Hi Max,

I was wondering if you decided now what to do?

I'm dying to get out there as well, bit same dilemna, have a degree, been working in London for 4,5years, no teaching experience etc. Only difference is that I have a fair amount of friends living in China (Shanghai, Beijing, HK), Vietnam, Singapore etc.

Let me know what you've done, it would surely help me decide! haha...

All the best,

Julie

Hi:-0)

I was reading your dilemna about whether to do the internship or go it alone. Like you i was in two minds about the whole thing cause like you i have no teaching experience but a degree and have never been in another country alone for a long period of time so natuarally worried about not having a support network behind me. But i'm still opting to go alone cause if i wanna travel after need to get the best paying job as possible.

 I've decided to go to Japan from the research i've done its seems like a great place to start teaching and believe it or not being a teacher there with no teaching experience you should not take any job offers less then 230,000 yen which is 1700 pounds sterling!! per month. Its not all about the money but hey you need to live and because living is generally cheap in Japan you should be able to save alot!! I'm not trying to persuade you teach in Japan but def look at it as a option.

Well be great to hear from you, cause i thought i was the only one feeling on edge about such a big decision:-)

Hi,

Are you looking to work in China?

Do you want to work with Kindergarten children?

Do you want a good Salary?

Do you want weekends off and two ½ days?

If you do, please contact me today. Our kindergarten needs teachers for the new semester starting September. We also have vacancies in our training centers. We are based in GuangZhou, Dongguan, and Foshan all in Guangdong Province, China.

Our school is called CIEO (Canadian International Education Organization)

If you want more details then please get in touch, If you know someone who might be interested then please forward this to them.

If you can’t start September don’t worry, you can still apply as we need teachers throughout the year!

All the best,

Robert

Hey,

Let me asure you that you dont have to have any experience. Of course the more you do have, even if its just working with children, then the better it is. I worked in a museum giving guided tours about Archaeology. My degree is in Film and TV. To help I volunteered for a youth group for a few months.

In my interview i was told that you should be honest, but only to some extent. Also be flexible. I told them that i didnt want to drive, wanted to be in the south, wanted high schools only and hope to be here at least 3 years BUT im open to similar options. So, im in the north (its ok), im trying to get a car sorted (its easy to drive here), i have 3 high schools and if things pick up i might stay 3 years or more but will certainly consider moving to other locations.

So dont worry about what your degree is in or what experience you have. Interacs main intake is May/April so you have plenty of time to solve the issue of experience. Also apply as soon as the company starts accepting applications or talk to i-to-i about job placement help. i did the 120hrs with them which meant i got free assistant getting a job here with interac.

As for the process with JET im unsure of and there are more and more cases of people saying they didnt like it or i was just ok. Competition is fierce with JET because of the limited numbers and also its government ran. If you think you might go with other companies then do full research on them.

If you decide to apply to interac just say "paul dixon in Iwate, part of the Hitachi branch" recommended that you go with interac and that you have spoken to me on the i-to-i forum. Most of the people at the Hitachi branch HQ here know of me and certain the manager does.

anyway

best of luck

Paul

Hi Max,
Do you have a degree?
Just wondered, a lot of places are out of bounds to TEFL teachers without degrees. Japan was my absolute first choice, and I have since found that they will forsake the degree as long as you have two years teaching experience with a recommendation. So its not totally out of the question for me, thankfully!
Take care :)

oh and i have the tefl done, im in the same boat as yourself, i need to save as much as possible to go travel and have the option of voluntary work, i have to hit SA yet! :)

Hi Max, to be honest i was so indecisive like your self and if i wasnt blocking it out i am freaking a little bit! I have applied for numerous jobs here and done interviews but the salary is significantly lower than what you can actually avail of over there, The only problem i see is the visa, but then again i think alot of it is hyped up in forums. I have a friend there already who is studying and he picked up a job 10k RMb a month no problem, so im going the PMA route. I think you should just bite the bullet! I may even be going next week now because BA are striking when i am meant to be going, the joys of it all!

Just read your about me sections...feeling like a tourist always sucks so my advice is when you choose a country make sure you teach in a rural place away from　big cities so you can truely intergrate with the locals. I`ve been in japan about 4 weeks now and no very little japanese but gradually learning more each day (when i first came here i could say yes, no, hello, goodbye and thank you).

Since coming here ive already been to 3 japanese people`s houses for dinner, i have picnics under blossom trees, i chat with the students on the train, ive been invited to play tennis with a person from my local town hall and best of all this saturday i am going to a japanese wedding with all you can sing karaoke. Now you mentioned about saving in japan, if you want to save then dont go to a wedding...it is custom for the guest to pay a large amount set by the bride and groom...in this case its ￥15,000 which helps pay for the wedding, food and drinks and then the rest is a gift.

if you need to know more please ask

Paul

hey...i have just put a reply on the Interac forum to help answer your questions...

If you need to know anything helps please dont hesitate to ask

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/groups/8-Japan/discussion/289-interac?page=1#sbposts-2317

Hey there :)

Saw your comment on the China forum.

Me and my fella are heading out to China to teach in about a month, so i'll keep you posted on how it is! :)

Take care.

Rin.