I'm not a teacher yet. Everytime I start looking into working abroad I see all the posts about being scammed and the massive amount of headteachers that seem to lord it over the new teachers and make their lives hell! It all confuses me and makes me chicken out. So it's May again and I know hiring season is now or never. I really don't care what country I go to, which is good cus I can see from posts that China is getting strict. Is there a country that is really fair for new teachers. Is there an agency you would recommend as being the least scammy? Totally happy to work my way up from the bottom, just don't want to live in fear of a tempermental school owner or live in a roach nest. I can't afford to do a full CELTA btw or go back to Uni to do a teachers course. (I tried) Working abroad is already difficult nevermind all these scams in every corner.
About me: BSc 2.1 Geography Honours degree, short TEFL course that included 20 hours classroom time, some experience with youth work and after school clubs, even taking a group of children to France. Irish & UK passport.
Seriously love anyone who takes time to give good advice <3
Best Agency
Moderator: Josef Essberger
Re: Best Agency
Hi Irish,
Yes, if you’re not careful they’re queueing up out there to scam you. That’s how life is, even if you were on holiday. Yet please bear in mind that the majority focus on scam warnings here are from people who are spammers trying to lead you to a certain website from a trail of other sites. It’s why I gave up on it and now only pop in now and again. I’ve worked in both Thailand and China so I’ll concentrate on those.
First, the scams you’ll invariably come across are at the low end of TEFL, the so-called ‘private schools’, which are actually businesses, not schools. This is where you’ll see these fantastic offers and be told you’re worth amazing amounts of money. It’s the bait to lure you in, don’t fall for it. If you’re heading East, remember that the cost of living is three to four times as cheap as Ireland and you also have to factor in the freebies such as health insurance, accommodation, holiday pay etc. If at all possible, stick to state schools that are organised and have a reputation to keep. As a newbie in a state school in China you’re looking at around ¥10K and in Thailand around ฿30-35K a month, plus the freebies.
No Asian country is ‘fair’, there is no socialism out here and no welfare system. You sink or swim by your own efforts. It’s not a fantasy life of sitting under palm trees either, depite the hype of many recruiting companies and Thailand especially can be gruelling, but it’s how you’ll pick up the practical knowledge to teach.
Your main problem is lack of experience and the countries to get that are places like Thailand, or Cambodia. Having got a couple of years experience, you can then head to countries like China or South Korea. If you’re younger try kindergarten or early learning as that’s a booming industry. It’s not really for me to recommend agencies as that’s advertising, but just google ‘Teaching in ****’ and follow the leads from there. Stick to government schools, check the credentials of the recruiter, ask for contact emails of serving teachers and you won’t go far wrong. :)
Yes, if you’re not careful they’re queueing up out there to scam you. That’s how life is, even if you were on holiday. Yet please bear in mind that the majority focus on scam warnings here are from people who are spammers trying to lead you to a certain website from a trail of other sites. It’s why I gave up on it and now only pop in now and again. I’ve worked in both Thailand and China so I’ll concentrate on those.
First, the scams you’ll invariably come across are at the low end of TEFL, the so-called ‘private schools’, which are actually businesses, not schools. This is where you’ll see these fantastic offers and be told you’re worth amazing amounts of money. It’s the bait to lure you in, don’t fall for it. If you’re heading East, remember that the cost of living is three to four times as cheap as Ireland and you also have to factor in the freebies such as health insurance, accommodation, holiday pay etc. If at all possible, stick to state schools that are organised and have a reputation to keep. As a newbie in a state school in China you’re looking at around ¥10K and in Thailand around ฿30-35K a month, plus the freebies.
No Asian country is ‘fair’, there is no socialism out here and no welfare system. You sink or swim by your own efforts. It’s not a fantasy life of sitting under palm trees either, depite the hype of many recruiting companies and Thailand especially can be gruelling, but it’s how you’ll pick up the practical knowledge to teach.
Your main problem is lack of experience and the countries to get that are places like Thailand, or Cambodia. Having got a couple of years experience, you can then head to countries like China or South Korea. If you’re younger try kindergarten or early learning as that’s a booming industry. It’s not really for me to recommend agencies as that’s advertising, but just google ‘Teaching in ****’ and follow the leads from there. Stick to government schools, check the credentials of the recruiter, ask for contact emails of serving teachers and you won’t go far wrong. :)
Personal political satire blog: https://johnvasiateacherblog.forumotion.com