.
The Average Hagwon (Private Institute) Job
Monthly salary: 2.4 million Korean Won
Weekly teaching hours: 30
Vacation: 2 weeks/year
Airfare: included (2 million Won)
Bonus money at end of contract: 2.4 million Won
Total yearly salary: 33.2 million Won
Total hours worked/year: 1500
Salary/hour = 22,000 Won
The Average University Job
Monthly salary: 2.2 million Korean Won
Weekly teaching hours: 15
Vacation: 20 weeks/year
Airfare: not included
Bonus money at end of contract: not included
Total yearly salary: 26.4 million Won
Total hours worked/ year: 480
Salary/hour = 55,000 Won
The Average Public School Job
Monthly salary: 2.0 million Korean won
Weekly teaching hours: 22
Vacation: 14 days (officially), but there are many “desk-warming” days where you have to be at school but have no classes or work that you need to do. I will include some of these, so vacation is around 6 weeks (unofficially), which is what I will use for my calculations.
Airfare: included (2 million Won)
Bonus money at end of contract: 2.0 million Won
Total yearly salary: 28 million Won
Total hours worked: 1012
Salary/hour = 28,000 Won
The Job with the Highest Salary is Not Always the One You Should Choose
As you can see from these three examples, the hagwon job which at first glance seems like the best one due to the high monthly salary, free airfare and contract completion bonus is the worst one in terms of salary per hour due to the high number of teaching hours and low vacation time. The public school job that initially seems to be the worst due to the low monthly salary turns out to be better than the hagwon job because it pays 6000 Won more per teaching hour. And of course, the university job is by far the best, but these jobs are not that easy to come by in South Korea and require some serious qualifications and networking skills (for tips on how to get one of these coveted jobs, check out this book, available on Amazon in both Kindle and print editions: How to Get a University Job in South Korea).
Legal Overtime Opportunities
Another closely related factor to consider when deciding on a job offer is the availability of legal overtime opportunities. There is always plenty of illegal work you could do on the side but I do not recommend this, especially if you are someone like me who likes to stay on the right side of the law. The best way to do legal overtime work is through your main place of employment. For example, some universities in Korea have a low number of teaching hours per week and large amounts of vacation. If you can combine this with lots of opportunities for work during those off times, you can make a significant amount of money and in some cases even double your monthly salary. Another way to work legal overtime is by working at a place that gives you permission for outside work and will sign whatever paperwork necessary to make it possible for you to do this, assuming it is permissible with immigration. Overtime opportunities should be something that you inquire about during the interview process.
It’s Not an Easy Decision
As you can see, the decision about which ESL teaching job to take is a difficult one and the decision should not be made without careful consideration. For lots more information related to Teaching ESL, check out the author’s popular site, My Life! Teaching in a Korean University and for more ideas about how to build a successful financial future, go to The Wealthy English Teacher.
More and more teachers are earning extra money by teaching English online. It's somewhat of a legal loophole that allows teachers who can't work outside of their place of employment to earn extra money. Since it's online, there's no payments made to local banks. It's usually done via Paypal or to a bank back home. Also, since it's online it's more flexible; you can do it any time. Another advantage is that you don't have to pay for transportation. You can teach in your living room.
Once you decide to teach online you will have to decide if you're going to go with a company or venture out on your own.
Teaching English Online with a Company
There are a ton of companies out there that need teachers to work online. I've heard really good things about Open English but you will need to know Spanish in order to work there for them. Pros It's an established business. People trust them and aren't afraid to pay for class. Page rank. They'll come up higher in the search results. Platform. They usually provide an online platform for you to teach your classes on. Cons Materials. You may have to create your own curriculum. Hard to get students. You may have to compete with other teachers to get students. Hours and vacation. You may have to work odd hours and not get any vacation.
Pros
You're in control. You can set your hours, choose the curriculum, decide how much to charge, etc.
Cons
It's a start-up. You'll have to work harder finding students, a platform, making your own material, etc.
Conclusion
No matter if you decide to work for a company or on your own, teaching English online is a great way to earn extra money. You might also be interested in reading about supplementing your teaching salary and earning money online.
I recently finished my series on the The Best TEFL Jobs in the World and had a number of people ask me where I found all these jobs. Here are the ways I've found out about good jobs. I recommend making a list of good and bad jobs so the next time you are looking you know which ones to apply to.
Word of mouth
Network and get to know people. While I personally don't like recommending people for jobs nor asking them to recommend me, by talking with people you can find out key pieces of information. Knowing where a school advertises and when is half the battle. There are so many job sites out there it's impossible to look at them all. In addition, some places only place adverts on their website or only recruit via word of mouth. Networking is key in finding a good place to work.
Read between the lines
Some job adverts don't give salary details. This may be because they're looking for professionals and not just people looking for the highest salary. It also may be because the salary is super low. Again, networking and talking to people will help you find out which jobs are good and which are bad.
Other times they post outdated salary info. This could be because a secretary just copies and pastes the info to a job board and never updates it.
Scour the internet
Here's a list of tons of TEFL job boards. Facebook and forums might also be a good place to find jobs. Find country-specific sites as well. I personally like these sites for Korea.
Time after time again I hear teachers wanting to get a job at XYZ school because it’s well-known and will look good on their CV. While I understand this point of view, there are lots of downsides to working at well-known schools.
They often pay less due to supply and demand
There’s lots of competition
There may be few perks and benefits
You may have to teach a lot of hours
There are often caps on renewal so you’ll have to leave after 2, 4, or 5 years
They require a lot more work (committees, publications, create materials) and you're not compensated for it.
Of course, some prestigious schools pay well, but it’s hard to stand out. More likely than not you’ll be a small fish in a big pond. While that’s still better than being a small fish in a small pond, there are better options out there. It would be great to be a big fish in a big pond, but not many of us will ever achieve that status.
Look for well-kept secrets and undiscovered gems. You don’t have to work at the creme de la cream school to have a good job. In fact, some of the best jobs are at schools that no one has heard of. They have low turnover, happy teachers, hands-off management, and a great salary package.
People are more likely to talk about schools that they are unhappy with and have a bad reputation than good schools. If someone mentions a school you’ve never heard of, don’t automatically presume it’s a not a good place to work at, on the contrary, it’s likely to be a good school.
Many of the small, less-known schools often have less competition and due to that have to offer teachers more to work there. They may do this by offering a higher salary, less teaching hours, and longer vacations.
How to Get the University Job in Korea that You Want
University jobs in South Korea are amazing, but how can you actually get one of them? Hopefully you have a masters degree, and are already living in Korea with a year or two of experience teaching adults because then it will not be so difficult. But, you never know because even if you don’t, it’s about being in the right place at the right time. Maybe someone decides not to take a job a week before the semester starts and they call you, looking for a warm body who is in Korea, with all their documents and ready to work. Or, maybe your friend who is already working at a university gives you a stellar recommendation.
In order to get a clearer picture of how people find university jobs in South Korea, I posted an informal poll on Facebook on the “Foreign Professors and University English Teachers in South Korea” group asking people about their experiences. There were about 200 participants and the responses were as follows:
ESL Cafe Job Board: 36%
Through a friend: 34%
Through a job site besides ESL Cafe (people mentioned Profs Abroad and Chronicle of Higher Education): 14%
Networking: 7%
Dropping application off at a university or applying through the university website: 7%
As you can see, job boards and friends/networking are extremely important. If you want to get some solid advice about which job boards you should be looking on as you search for a job in Korea, check out the book, “How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.” This book also contains some top tips as well as common mistakes to avoid as you network your way to a job in a Korean university. Good luck and may you find the job of your dreams.
Don’t forget to check out some additional resources by the author of this article, Jackie Bolen.
I've been working at universities in South Korea for the past eight years and I can say with reasonable certainty that they are the best jobs that I’ll ever have in my life and that deciding to leave Korea to pursue other adventures will be an extremely tough decision. There are various reasons why this job is so amazing including: time spent in the classroom, hands off administration, and the benefit package. I’ll talk about all three of these things in a bit more detail.
Time in the Classroom
Education is a serious business in South Korea and the result is that teaching is a very well respected profession. University students are generally very polite, kind (they’ll bring you small gifts on your birthday and for teacher’s day), and although they can sometimes be a bit shy, they’re fun-loving once you get to know them a bit. Even if you have some less than stellar classes (engineering students!), you won’t actually be spending that much time teaching since most jobs average around 9-15 hours/week.
Hands off Administration
One of my favorite things about my job is the freedom and lack of micromanagement from the administration. While you are usually given a book to teach from, it’s almost entirely up to you what you’ll teach from that book and how. While you need to give tests, homework and grades, it’s pretty much left to your discretion as to how you’ll do this. Meetings and paperwork are minimal so it really is a job with almost complete freedom. Obviously, it’s not great for inexperienced teachers or those new to Korea, but if you don’t need anyone to hold your hand, it’s really the perfect job.
The benefit package
One reason so many teachers stay at Korean universities for years and even decades is that the amount of money you get per teaching hour is extremely high. I’ve calculated it at around $75 US/ hour. It comes through a combination of things including salary (2.4-3.0 million Korean won), housing (free) or housing allowance (around 400,000 Korean won), pension (around 200,000 Korean Won/month paid by the school) and plentiful overtime opportunities, often at 40 000-50 000 Korean Won/hour. Combine this with a low numbers of teaching hours per week and about 5 months vacation paid at your regular monthly rate, you come out with that $75 US/hour.
If you want to pursue interests beyond teaching, it’s an ideal job since vacation and overtime work during the semester are usually optional. If you want to make lots of money, it’s possible since there are quite often plenty of legal overtime opportunities through your university. If you want to see the world and get paid to do it, it’s a great choice. It’s really up to you: hobbies, money or travel!
Convinced? Here’s How to Get a University Job in South Korea These jobs aren’t that easy to come by since they really are one of the best English teaching jobs in the world. If you want some tips and advice from someone familiar with the ins and out of Korean university jobs, you should check out this book: “How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.” It’s available in Kindle and print edition and after reading it, I’m sure you’ll be well on your way to getting a university job in South Korea.
Exchange Rates
Back in the 90s, teachers could save money pretty easily. While they were only getting around 1.5 mil won a month, the exchange rate was pretty good and the cost of living certainly isn't what it is now. Take a look at the chart below to see what 1.5 mil won was. Oanda was used for the exchange rates and I used June 30th of each year. Remember that the IMF crisis happened in July 1997.
1.5 mil won
1997
1999
2007
2014
Canadian dollars
2400
1950
1650
1542
American dollars
1650
1350
1650
1357
British pounds
1050
750
750
864
It's a bit depressing when you look at this chart. 1.5 mil on was worth a lot back in 1997.
Salaries
Exchange rates are one thing, now let's take a look at salaries. In 1999, most hagwons would give you 1.5 mil won. In 2014 it's about 2.3 mil. Salaries have gone up, which is a good thing, but so has the cost of living. Schools are also demanding more than before with many requiring a BA, TEFL cert, and teaching experience. It's good that they're requiring teachers to up their qualifications, but salaries should also increase proportionally. Simply put salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living and the required qualifications that schools are asking for.
Benefits
They've remained about the same, which is one reason why Korea still has a large influx of teachers. You'll usually get . . .
Free furnished housing or a housing allowance
Flights
Pension (worth about one month's salary). There are exceptions, Kiwis won't get anything until they're 65. South Africans don't pay into the pension scheme.
Insurance
Severance (one month's bonus upon completion of your contract
Lunch (if you're at a public school)
Two weeks paid vacation
Decent work schedule
Low taxes (about 5%)
Raising Competition
The bad news is that since Korea's pretty easy to get a job in and seen as the best place for new teachers to save money coupled with the horrible economy which means people can't get jobs back home, more and more teachers are coming to Korea. This means that it's an employers' market and their standards have raised.
At the beginning of this article you saw how teachers now need to jump through hoops to get their degrees legalised at the embassy or apostillised, then get a criminal background check, and finally have that legalised and apostillised. When I first came to Korea in 2007, none of that was required. A couple years later, they started asking for the degree, and then a national criminal background check, legalised / apostillised as well.
Keep in mind that these are the minimum requirements. Since there are so many teachers to choose from, now employers can easily ask for TEFL certs or masters degrees. And even then they'll still have a large pool of applicants they can choose from. They're trying to get the most qualified teacher for as cheaply as they can.
Cost of Living
It's gone up, there's not really much to say about it. People who have been here for ten years say that it's probably doubled for somethings (like gas) but other things (such as foreign products, some like deodorant didn't even exist) have gotten much, much cheaper. Add to that that now you can buy a lot of products online for a decent price, it's probably a wash.
University Positions
Many people hold "uni gigs" in high regard and while they are often still good, there are good and bad things about working at universities.
First the bad, many places won't provide housing or a housing allowance so it's up to you to come up with key money and rent. Second, if you look at Dave's, salaries are often around 2.1 to 2.5 mil a month, which is similar to what hagwons and public schools pay, but again you don't get the housing.Third, many universities, even top ones, aren't offering what they used to; the salary and benefit packages are getting worse or staying the same. Some examples of places which are offering less are Ewha (less vacation), Sungkyunkwan University (overtime was cut in half and they require you to work 5 days a week), and Yonsei University in Wonju (more hours with less pay). Fourth, you're competing with people who are happy to accept what they're
offered due to their current job or the economy back home. Lastly, you might not get severance which hagwons and public schools commonly offer.
The good news is that many universities require you to teach less hours than a hagwon; 15 hours seems to be the norm, though I have seen places require 9-21 hours. Secondly, you often have at least one day off a week. Thirdly, while you might have office hours (2 or 3 a week) you don't have to stay in the office all day like you do in a public school so you have more free time. Fourth, there is often overtime. It can vary, I've seen 23,000 to 60,000 an hour. Now keep in mind that's gross, not net. The problem is that sometimes you can work more and be put into a higher tax bracket, so your take-home pay might not be that much more. Lastly, vacations are pretty good. Some places only offer 5 weeks a year, but there are a few that offer 5 months a year. You might have to teach during one of the breaks, but it's often paid so you can double your income for that month. If you want to teach at a university in Korea, I'd definitely recommend Jackie Bolen's book, “How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.” She wrote a couple of guest posts here at TEFL Tips, How to get the university job in Korea that you want and why I love working at a Korean university. She's been in Korea for over a decade and really knows her stuff.
If you're Canadian, the exchange rate has really taken a hit and you're making less than teachers were years ago. Americans and Brits have gotten a better deal. However, even if you are Canadian, Korea's probably the only country where new TEFL teachers can save as much as they do and have a good lifestyle.
Your Opinion
What do you think about TEFLing in Korea?
Not needing to be a skilled worker to get a TEFL job
Not being able to work in Europe
You need to be a skilled worker
He claims that teaching English is "one of the most popular ways that young, unskilled workers can move to another country." Sure, if you want a crappy job then you don't need skills or experience to teach English.
Korea's not the only place that has a good salary and good benefits. Gone are the days where anybody can waltz into a school and get a job. Now you usually need a degree and more places are asking for a TEFL cert, and even a criminal background check in order to get you a visa. Japan, Brunei, the Middle East, and parts of Africa are also great places to save money while teaching English. Try reading what's the best country to teach in for more info.
Europe's still open
I also don't agree that Europe is impossible to get into. I've written about a number of ways to work in Europe legally, such as interning, teaching English, and camp work, as well as the visa options available, such as student, partner, and heritage visa. You can read more in Europe for non-EU citizens.
The Guide
With that being said, he still has good information about . . .
Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla: You'll get about US $2400 a
month, 30 days paid vacation, and Carnival and Holy Week off. Tenure is
also possible after one year. If you have a year-to-year contract,
you'll get 15 days paid vacation and a ticket home every year, instead
of every two years.
Travelling cheaply doesn't have to mean missing out on a lot. The article below has lots of links to help you get the most bang out of your buck. In this article you can find information about flights, accommodation, insurance, packing, budgeting, and making money while travelling.There are also a number of good books out there about travelling cheaply.
Visas and Travel Insurance
You should read up on visa requirements and travel information, including travel warnings in Visa and Travel Information. While many people are looking to cut corners, you shouldn't skimp out on insurance. Travel Insurance has a list of some of the best travel insurance carriers out there.
Packing
Everyone knows that they should take half what they think they need and double the money, but few people actually do because they don't know how. One Bag has ideas on how to fit everything into one bag, even if you travel for months or years. They have a packing list, but they also advise you to make your own list. Nomadic Matt explains how to choose the right backpack for your needs.
Killing them with Kindness
Lost luggage? Missed a flight? I know that you're angry and upset, but one way to get what you want and not stress out the customer service people too much is to be nice. So you'll be late or your luggage will arrive a day or two later. It's not the end of the world. It's an adventure. If anything, it'll teach you to travel light and to be flexible.
When you go to talk to the customer service representative, take a deep breath and smile. Remember SEE: Smile, Empathy, Empower. By empathesing with them you can empower them and they're likely to help you out in return. Be calm and polite and say something like, "Wow, looks like it's going to be a stressful day. It must be difficult to deal with everyone." They'll probably smile and nod or say something like, "You wouldn't believe it." You could also try empowering them by saying, "If anyone can make this happen you can." You'd be surprised at how being nice and polite can get you what you want and you might even get an upgrade or pass to their airport lounge or miles. Remember to say thank you, even if they didn't get you want you wanted. Here are some more tips when dealing with customer service reps.
Budgeting Just as budgeting should be part of your daily life, you should budget while travelling as well. Nomadic Matt wrote an ebook called save $1K off your next holiday. You might also want to take a look at creating a budget.
Making Money While Travelling
You don't need to stop making money when you go on vacation. Two articles: earning money online and teaching online offer some options on how to continue earning money. Some people have gotten so successful at it that they have become location independent, meaning that they can work anywhere in the world.
If you know of any other good ones, please let me know by emailing me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com
Private tutoring or
governessing is really the only way to make good money teaching English
here. Sometimes you might be paid to go on vacation with them. $75 dollars an hour or £40-£50 is about average now.
Bonne International: Tutoring and governess positions. They give you paid sick days and holidays. They will likely have fewer jobs in the summer save for the heavy
travel / live-in somewhere in Europe then back to Moscow in the fall.
They require qualifications and experience with kids as well as people over 25 because of responsibility issues.
If you tell them what you are looking for, they will match you the best they can.
British Business Language Centre: You're only paid about $25 an hour and you can get higher rates
from schools in Moscow, however, this school doesn't complain when you
refuse to teach a class because you have a private student at that
time.
Duke and Duchess International: On their website they say that they have positions inChina, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, however, I've found that most of the jobs are for Russia.
Great British Nannies: Nannying positions mainly in Russia. Jobs pay around £800 a week.
Guvernior:Guvernior often has part-time tutoring that averages $60-$75 for 60 minutes. Pick up a
couple clients like this during the week and you will be fine.
Things to Think About
If you've just started your job, give it a chance and wait a bit. It can take time to get used to a new boss, new country, and new way of doing things. If you're near the end of your contract, it might be worth your while to finish the contract, especially if you get a completion bonuses, airfare, or other perks.
You might want to talk to your co-workers or boss and tell them how you're feeling. They might be able to give you suggestions on how to get used to the school or help you with any problems you might have.
Time to Leave?
However, sometimes circumstances make it impossible to finish a contract. You might have a family emergency back home or your boss might have broken a lot of promises. If this is the case, you need to do some research before quitting.
If you plan on staying in country and want to get another job, find out what kind of paperwork you need in order to transfer your visa. You might need a release letter in order to get another job. You should also get a certificate of employment. It's not a reference letter per se, but it will state your name, job title, and dates you have worked. It should be on official letterhead and signed by your boss.
Legalities
Find out how many days in advance you need to give notice. Check your contract. Most employers state that you have to give 30 days notice. Make sure you give written notice. Make two copies, which both you and your boss sign. Keep one copy and give the other to your boss.
Ask about housing as well. You should be able to stay in the housing until you leave. Some employers will try to make you leave early or will move the new teacher in with you. Let them know that that's not acceptable.
Get what's due to you as far as benefits and money go. Some places will give you half your airfare if you stay at least 6 months. Others will pay you for unused vacation days. Each place is different, so check your contract.
Moving On
Lastly, don't bad mouth the school. It can be easy to rant and rave and say how horrible your boss was. Don't do it. Whether at an interview or on a forum, be careful what you say. Keep it simple and say something like you and your boss didn't agree on things or promises weren't kept. There's no need to go into detail.
Remember, if you quit it's not the end of the world. Most employers are good, but there are some unscrupulous ones out there. If you didn't do a lot of research before accepting this job, try to do more when you accept your next job. If you did lots of research but things simply didn't go according to plan that's ok, it happens to everyone. Remember to keep your chin up and next time you should be able to find a better job.
ELI Danang: Joint venture with the University of Queensland.
ILA Vietnam: You can see current vacancies at their site, Discover ELT Vietnam. Good salary, free Vietnamese lessons, relocation allowance, and one month paid vacation.
RMIT: Here are their listings for English Language Educators and Instructors. Pay is between $36-$48k usd a year and supposed to be one of the best jobs in VN. Here is a thread about the interviewing process. Focus on topics such as grammar, classroom management, and situational analysis.
VAS(Vietnam Australia School): In theory they require licensed teachers.
Newbies often ask how they can tell if a job or a TEFL cert is a scam. The simple answer is that if it seems to good to be true, it is. While they are cushy jobs out there, newbies likely won't be able to land these without the required qualifications, experience, and know-how. If you're interested in teaching abroad, you should do a bit of research first. So how do you know if it's a scam?
A big tip off is if they ask you to send them money. I'm not talking about paying the embassy to get a visa, the hospital for a medical check up, or the airlines for your flights. I'm talking about when the company asks YOU to pay THEM. The only legit reason that you should pay is in the case of international school jobs. Their recruitment fairs often require you to pay. They are well publicised and you should have no trouble finding out if they're legit or not. You can find a list of these at the article, international schools.
A second way of telling if it's a scam if they offer a fantastic salary. Let's face it, English teachers aren't going to get rich. So if you're offered an astronomical figure from a no-name school, it's probably a scam. As mentioned before, there are those great jobs with huge salaries, few hours, and long vacations, but you're going to need a couple years experience and advanced qualifications, such as a masters degree or TEFL diploma.
Another tip off is spelling and grammar mistakes. Of course, non-native speakers may make a couple mistakes. Native speakers may leave out words or have typos, but if it's over the top, beware.
Nigeria, kings, queens, princeses, princesses, wealthy widows, and weathly widowers: these should all be avoided like the plague.
Generic emails, such as gmail, yahoo, or hotmail. Again, there are legit organisations that use these. But you'll have to be careful.
Fake contact info, such as fake phone numbers, websites, emails or addresses. Some scammers will use legit language school names, but fake emails. Use google maps, or email the actual language school. Some places, like Wall Street Institute even have a page warning against fake job offers.
If they want personal details, such as your bank details or social security number, you should be running the other way. Some people get scared off if an institute asks for their passport details. However, if you're going to need a visa, they're going to need your passport info sometime or another.
If you're sending scans of your degrees, photo, transcripts, references, or anything else, you might want to consider putting a watermark across it that says "Copy" or "For Application Purposes Only".
Think you've found a scam? Report it. You can contact the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). In addition, there are international agencies such as ICPEN that handle cross-border/international internet fraud. (Thanks to totalesl.com for this info.) Those are some of the main ways to see if you're dealing with scammers. You can read more tips at warning signs of bad schools.
NGL (Natural Gas) Plants: Depending on where you are in KZ you could get €3000 a month tax free. Rotational work is the norm, so one month on, then one month off. You might have to work 6-7 days per week though.
Nazarbayev Intellectual School: You'll make $48-$60k usd a year, depending on where you are placed in KZ. Subject and EFL teachers are needed. You'll need at least a BA. Travel allowance ($5000-$6000), housing allowance $600-$1,100/month), and one time shipping allowance ($2000) are also provided.
