Post: #251

Great thread, so much useful information.

I'm planning on heading to Taiwan in November this year. I got an offer with one of the large chain schools and am just working through the paperwork now.

Background wise I have a Bachelors degree and no TEFL or CELTA. The only teaching experience I have is from volunteer teaching from my University days.

After my one year in Taiwan is up, is it wise to do a CELTA or TEFL before looking for new gigs? I realise it depends on locations I want to go to next, which for me would probably be either China or Europe.

Would it be difficult to land something before heading to the new country with ~1 year teaching experience but no certificate? Also is it advisable to go there without anything lined up and try to find something while on tourist visa?

Also, I'd have to get another background check after my one year in TW is up?

Post: #252

(07-03-2014 09:47 PM)UnW Wrote:  Great thread, so much useful information.

I'm planning on heading to Taiwan in November this year. I got an offer with one of the large chain schools and am just working through the paperwork now.

Background wise I have a Bachelors degree and no TEFL or CELTA. The only teaching experience I have is from volunteer teaching from my University days.

After my one year in Taiwan is up, is it wise to do a CELTA or TEFL before looking for new gigs? I realise it depends on locations I want to go to next, which for me would probably be either China or Europe.

Would it be difficult to land something before heading to the new country with ~1 year teaching experience but no certificate? Also is it advisable to go there without anything lined up and try to find something while on tourist visa?

Also, I'd have to get another background check after my one year in TW is up?

Good questions, but seriously, why not just spend your year in Taiwan before you start thinking about the next step. You might hate it, you might love it and never want to leave.

I can't speak for CELTA, but a lot of TEFL programs are junk. If after a year of teaching, you conclude that you are already a pretty good teacher, do some two week course in Thailand just as an excuse to go on vacation for a couple weeks in Thailand and put it on your resume.

If you decide after a year that you need to or would like to improve yourself as a teacher, look for a reputable TEFL program. If Asia is where you want to teach, do TEFL rather than CELTA, but if you have time and money to spare, do both just for the hell of it.

I have neither and won't even consider wasting the time and money to get either, as I get as much work as I can manage in Beijing without either. I knock demonstration lessons out of the park and therefore no one really cares about my qualifications. In fact, my degree is only important in making it easier to get work visas.

If you have no moral qualms with doing so, just make up your own CELTA and/or TEFL certificates on Microsoft Paint.

In China, it is inadvisable to arrive without having a job line up, as you'll be sent home to apply for your work visa. However, if you are already in Taiwan, I'd come to China on a tourist visa, line up a job and then go back home to see family and friends while applying for a work visa.

Post: #253

If you have a degree, you don't need TEFL or CELTA.

You should be able to get around 20k per month with 2 jobs in china (just under 30 hours per week). That is a helluva lot of money in China. The going rate at the small places is around 300 for an hour and a half, don't let them lowball you if you have any sort of experience. I hear its roundabout 4 to 500 in BJ but I reckon most of that is DANGER PAY as you'd have to be looney tunes to want to work the North (Smog+Insurgents).

In other news, China sux balls in comparison to the 7 other countries I've worked in. You get paid alot but quality of life is an all time low contrasted with BRAZIL where quality of life is super high and its pretty difficult to nail down a job. Now if you've got a LEGIT degree, then you'll probably have an easy time working in Brazil as you can line up work visas and corp jobs fairly easily (SEVEN, WIZARD, Cultural Lingua). The great thing about working in corruption is that there is always a way around a rule, the sh1tty thing about it is that usually life in said country SUCKS Sh1t. The only really corrupt country that I enjoyed my stay in was Mexico, ESL lessons go for between 8 and 20 dollars an hour and the expats down that way are an interesting bunch.

If I were a new grad, my first choices would be this [order of best to last]:

BRAZIL (Best food in the world, hands down. Craziest teachers, decent money $50 USD per hour)
DUBAI (Stable job, great pay.)
THAILAND (Clean air and water, nice beaches, hot broads)
ITALY (National Health Care system and Pizza)
JAPAN (People are actually somewhat decent to each other, has a culture all its own)
KOREA (Hot women, decent money, be on the lookout for Cpt. Korea though he's a prick)
RUSSIA (EnglishTeacherX spent almost his entire career there, you can read his old site and books)
SPAIN (My friend ran off to Spain with his Chinese wife and kid after a year in China)

Somewhere just above Africa:
CHINA (Cause I'm stuck here. and its a great place if you haven't been laid yet or exprienced the rockstar effect)

Will write more on ESL later, the state of the industry is my favorite subject to talk about. Asia vs South America, you'll find two totally different ESL cultures and totally different types of expats.

Post: #254

I'll be graduating with a degree. Are there short-term teaching abroad opportunities (<1 year)?

Post: #255

Having only taught in two countries, my experience is a little limited.

However, I have come across many jobs in Europe which require applicants to have a CELTA. You don't need one in most of East Asia, but you might end up earning a little more if you have one, particularly in the South East.

Post: #256

(07-04-2014 01:22 AM)Suits Wrote:  

(07-03-2014 09:47 PM)UnW Wrote:  Great thread, so much useful information.

I'm planning on heading to Taiwan in November this year. I got an offer with one of the large chain schools and am just working through the paperwork now.

Background wise I have a Bachelors degree and no TEFL or CELTA. The only teaching experience I have is from volunteer teaching from my University days.

After my one year in Taiwan is up, is it wise to do a CELTA or TEFL before looking for new gigs? I realise it depends on locations I want to go to next, which for me would probably be either China or Europe.

Would it be difficult to land something before heading to the new country with ~1 year teaching experience but no certificate? Also is it advisable to go there without anything lined up and try to find something while on tourist visa?

Also, I'd have to get another background check after my one year in TW is up?

Good questions, but seriously, why not just spend your year in Taiwan before you start thinking about the next step. You might hate it, you might love it and never want to leave.

I can't speak for CELTA, but a lot of TEFL programs are junk. If after a year of teaching, you conclude that you are already a pretty good teacher, do some two week course in Thailand just as an excuse to go on vacation for a couple weeks in Thailand and put it on your resume.

If you decide after a year that you need to or would like to improve yourself as a teacher, look for a reputable TEFL program. If Asia is where you want to teach, do TEFL rather than CELTA, but if you have time and money to spare, do both just for the hell of it.

I have neither and won't even consider wasting the time and money to get either, as I get as much work as I can manage in Beijing without either. I knock demonstration lessons out of the park and therefore no one really cares about my qualifications. In fact, my degree is only important in making it easier to get work visas.

If you have no moral qualms with doing so, just make up your own CELTA and/or TEFL certificates on Microsoft Paint.

In China, it is inadvisable to arrive without having a job line up, as you'll be sent home to apply for your work visa. However, if you are already in Taiwan, I'd come to China on a tourist visa, line up a job and then go back home to see family and friends while applying for a work visa.

Thanks for the awesome reply, there is still a few months until I head to TW so plenty of time to think.

Post: #257

Graduating with a BA in English next spring. Looking to move to EE and find some work as an instructor. I really wanted to try Ukraine but it seems far too unstable, now im highly considering czech republic. From everything ive heard, english teachers from cali are valued in EE because of the accent and hollywood culture. can anyone vouch for this?

im really hoping for this to be my escape from the US once and for all. My plan is to get there, work my ass off for a couple years. try as hard as i can to get hired to a private institution while learning the local language. once i have a permanent visa/eu residency more opportunities will be available (my background is in marketing and business development with 6 years employment experience).

Can anyone attest to how realistic this plan is?

Post: #258

I may be wrong, but I don't think you will be able to make much money in EE

Post: #259

(07-21-2014 07:48 PM)Sweet Pea Wrote:  I may be wrong, but I don't think you will be able to make much money in EE

yea i've read this, I was thinking I could try getting a bartending gig on the side for extra cash. but i'd probably have to speak the local language first :|

Post: #260

Don't write off EE as a place to teach English. Remember that the salaries you see online are teaching in a school to groups of students. These generally make far less than private lessons. For a reference point, I make $45 for 1:20 here in St. Petersburg Russia. Teach 15-20 hours a week and that is $3000 a month. Vastly more than the average local makes.

Post: #261

(07-22-2014 02:18 AM)matthewshannon9 Wrote:  Don't write off EE as a place to teach English. Remember that the salaries you see online are teaching in a school to groups of students. These generally make far less than private lessons. For a reference point, I make $45 for 1:20 here in St. Petersburg Russia. Teach 15-20 hours a week and that is $3000 a month. Vastly more than the average local makes.

That's good info, how did you find students for private lessons? Has it taken you a while to build your client base?

Post: #262

(07-04-2014 04:05 AM)BadWolf Wrote:  BRAZIL (Best food in the world, hands down. Craziest teachers, decent money $50 USD per hour)
DUBAI (Stable job, great pay.)
THAILAND (Clean air and water, nice beaches, hot broads)
ITALY (National Health Care system and Pizza)
JAPAN (People are actually somewhat decent to each other, has a culture all its own)
KOREA (Hot women, decent money, be on the lookout for Cpt. Korea though he's a prick)
RUSSIA (EnglishTeacherX spent almost his entire career there, you can read his old site and books)
SPAIN (My friend ran off to Spain with his Chinese wife and kid after a year in China)

Somewhere just above Africa:
CHINA (Cause I'm stuck here. and its a great place if you haven't been laid yet or exprienced the rockstar effect)

Will write more on ESL later, the state of the industry is my favorite subject to talk about. Asia vs South America, you'll find two totally different ESL cultures and totally different types of expats.

Interesting...I always thought South America was the worst place for English teaching jobs. Could you elaborate a little more on Brazil, BadWolf? It's just very surprising to hear after a good friend of mine came back from Brazil swearing he'd never try teaching there again.

From what I've heard regarding ESL jobs around the world:

KOREA = where I am based. hot women, pay gives you lots of disposable income to party, travel, pretend you're still in college, etc... don't know who Cpt. Korea is, but his name makes him sound like a douchebag, problems include a xenophobic, homogenous society, schools/companies possibly screwing you over, and dealing with weird foreigners who you would never hang out with back home. It's a dying industry here, all the money was made in the early 2000s. currently an overabundance of unemployed westerners here looking for teaching jobs, and not enough students to teach as well as way too many schools/private institutions.

JAPAN = used to be the big-money ESL industry, but cost of living, stagnant wages, and a declining demand for ESL (as well as a shrinking populace) make it difficult to save or have good long-term prospects, along similar lines to Korea. hot girls, open to foreigners, and an overall relaxing place to live otherwise.

CHINA = i know several expats working in Korea who've made the jump over to China and like or hate it for various reasons. it's not difficult getting a job if you look white. being a foreigner of asian/arab/black descent...not so much. i know white expats who have received offers on the spot, literally hours after disembarking. like someone else mentioned, if you're in asia already, fly here first and then look around. i visited beijing, shanghai, shenzhen, guilin, guangzhou, and tianjin and would recommend shanghai if you want a ton of job opportunities or shenzhen if you want a nicer, greener environment. i personally don't find most chinese girls attractive so can't comment on that.

SAUDI ARABIA = expats only go here for the pay, which would explain all the brits here working in oil. teaching ESL here offers the highest average pay i've heard of among my ESL friends, around double what they offer in Korea or Japan. but when it comes to culture and socializing and other activities you would want to enjoy, you're going to have to make some sacrifices.

SEA = the pros are clear as day: you've got awesome weather, beautiful beaches, cheap/low cost of living. thailand, vietnam, cambodia. the downside is usually pay: it's not a lot. enough to survive, sure, but these are not wealthy countries with wealthy middle classes that are strong enough to pay big bucks. whether you find the women attractive here depends on your taste. personally, i just can't get past the way they sound when they talk.

SPAIN = I have 1 friend here who is somehow making it work teaching english in a small town in the south, making around 1K Euros/month or something obscenely low like that. not sure about the big cities, but apparently there are parts of Spain where cost of living is more similar to parts of Eastern Europe. For a "developed" country, there are parts of Spain that are surprisingly cheap to live in. if you're into spanish women, tho, it might not be too bad. plus, it's a great jump-off point to other destinations in Europe. In general, though, the EU doesn't want to make it easy for foreigners to get jobs in their countries when so many of their own citizens are unemployed and leading rallies/raising a stink about it.

USA = believe it or not, the USA has a huge ESL industry. you'd think, how the hell is this possible? wouldn't non-native speakers just learn through immersion? to which i'd ask, of the people here who've lived as expats in non-english speaking countries, how much of the language did you really learn? and wouldn't you pay for a school to properly teach you if it meant helping you find a job or just fitting in better? and because it really depends in what capacity you're teaching english, pay is gonna fluctuate wildly. you could be teaching ESL at a community college for $25/hour. OR (and i just found out about this the other day) you could be the official ESL teacher for an MLB team and make huge bucks to teach Domingo from Cuba or Angel from Puerto Rico how to give interviews.

i'm personally curious about Brazil, though. I have a good buddy teaching in Korea now who absolutely hated Brazil because of the red tape in finding a job and the piss poor pay he got when he did. He went to neighboring countries like Chile and Ecuador without any more luck. I'm wondering if BadWolf's experiences are an anomaly?

Post: #263

Japan is still a good place but sometimes it can be unpredictable when you sign another contract. You could be relocated to a far away place that has nothing, which almost happened to me.

I got tired of being the gaijin clown who always had to have a fake smile and be entertaining, but for people who are naturally extroverted its no problem.

Post: #264

I'm heading over to China soon. Going to stay for 4-6 months or possibly longer this time.

Any advice on how to offer English tutoring services to the locals?

Post: #265

(07-23-2014 10:34 AM)Global_Cocksman Wrote:  I'm heading over to China soon. Going to stay for 4-6 months or possibly longer this time.

Any advice on how to offer English tutoring services to the locals?

Make friends, people will approach you on the metro most likely, just give it time. If you are going through the school, make friends with the teachers and senior staff, and see if they have anything going on, although do it subtly. Also get Wechat and QQ, you can advertise on there and make it clear you are a private english teacher. Be careful with what you are charging, if you are in a tier 2 or 3 city, you probably will be able to charge more, 200RMB to 300 RMB, Tier one you may be stuck in the 150/250RMB range depending on your qualifications.

Post: #266

(07-23-2014 10:34 AM)Global_Cocksman Wrote:  I'm heading over to China soon. Going to stay for 4-6 months or possibly longer this time.

Any advice on how to offer English tutoring services to the locals?

You're going to encounter two problems.

1) Maintain a visa. If you only stay for six months, this won't be a problem. If you stay longer, it'll be harder, but not impossible.

PM me if you need more info on this, as I can't discuss it on the public forum.

2) Setting up a teaching schedule that you can actually live on. In China, you'll find that everyone will conspire to screw you over with requests for tutoring work that limits the amount of money you can earn in a week.

First, it's hard to come by daytime tutoring hours Monday - Friday, since most people are working or going to school.

Therefore, you'll find the bulk of your hours from Monday to Friday will fall between 5PM-9PM.

If you are tutoring locals directly, you'll either work out of your home or visit them at their home.

Working out of your own home is risky, since working independent is illegal and could get you deported. All you need is one pissed off client who knows where you live and it could mean the end of your China adventure.

I don't share my address with private clients with whom I am not legally employed. I've also been cautious about letting any Chinese know where I live, ever since a girl you'd visited my home for a NY's Eve party showed the police how to find me.

If you visit your clients at their homes or work out of coffee shops, considering transportation time, you'll be lucky to squeeze 3 hours of work into each evening. Two hours per evening is a lot more common until you've been here long enough (one year) to really have your ducks in a row.

Private clients frequently cancel classes, so even with a top notch schedule, you'll still be lucky to pull 15 hours, from Monday to Friday.

So, you then need to work as many hours each weekend as possible. This sucks, because it'll cut into your availability to party. Even on the weekend, every client has stupid demands that will make it hard to get more than 5-6 hours into each day.

In Tianjin, I finally go up to 20,000+ RMB per month, but that involved combining private clients (who I taught in their homes) with daytime kindergarten work and teaching corporate ESL.

My recommendation is that if you are potentially going to be here for a year or less, take whatever work you can find, because it can take a lot of time to work up a good collection of private clients who don't constantly flake on classes.

I prefer to work evenings and weekends for a good school, where I know the boss, communicate with her (it's always a her) directly and still don't have to worry about anyone knowing where I live.

When you teach classes, even if a couple students don't show up, as long as there is at least one student, you'll teach class and get paid for it.

What I do during the day is kindergarten work, because it requires very little effort and is mostly a matter of showing up and not being driven crazy by all the stupidity your see the management pulling.

One more note: in China, the vast majority of private ESL work is with kids. Getting gigs teaching adults is much harder, as everyone wants to teach adults and no one want to teach kids.

If you can get good at teaching kids and running a good schedule and not getting ripped off, you could potentially earn bank, although for less than a year in country, your start up costs are going to mitigate anything you achieve.

Personally, I don't see myself getting anywhere impressive financially for my first year back in Beijing.

Making money here takes time, because it costs money to get setup with everything you need when you arrive.

Post: #267

I didn't look for work at all. It all found me. I'm just teaching English while I open my own financial consulting company here. I tried to start a travel company with my friend but it didn't work.

To find one client I used AVITO.ru which is like the Craigslist of Russia but far less sketchy.

Two languages schools found me through Internations.com and another through a resume I had posted a long time ago on hh.ru. I don't do any active searching for English teaching work and the going rate is 1000 rubles an hour or more for native speakers.

Post: #268

Recently I sent this message to a forum member who I thought may need some advice about disciplining kids in the ESL business

It's not worthy of its own thread, but I'll post it here as it may be of help to one or two members here:

(Disclaimer: Some more experienced TEFL teachers may know better than me. I only have two years experience but I must stress that I absolutely cannot stand a child's laughter or any type of loud noise uttered by anyone. It sends a damn Osprey into my brain. I'm never having children).

So here we are.....

When I taught in Korea I wanted to fucking kill myself. If you look at Dash Global's posts on Naughty Nomad, you will also see the terrible time he is having with teaching kids. Most people hate teaching children. A very high number of teachers run away from their jobs because they hate the little shitbags.

The kids WILL make your life hell if you're not strict. They will say shit like "teacher you have a big nose hehe" "teacher this is boring" and generally won't shut the fuck up if there's no framework of discipline.

Discipline is a MUST with children. Forget everything you thought you knew about kids. They are not cute, they are not nice, and they will do everything to make your life hell if you give them the smallest chance. They are little bastards.

I've taught children in three countries and there have been times where I can't hear myself shout. Kids are fucking bastards. "AHHHHHH HELLLLOOOOOOOO AHAHAPSOAFJPAOFJS POGJ POFGJ PDFOGJ PDFOGJ" for an hour. Annoying as hell. You want to kill yourself.

There are three types of teacher:

Maybe you remember these three types of teacher from school:

1) The 'buddy' teacher. 90% of teachers are this. They are a dancing clown. They come in and say "HeY eVeRyONe!!! My NaMe Is bEtA mcDoUcHeBaG". Don't be this guy. The kids will have zero respect for you and will be rude and take advantage. The class will be a living hell and very loud.

At school, I thought all the 'buddy' teachers were kinda losers. I had no respect for them. Whilst the lessons were easy, no one really liked these teachers

2) The asshole. The guy that screams, shouts, is unfair, uses personal insults and shows emotion. Don't be this guy either. This guy is an example of disciplining the wrong way. You can maintain pin-drop silence in a class without ever having to raise your voice or make a kid cry.

In Korea. I started out as number 1. Then I became number 2. I made about thirty kids cry in total. Before that, the kids were rude as hell. I only know what to do now because i was so bad at teaching in Korea.

You want to be:

3) The strict-but-fair teacher. Think of a teacher you respected and liked at school. I liked the ones who were strict but would be fair and praise you/make the occasional joke in the right place.

When a respected teacher person makes a joke, everyone laughs because they respect him. Take Barack Obama. If he makes a joke, everyone laughs. Not because his joke is funny, but because he is a power figure and is respected.

With a clown, everyone just feels embarrassed for him

RULES OF TEFL


1) Do not TRY to make the children like you. Don't be the 'fun' teacher. Over time they will like you, trust me. My Taiwanese kids loved me, even though I was tough on them.

2) Show NO emotion. DO NOT SMILE (at least for the first two months). They will take advantage. But, never shout. You never need to raise your voice. When you deliver a punishment, you do it in your normal voice with no emotion.

"Jimmy, you're talking. Minus 25 points for your team". Take the points off the board, hear every kid go "Ahhhh Jimmy!!!" and resume what you were doing.

If a kid is rude to you, e.g "Teacher you look like Harry Potter" do not shout at them, even if you feel offended. If you show anger, they win as they have destroyed your frame. This is where it's very similar to game. This is a massive shit-test from the kid. You duck the shit-test by giving them no emotion and a punishment.

(Note: Anything that constitutes rudeness towards the teacher is a severe punishment)

Instead, a calm but firm "Ok, Jimmy, that's minus 100 points for your team. Team A, everyone stand up and say thank you Jimmy"

The kids will want to fucking kill Jimmy, not you. Which leads me on to point 3.....

3) Get the class to police itself. If you shout and scream at them, they will hate you and the parents will hate you too. If you calmly make everyone stand up because of one noisy shitbag, everyone will hate the kid, the kid will feel the peer pressure and the result is a very quiet classrooom.

The consequence of being naughty is A) losing points B) a team punishment. NOT an angry teacher shouting at them.

And you deliver this system by...

4) POINTS. Do this from DAY ONE. Go into the classroom. Do not smile. Introduce yourself in a neutral manner, then outline your class rules: i.e hands up for a question, no speaking Thai, no speaking when the teacher speaks, no rudeness and generally no acting like a little bastard.

Split the class in half. Maybe get a Thai teacher to help the translation.

Give each team 100 points to start off with.

"The winning team at the end of the month will win a prize". The prize can be something cheap and crap. A packet of Lays crisps per child is fine. They will love that prize.

(And if they complain. You take it off the winning team, give it to the losing team and watch the losing team cheer and the winning team shut up)

Now, let's talk about the points.....

Discipline, go up the heirachy like this.

a) Minus 25 points -

Teacher: "Take out your books. You have 30 seconds. Go"
"30....25..........5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Teacher: "Jimmy your book is not open. Team A loses 25 points. *wipe 25 points from their teams score

Class: "Ahhh Jimmy!!!"

Do this from the start. It needs to be very clear from day one. Don't be afraid to do it. It will feel strange at first.

If the management give you shit, remember, you are shit-testing them, not the other way round. They need you. You don't need them. You teach your way.

b) Minus 50 points - Second infringement. If Jimmy fucks up again it's minus 50.

c) Minus 100 points - Third infringement. VERY rarely does it get to this stage. The whole class will watch Jimmy like a damn hawk after the 50 points has dissapeared (And all this time, they think Jimmy is an asshole, not you)

d) Stand up. You make Jimmy's team stand up.

e) Everyone in the class stands up apart from Jimmy. This will make them want to fucking kill Jimmy

f) Turn the air con off. If nothing makes them shut up. Turn the bloody air con off and tell them it is staying off for twenty minutes.

g) Hold them back after class. If you can do this, do it. "Class, you were noisy today. You can stay here for another ten minutes in silence."

h) If you have a scary old Asian that'll beat them, you can send the kid to them. I personally don't do this. But up to you, kids are annoying.

Did you raise your voice at any point in this time? NO

Did you maintain a silent class? Absolutely

Now, one thing to remember. You don't want the kids to think you're an absolute asshole.

The only time you are nice to them is when someone gives a good answer to a question

"Carol, that's a good answer, 25 points for your time" don't smile when you say this. Have a neutral face :-|

This will make her team really like you. And will show the students that they will be praised when they give a good answer. This is what stops you becoming teacher three.

Its like working for acceptance from Richard Dawkins or something.

Also, at the end of the month, they get a prize. That's the point where you can smile and have a fun day. Then it's back to complete seriousness the next day.

Your first class; outline these rules, the framework and just give them something easy to write in silence.

"Tell me about your family"

After two months, you'll see the class understand the rules and it'll become more fun and you can have a joke here and there.

Post: #269

Great thread, and the information above is excellent.

I did teaching in Russia and China, from kids to adult business clients, if anyone has questions (Although there is a lot of information on here already) feel free to PM me.

Has anyone on here taken on a personal coaching job, regarding teaching cultural etiquette, business english etc. I will be interested in speaking to them.

Post: #270

(08-07-2014 02:56 PM)LeightonBlackstock Wrote:  Recently I sent this message to a forum member who I thought may need some advice about disciplining kids in the ESL business

It's not worthy of its own thread, but I'll post it here as it may be of help to one or two members here:

(Disclaimer: Some more experienced TEFL teachers may know better than me. I only have two years experience but I must stress that I absolutely cannot stand a child's laughter or any type of loud noise uttered by anyone. It sends a damn Osprey into my brain. I'm never having children).

So here we are.....

When I taught in Korea I wanted to fucking kill myself. If you look at Dash Global's posts on Naughty Nomad, you will also see the terrible time he is having with teaching kids. Most people hate teaching children. A very high number of teachers run away from their jobs because they hate the little shitbags.

The kids WILL make your life hell if you're not strict. They will say shit like "teacher you have a big nose hehe" "teacher this is boring" and generally won't shut the fuck up if there's no framework of discipline.

Discipline is a MUST with children. Forget everything you thought you knew about kids. They are not cute, they are not nice, and they will do everything to make your life hell if you give them the smallest chance. They are little bastards.

I've taught children in three countries and there have been times where I can't hear myself shout. Kids are fucking bastards. "AHHHHHH HELLLLOOOOOOOO AHAHAPSOAFJPAOFJS POGJ POFGJ PDFOGJ PDFOGJ" for an hour. Annoying as hell. You want to kill yourself.

There are three types of teacher:

Maybe you remember these three types of teacher from school:

1) The 'buddy' teacher. 90% of teachers are this. They are a dancing clown. They come in and say "HeY eVeRyONe!!! My NaMe Is bEtA mcDoUcHeBaG". Don't be this guy. The kids will have zero respect for you and will be rude and take advantage. The class will be a living hell and very loud.

At school, I thought all the 'buddy' teachers were kinda losers. I had no respect for them. Whilst the lessons were easy, no one really liked these teachers

2) The asshole. The guy that screams, shouts, is unfair, uses personal insults and shows emotion. Don't be this guy either. This guy is an example of disciplining the wrong way. You can maintain pin-drop silence in a class without ever having to raise your voice or make a kid cry.

In Korea. I started out as number 1. Then I became number 2. I made about thirty kids cry in total. Before that, the kids were rude as hell. I only know what to do now because i was so bad at teaching in Korea.

You want to be:

3) The strict-but-fair teacher. Think of a teacher you respected and liked at school. I liked the ones who were strict but would be fair and praise you/make the occasional joke in the right place.

When a respected teacher person makes a joke, everyone laughs because they respect him. Take Barack Obama. If he makes a joke, everyone laughs. Not because his joke is funny, but because he is a power figure and is respected.

With a clown, everyone just feels embarrassed for him

RULES OF TEFL


1) Do not TRY to make the children like you. Don't be the 'fun' teacher. Over time they will like you, trust me. My Taiwanese kids loved me, even though I was tough on them.

2) Show NO emotion. DO NOT SMILE (at least for the first two months). They will take advantage. But, never shout. You never need to raise your voice. When you deliver a punishment, you do it in your normal voice with no emotion.

"Jimmy, you're talking. Minus 25 points for your team". Take the points off the board, hear every kid go "Ahhhh Jimmy!!!" and resume what you were doing.

If a kid is rude to you, e.g "Teacher you look like Harry Potter" do not shout at them, even if you feel offended. If you show anger, they win as they have destroyed your frame. This is where it's very similar to game. This is a massive shit-test from the kid. You duck the shit-test by giving them no emotion and a punishment.

(Note: Anything that constitutes rudeness towards the teacher is a severe punishment)

Instead, a calm but firm "Ok, Jimmy, that's minus 100 points for your team. Team A, everyone stand up and say thank you Jimmy"

The kids will want to fucking kill Jimmy, not you. Which leads me on to point 3.....

3) Get the class to police itself. If you shout and scream at them, they will hate you and the parents will hate you too. If you calmly make everyone stand up because of one noisy shitbag, everyone will hate the kid, the kid will feel the peer pressure and the result is a very quiet classrooom.

The consequence of being naughty is A) losing points B) a team punishment. NOT an angry teacher shouting at them.

And you deliver this system by...

4) POINTS. Do this from DAY ONE. Go into the classroom. Do not smile. Introduce yourself in a neutral manner, then outline your class rules: i.e hands up for a question, no speaking Thai, no speaking when the teacher speaks, no rudeness and generally no acting like a little bastard.

Split the class in half. Maybe get a Thai teacher to help the translation.

Give each team 100 points to start off with.

"The winning team at the end of the month will win a prize". The prize can be something cheap and crap. A packet of Lays crisps per child is fine. They will love that prize.

(And if they complain. You take it off the winning team, give it to the losing team and watch the losing team cheer and the winning team shut up)

Now, let's talk about the points.....

Discipline, go up the heirachy like this.

a) Minus 25 points -

Teacher: "Take out your books. You have 30 seconds. Go"
"30....25..........5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Teacher: "Jimmy your book is not open. Team A loses 25 points. *wipe 25 points from their teams score

Class: "Ahhh Jimmy!!!"

Do this from the start. It needs to be very clear from day one. Don't be afraid to do it. It will feel strange at first.

If the management give you shit, remember, you are shit-testing them, not the other way round. They need you. You don't need them. You teach your way.

b) Minus 50 points - Second infringement. If Jimmy fucks up again it's minus 50.

c) Minus 100 points - Third infringement. VERY rarely does it get to this stage. The whole class will watch Jimmy like a damn hawk after the 50 points has dissapeared (And all this time, they think Jimmy is an asshole, not you)

d) Stand up. You make Jimmy's team stand up.

e) Everyone in the class stands up apart from Jimmy. This will make them want to fucking kill Jimmy

f) Turn the air con off. If nothing makes them shut up. Turn the bloody air con off and tell them it is staying off for twenty minutes.

g) Hold them back after class. If you can do this, do it. "Class, you were noisy today. You can stay here for another ten minutes in silence."

h) If you have a scary old Asian that'll beat them, you can send the kid to them. I personally don't do this. But up to you, kids are annoying.

Did you raise your voice at any point in this time? NO

Did you maintain a silent class? Absolutely

Now, one thing to remember. You don't want the kids to think you're an absolute asshole.

The only time you are nice to them is when someone gives a good answer to a question

"Carol, that's a good answer, 25 points for your time" don't smile when you say this. Have a neutral face :-|

This will make her team really like you. And will show the students that they will be praised when they give a good answer. This is what stops you becoming teacher three.

Its like working for acceptance from Richard Dawkins or something.

Also, at the end of the month, they get a prize. That's the point where you can smile and have a fun day. Then it's back to complete seriousness the next day.

Your first class; outline these rules, the framework and just give them something easy to write in silence.

"Tell me about your family"

After two months, you'll see the class understand the rules and it'll become more fun and you can have a joke here and there.

Deserves another rep point from me, but I can't.

I'm teaching at a kindergarten right now and even at ages 3-5, these kids are total bastards.

The youngest are too young to comprehend logical persuasion (I speak Chinese better than they do), so last week I bit a kid's arm because there was no other way to help him understand why it was poor form to bite me in the ass repeatedly (no lie).

The 4-5 year olds can be persuaded somewhat. I came in to the school a couple months ago and attempted to be strict, but there was almost immediately a complaint from parents who said that I made their kid cry. (I did, because I moved her chair from one side of the classroom to the other and she cried because she's a stupid little bastard).

Also, I had one teacher insisting that I never speak Chinese (a retarded idea when dealing with four year olds) and undermining my authority constantly. She's on vacation now, so I'm finally making some headway with her class.

Teaching five different classes each day with different students each time means that I have to do battle in every classroom to gain authority. It's a pain, but LeightonBlackstock's tips are right on the money.

With the younger ages, I don't give them snacks, because the parents can be very particular about what they eat here in China and point systems are not something that they appreciated, as with over 100 students each day, providing rewards for winning behaviour would kill my budget, so I use a system of negative consequences.

There is nothing I love more than making a kid sit by himself next to the wall and having him or her freak the hell out.

Then the other kids are looking at her and saying, "OMG, sitting next to the wall by myself looks terrible." After watching the tantrum, the other kids behave much better, because they don't want to be the next one crying their eyes out.

The only area that I differ from Leighton is that sometimes use of emotion can be helpful, at least with the younger age group.

I'll occasionally pretend to lose my temper (not in an out of control way, but I will express anger) if a kid crosses certain lines. We aren't talking hysterically screaming, but more of a firm anger with a raised voice.

Sometimes I'll even do this in English, because the words I use are irrelevant as long as the child experiences some level of fear in the process.

Post: #271

The only thing you need to do with kids is review flashcards and GAME.

I'll write my list

Stand Up, Sit Down
Chicken Fight
What Time/Word is it Mr.Wolf
Balloon Volleyball
Hit the Monster
Flashcard Soccer
Board Pokemon
MES Pokemon Cards
Board Ball
Rampart (with chairs or shoes)
Touch (whatever)
Yes/No Walls
Breakdance Breakdown
Monopoly Deal
UNO
Crab Walk board race
Written word relay race
Hot Potato
Musical Chairs
One foot after another
Under Over
Freeze Tag
Capture the flag
Dodge Ball
Role-play relay
Stand Up Sit Down Doubles (for classes 50+)
Double Dare
Broken Telephone
The Quiz Show
Jeopardy
Dungeons and Dragons
Word Boxing
Word Tennis Teams
Never Ending Story Slap War
Collecting Card Story
Form a word with your bodies
Hangman
Taboo
Head Bandz
Interrupt
Monkey in the middle
Watch, Repeat, Out
Shoe Trader

Explanations to follow later (check back) have to go to the Doctor's. Each game takes anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, so an hour and a half class is done is 3 or 4 games.

Post: #272

Hey guys!

I took the time to read through this thread and it's filled with tons of great info. Haven't been this entranced in a post since the oil sands thread with Scotian! Haha, just looking for some specific advice... It seems to be a little biased on whether or not you can get a job, where you can job a job and when. It seems the best choices for me with little experience are China, Thailand and Mexico.

Background:

I'm 18 and going for my CELTA in Bogota, Col. during November. I'll be turning 19 at the end of November and want to know if I have a chance of scoring a job. I'm white, Canadian, 5"10 in decent shape and would say I'm not bad looking. I rock a military style buzz cut though, does hair style matter? (I look like Mr. Rogers with long hair) I'm fluent in English in almost there in Spanish.

I do not have a degree and I'm worried about not being taken seriously for my age with only a CELTA. I also believe it would be pretty hard for me to fake a degree as I only graduated from Secondary school June 2013... So my questions are:

- Should I lie on my resume with teaching experience from a local daycare or extra-curricular tutoring through my high-school, something of the sort? (I think I already know the answer but figured I'd ask)
- Where are the most in demand places with just a CELTA? I have no problem going to the country and pounding the pavement. I just want to know where the best opportunities are, sans degree and in the country as a white male with a CELTA.
- Out of countries you recommend, can you recommend any specifically in relation to/experience with ease of access for Canadians? I have never applied for a VISA but the posts I see are reassuring... some dudes out there make it seem nearly impossible to score a gig.
- Will my Spanish help me with jobs in Mexico? (better pay or actually finding work)
- What are the hiring seasons like for each respective country and should I base my decision accordingly?

Wherever I go, I plan to learn some of the native language before arrival.

Anyway I am kind of flabbergasted by the strict educational requirements... like people have said you can be a good teacher without a degree, or a bad teacher with a degree just depends. School isn't for me and a degree is pretty much out of the question - other than the CELTA (a month and 2K is a lot different than 2 years and 15K). Any and all advice would be appreciated!

Edit*

I should include that I'm not picky at all where I teach. I simply am looking for somewhere I can practice a foreign language and make a liveable wage. The reason teaching appeals to me is being able to travel and learn languages, making enough to get by on easy hours while having enough time to invest in other ventures such as learning or starting businesses... thanks again for all of the guidance I really appreciate it @Leighton that write up on how to control the classroom was dynamite thank you for that. Little principals to keep in mind when maintaining frame is what I'm going to need. Also, to everyone else contributing to this thread your information is invaluable.

Post: #273

^^^^Due to increasing strictness regarding visa renewals in China and upgraded enforcement in actual schools by local police, I can no longer recommend coming to Beijing if you don't not have a degree.

My friend in Tianjin reports that there has not been a lot of police enforcement yet, but you'll still have trouble maintaining a visa long term if you don't qualify for a Z-visa.

I have a coworker who qualifies for a Z-visa, but would have to go back to Europe to get one who is having a lot of trouble and experiencing a lot of fear at the moment with just 18 days left on her current six month visa.

Two months ago, she wanted to buy a new iPhone and I told her to save her money until after she got her next visa and she ignored my advice and now she says that she can't afford to take a trip out of the country for her next renewal.

Currently, the smartest move if you are interested in a longer term existence in China (and actually earning a profit), get a degree or at least fake one, if you wanna work here. Of course, you'd probably need to be 21 to fake it, because very few people have 4 year degrees at 18.

You could come here on a student visa, study in the morning and do private tutoring nights and weekends and probably never get caught and fined, but this would be a pretty tiring existence unless you go to a school that doesn't care whether or not you come to classes and even pass.

Post: #274

@TS a college in Thailand is now offering a degree in TEFL. You can finish it in 3 years. Minimal class time so you have spare time and can still teach. It's also not very much. Just another few months up in AB .

Post: #275

I guess I should rephrase my question.

If I have a CELTA and no degree (with no possibility of getting one in the very near future) are there any places that would have decent job prospects - any where in the world.. I don't care, with at least enough pay to scrape by? I would rather get the DELTA after going to some shithole that is cheap and gaining experience there. I am not even sure if I will like classroom teaching so the advent of "just get a degree, it's only 3 years" doesn't sound appealing to me.

I understand a lot of things take time and maybe I'm naive for thinking this way, but I will probably never have a University education. I'm smarter and more driven than my recent-grad counterparts and don't want to waste years of my life on something I neither want nor brings me any real value other than a job to fill the pockets while I travel... Where do all those old scumbags go again, Cambodia?