TEFL Finding A TEFL Job

ESL Spain Resourse: Pain In Spain Blog

Thinking of teaching English in Spain? Finding it hard to sort through all the info out there? Pain in Spain is one TEFL blog which is long overdue for a TEFL Logue review.

I first mentioned the site in a post about TEFL courses, where Pain in Spain blogger takes a pragmatic look at the value of a TEFL certificate. From what I can gather about the blogger/s – not all that much, but that’s okay – s/he is from the US and has been working in Spain for several years, mainly teaching one to one students and small groups in company. For the first period of work, s/he was working under the table, and so can share information on that experience, including how to become legal in Spain.

I haven’t worked in Spain, but I find the blog very straightforward. It is honest about the frustrations and challenges of EFL, particularly in Spain and in the bloggers particular context, without being overly cynical. There is advice on finding ESL jobs in Spain…

Date: January 24th, 2008 | 3 comments

Bad News For The British Council In Russia

Russia and the British Council are at odds as Russia is asking the British Council to close its offices and the British Council initially refused. The British Council then reported that its British and Russian staff were harassed by Russian authorities.

The word is that this is connected to the spat between the two countries over the extradition of the Russian citizen accused of poisoning former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko in London.

From what I’ve heard, I’d certainly leave a wide berth around the Russian government these days and avoid getting on its collective bad side.

One connection I find interesting - and applicable more widely in EFL - is that while the British Council is here referred to as “the cultural arm of the British embassy” I have also seen it referred to as an NGO (which stands for non-governmental organization) and a charitable organization.

VSO – the organization which places volunteers, including volunteer English teachers, in developing countries, and maintains that it is not part of any government (in contrast to the Peace Corps which is a part of the US government) – does in fact cooperate with the british council to do a shorter term volunteer placement program.

I certainly don’t think the blurry line dividing charitable, government, non-profit, and for-profit is only connected to the British Council. There are, for example, organizations which offer TEFL certificates - and also language schools – billing themselves as officially non-profit.

Date: January 16th, 2008 | No Comments

Working For A Chain: GEOS In Japan

If you’ve read about the JET Program, AEON, NOVA, Interac and Westgate here at the TEFL Logue and wondered “what about GEOS?” you’ve found the right post. Also stay tuned for a “master post” covering all of these to compare and contrast.

GEOS says, “The differences between GEOS and other major English-language schools in Japan will make you glad you chose GEOS.”

In class, they use a system they refer to as “Tanninsei”, which involves teachers staying with the same students for longer; it’s not clear if this is the gist of the whole system or just one aspect of it. While students can be from all age groups and levels, about 1/3 are between the ages of 3 and 10. You can request to teach only children, but not only adults.

There are 500 GEOS schools in Japan, and 47 worldwide. From the website: “Once you have a year of Japan-based teaching under your belt, opportunities abound in teaching, marketing, curriculum development, teacher training, management, HR, and much more.”

To meet the requirements to apply, you should have a BA in any discipline, and have gone through all your education in an English-speaking country. It’s best to start the application process two to four months in advance of your availability date, and in-person interviews in your home country take place following this schedule. No TEFL certificate is required – those who are hired undergo a one-month correspondence course covering English language, teaching and Japanese culture, and then proceed on to a four day training on arrival.

The salary is 250,000 yen a month, plus compensation to offset the higher cost of living in more expensive areas and various potential bonuses (including one I am highly suspicious of based on interviewing students who go on to enroll at GEOS). As far as housing goes, the company will find you a furnished single flat and pay the deposit, but you are responsible for the rent and utilities, which they estimate at about 65,000 yen a month. They try to find a flat near the school, and if it is more than 2km away you get a supplement towards transportation; it is not unusual to commute 45-60 minutes per day.

Date: November 30th, 2007 | No Comments

So Visa Changes Won't Cut It ... What Would Work?

I recently took off on a mini- or not-so-mini-tirade about Korea visa procedures, which might seem odd as they don’t even affect me personally. It did get me thinking though: it’s easy to criticize, but what would actually help a) keep out criminals/child predators, b) raise the bar for teachers generally, and c) reduce the number of EFL teachers employed illegally?

As far as keeping out criminals or child predators – this is a question for any school and not just EFL schools in Korea, and as someone who has no special background in criminal justice, my advice is pretty limited. Certainly the obvious precautions - which are done in most non-EFL teaching situations but are sometimes skipped if EFL in the demand for “one warm body right now”- would help: checking references and police records, holding different rounds of interviews, conduction observations and ensuring other regular interaction between admin/supervisory staff and the teacher.

Date: November 28th, 2007 | 1 comment

TEFL In Eastern Europe

(New EU: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia; Pre-EU: Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine)

Also see TEFL In Europe and TEFL In Western Europe; for specifics on Eastern Europe read on here.

Date: October 27th, 2007 | No Comments