how to teach english overseas-finished

8/12/2019 How to Teach English Overseas-Finished

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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas


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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 2

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

ATenWeekPlantoaNewLifeAbroad

SecondEdition

CopyrightTEFLeBooksdotcomAllrightsreserved.

Permissiongrantedtoreproducepartsofthis

publicationaslongasattributionisnoted.

ThisebookwasdevelopedincooperationwithTEFLEducator

Tohelpusdoabetterjobofhelpingyou,wewouldappreciate

youropinionaboutthisebook. Pleasetakeourfast,easyand

confidentialsurveyhere: CLICKHERE

Dreamsare

the

touchstones

ofourcharacter.

HenryDavidThoreau
http://www.teflbootcamp.com/http://www.teflbootcamp.com/http://www.teflbootcamp.com/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://www.teflbootcamp.com/


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ContentsIntroduction

TwentyImportant

Questions

to

Ask

Yourself

CharacteristicsofSuccessfulTEFLers

WhatareEmployersREALLYLookingfor?

WeekOne

SeeingWhatReallyisPossible

Passports

Degrees,Transcripts,

Certificates

,Documents

WeekTwo

MakingaDecisionaboutWheretoTeach

Money!Money?WagesandMore

MakingaDecisionaboutWhentoGo

WeekThree

OrganizeyourJobSearch

AShortPersonalStory

Corporate,Kids,Adults?

Whattypeofjobdoyouwant?

Resumes,CVs

HowtobeanAttractiveCandidate

WeekFour

ApplyforJobs

HowtoContactEmployers

HowTEFL

Interviews

Work

TheBestCountriestoStartinTEFL

WeekFive

ShouldyouAcceptthatJob?

DoingyourResearchbeforeyouDecide

ResearchtheJob

Researchyour

Employer

ResearchyourAccommodation

WeekSix

StartOrganizingyourLifeforyourMoveOverseas

DoyouownyourHome?

HealthInsurance

Responsibilitiesto

your

Home

Country

WeekSeven

StartyouVisaPaperwork

Give30daysnoticeatyourjob

BudgetingforyourTransition

SellorStore?


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Week

Eight

PlaneTicketsandMovingExpenses

BankingandInvesting

PlanningforyourFinancialSuccess

ShouldyouInvestinyourhomecountryoryour

newcountry?

Week

Nine

PassportandVisa

PlanA

PlanB

PlanC

WeekTen

Whatshould

you

take

with

you?

Whatshouldyoumailtoyourself?

Saygoodbyetofriendsandfamily

Getonthatplane

WeekOneOverseas

OntheJobinyourNewCountry

Cankaraokegetyouaraise? Yes!

CultureShock

Yes=No

WeekTwoOverseas

Networking

ImproveYourself

HaveaGoodTime

AppendixA

SummaryofallChecklists

AppendixB

TeachingMethodsandBoardwork

AppendixC

PlanningaLessonandBasicTEFLTraining

Contents 2


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Introduction

TwentyQuestions

BEFOREWE

START

and

you

head

down

the

road

to

creating

anew

life

overseas,

here

are

20

important

questionsyoushouldaskyourselfbeforedecidingifteachingEnglishoverseasisrightforyou.

Doyouhaveafamilythatyouareresponsiblefor?

Howdotheyfeelaboutmovingoverseasandlivinginaforeignland?

Doyouhaveaspouse/partner?Howdotheyfeelaboutgivinguptheirjobandaccompanyingyou?

Willtheybeabletofindworkoverseas?AretheyinterestedinteachingEnglishalso?

Doyou

have

children?

How

will

you

educate

them

while

overseas?

Howmighttheyfeelaboutgivinguptheirfriends?

Doyouhavedebtsthatmustbepaidwhileyouareoverseas?Doyouhaveadegree?

Thoughadegreeisnotrequiredinmanycountries,itwillaffectyouroptionsandincome.

Aretherespecialmedicalissuesforyouoryourfamilythatmustbeconsidered?

Doyouhavethefinancialreservestoreturntoyourhomecountryandreestablishyourselfif

thingsdon'tworkout?Areyouwillingtotoughitoutifyoudon'tlikeit?

Haveyouevertaughtbefore? DoyouhaveanyreasontobelievethatyoumightenjoyteachingEnglish?

Haveyouevertraveledorlivedoverseas?Didyouenjoyit?

Wouldyoufindthedailyproblemsoflivingandworkingoverseasfrustratingorarefreshing challenge?

Doyougetdepressedorangryeasily?

Those20questionsareonlyabeginning.Onceyoucananswerthempositivelyandbehonestwithyourself

aboutthem,

then

you

are

ready

to

proceed.


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Whatpersonal

qualities

and

attitudes

will

help

you

succeed?

Havereasonableexpectationsaboutyournewoccupationandwhatitcanandcannotprovideforyou.

ThiseBookwillhelpyouwiththat.

Understandthatyournewcountrywillnotbelikeyourhomecountry.

Solutionstoproblemsthatworkathomeoftendon'tworkoverseas.

Sometimesyoureallywon'tknowhowtosolveaproblem.

Knowthat

most

personal

problems

you

had

in

your

home

country

will

probably

also

exist

or

reoccur

overseas.

Knowthatyouwillhavegooddaysandbaddays,justlikebackhome.

Knowthatyouwillprobablyexperiencegoodbosses,badbosses,goodjobsandbadjobs.

Beflexibleandlearntobouncebackfromunhappysurprisesand/orproblematicsituations.

Bewillingtoworkunderdifferentculturalexpectationsaboutyourbehavior,appearanceanddress.

Manageyourmoods,keepyourselfupbeatandavoiddownbeatpeople.

Viewyoursuccessoverseasasapersonalchallengeandbedeterminedaboutmakingitwork.

WhatLanguageSchoolsandEmployersareREALLYLookingfor

Languageschools,probablywhereyouwillfindyourfirstjobasanEnglishinstructor,arebusinesses.

Themorestudentscomingthroughthedoorandtakingclasses,thebettertheirbusinessdoes.

Ifstudentstalktotheirfriendsandtheycomeandsignupforclassesatyourschool,thingsgoevenbetter.

Iftheyconsistentlysignupforthenextclasswhenthecurrentoneisfinished,itisevenbetterstill.

Sinceattendingalanguageschoolisanoptionandthereareoftencompetitorsjustdownthestreet,

schoolsmustattendtoenrollment.Iftheydon't,theygooutofbusinessandnoone,includingyou,hasa

job. Asaresultofthesedemandsonthesuccessofthebusiness,languageschoolslookforteachersthat

cankeepstudentscomingbacktotheirclassroomsagainandagain.

...languageschoolslookforteachersthatcankeepstudentscomingbacktotheirclassroomsagain

andagain.


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Think

back

to

your

favorite

teachers

when

you

were

in

school.

Why

were

they

your

favorites?

Where

they

friendly,helpful,intelligent,possiblyevencharmingintheirownway? Knowledgeableabouttheirsubject

Youprobablyanswered"Yes"toallofthosecharacteristicsandthosearetheverythingsthatlanguage

schoolsarelookingfor.Theywouldliketheirnextteachertobefriendly,engaging,helpful,positiveand

encouraging.

Whenaschoolinterviewsyou,theyarelookingforsomeonewhowillgivetheirstudentsapositiveexperi

enceandtheyalsowantsomeonewhowillbepleasanttoworkwith.

Ofcourse,theschoolwouldlikeyoutoknowalittlesomethingaboutEnglishbutasanativespeaker,you

alreadyhaveahugebuiltinstoreofknowledgeaboutthelanguage.

Youhaveanexcellentideaaboutwhatisrightorwrongusage(thoughatfirstyoumayhavedifficulty

explainingwhy).Youknowwhenpronunciationisunderstandableornotorwhenasentencemakessense

ornot. Thesearethethingsnonnativespeakersregularlystrugglewithbutforyouwilllikelybenoprob

lematall.

Thereis

some

excellent

management

research

that

shows

that

about

80%

of

people

fired

from

their

jobs

arenotfiredbecausetheylacktheskillsfortheirjob.Theyarefiredbecauseof personalissues,atten

dance,punctuality,notfollowingthroughandmanyotherissues.

Takethistoheart,thoughyoumaystillhavealottolearnaboutteachingEnglish,thebiggestissueisjust

beingabletogetalongandbeingadecentpersontobearound.NonWesternculturestendtovaluethese

"gettingalong"characteristicshighly.

Theyarejustlookingforsomeonepleasantandpositive.Isthatyou? Ifnot,teachingEnglishabroadmay

notbeyourbestcareerchoice. Itisaverypeopleorientedprofession.

ChapterOneisNext:GettingOrganizedtoHeadOverseas

WhatiscominginChapterOne? ScanningtheJobsMarketFindoutwhatispossible...PassportGet

itnowifyoudon'talreadyhaveitalready. Degrees,Transcripts,CertificatesandotherDocumentsGath

eringtogetherwhatyouneedforthejobsearch.

...thebiggestissueisjust

beingabletogetalong

andbeing

adecent

persontobearound


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PASSPORT

Beforeyoucandomuchofanythingandbeforeyoucanexpectanyemployertotakeyouseriously,you

musthaveacurrentvalidpassport.

Employersarenotinterestedinyourplantogetone.Theywanttoknowthatyouhaveone. Infact,they

will

require

you

to

have

one

to

even

get

the

process

started.

Ifyoualreadyhaveavalidpassport,youareaheadofthegameandyoucaneasilyreducethistenweek

planbyafewweeks.

Ifyourpassporthasexpiredorgoingtoexpireinthenextyear,getitrenewedrightnow.

Ifyoudon'thaveapassport,orderitrightnowbecausenotmuchelseonthejobfrontcanhappenuntil

youhaveit.

Thereare

plenty

of

other

things

you

can

do

to

get

ready,

but

you

can't

really

land

ajob

until

that

passport

isinyourhand.

Don'twasteyourtimeapplyingforjobsorcontactingemployersuntilthatpassportisinyourhand.

Employersarequitefamiliarwithdaydreamerswhocontactthemandneverfollowthrough.

Theywontwanttowastetheirtime.

Onewaytoknowifanapplicantisseriousisiftheyhavetheirpassportanditiscurrent.

Almost

every

job

application

will

require

a

photocopy

or

scan

of

your

current

valid

passport.

Americans

Apassportcantakeuptofourweeksfromthedateofapplicationandyoumayneedtoobtainsupporting

documentsfortheapplication.Youcanobtainanexpedited passportforanadditionalfeeanditcanbe

issuedandinyourhandswithintwoweeks.

Thereisnoreasonwhythat

nextjobcan'tbeyours.

Itis

simply

that

easy

Don'twasteyourtime

applyingforjobsor

contactingemployers

until

youhaveapassport

inyourhand.


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ForAmericans

...

WheretoApplyforaPassport

(someoftheselinkswilltakeyoutoourwebsite. Thatissowecankeeplinkscurrentwhentheychange.)

Expeditedservice:WheretoGetapassportintwoweeksorless

Clickhereforhowlongtheprocesscurrentlytakes.

UKCitizens:

TheHomeOffice'sIdentificationandPassportServiceishere

Clickhereforstepbystepassistancethroughtheprocessforyourfirstpassport

TheIPSrecommendsyouplanfortheprocesstotakeaboutsixweeks.

Australians:

Starttheprocesshere.

Apriorityserviceisofferedforanextrafeetocompletetheprocessintwoworkingdays.

Aninpersoninterviewisrequired.

NewZealanders:

Starthere.

Theirwebsitesayspassportscanbecompletedintenworkingdaysandoffersanurgent servicethatcan

completetheprocessinthreeworkingdays.

OtherCountries: Checkyourgovernmentswebsites.Asyoucanseehere,ifyoualreadyhaveavalidpassport,youcaneasilytake24weeksoutoftheprocess.

Infact,ifyoureallywant,youcanprobablybeteachingoverseasinonly45weeks. Acceleratetheprocess

asyoupleaseandareable.

Employersknowan

applicantisseriousisifthey

alreadyhavetheirpassport

anditiscurrent.
http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttps://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttps://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttps://www.passports.gov.au/web/forms/entrypoint.aspxhttp://www.passports.govt.nz/http://www.passports.govt.nz/https://www.passports.gov.au/web/forms/entrypoint.aspxhttps://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/http://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://iafdb.travel.state.gov/


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Degreesand

Transcripts

Findtheoriginalofyourdegreeifyouhaveone.Notallcountriesrequiredegreessoyoucanskipthisstep

ifyoudon'thaveone.Generallyspeakingthough,thehighertheeducationrequirementforteachersina

givencountry,thebetterthewagesonofferinthatcountry. Butthisisnotalwaystrue.

Ordercurrenttranscriptsandbesuretonotopenthem.Leavetheminthesealedenvelope.Havethem

readybutknowthatsomecountrieswillalsowantyoutoorderthemandhavethemsentdirectlytothe

school,Ministry

of

Labor

or

some

other

verification

office.

Differentcountrieswillhavedifferentprocessesforverifyingyourdegree/education. Somedoitinyour

homecountry,othersdoitwhenyouarrivethereandstillothers willdoboth.Whenyouapplyforyourjob

andareaccepted,yourfutureemployerwill typicallywalkyouthroughtheprocess.

Youarenotusuallythefirstpersontheyhavehelpedthroughprocessandtheywillusuallybefamiliarwith

currentrequirements.Therequirementschangeregularlyinsomecountriesandyourfutureemployerwill

usually

be

the

most

up

to

date

contact

you

can

have.

Thedaysoffakedegreesareover.Don'teventhinkaboutitunlessyouwouldliketoexperiencetheinside

ofanimmigrationprisoninaforeignland.Verificationprocessesareimprovingbytheweekinalmost

everycountry.

Onepieceofadvice:Orderanextra"original"degreefromyouruniversity.Universitiesarequitefamiliar

withhowtodoit. Lostormisplaceddegreeshappeneveryday.

Ordertranscriptsandasparedegreenow. Itcantakeonlyafewdaysorevenuptofewweeksdepending

onyouruniversity.

TrainingCertificates

IfyouhaveobtainedaTEFLcertificationortakenanyotherkindoftrainingrelatedtoteachingEnglish,put

itinthesameplaceasyourpassport,degreeandanythingelseyoumayfindrelevant.

Thedaysoffakedegrees

areover.Don'teventhink

aboutitunlessyouwould

like

to

experience

the

inside

ofanimmigrationprisonin

aforeignland.


12/63


OtherDocuments

Suchanvariedarrayofthingscanbeaskedofyouthatitishardtocompletelyprepareaheadoftime.

YoumaybeaskedforalocalorFBItypepoliceclearanceorevenawidevarietyofmedicalclearances.

Bepatient,providewhattheyaskanditwillallworkout. Youwon'tbethefirstpersontobe intimidated

bythepaperworkrequired. Everybodywondersiftheycangetthroughallofitbuttheyalwaysdo.

ScanEverything

Prepareyourscansnowsoyoucanattachthescanstoyouremailswhenyouapplyforjobsorsendthem

whenrequested. Bettertogetthemalldonenowratherthantorushastheyare requested.

WeekOneSummary

Therearemanythingstokeepyoubusyifyouareworkingorstillinschool. Onceyouhaveyourpassport

anddocumentssortedandifyoustillhaveextratime,spenditlookingforTEFLjobs,soyoucanopenyour

eyesto

all

the

opportunities

out

there.

Makingyourselfawareofallthepossibilitiesisanimportantpartofthedecisionprocesswewillbegin

inWeekTwo.

WeekOneChecklist

Checkoutthepossibilities

Passport:Order,Update,Check

Degree:Original,Orderaspare

Transcripts:Order

OtherDocuments:TrainingCertificates

Scaneverythingyouhave

Makingyourselfawareof

allthepossibilitiesisan

important

part

of

the

decisionprocess


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Week Two

InWeekOne,whenyouwerelookingatthejoblistings,youprobablyfoundafewjobsthatreallycaught

yourinterest. Possiblyitwasthejoborthelocationthatseemedinteresting.

WheretoGo

Weneedtosolvethelocationissuefirstthoughwewillstayabit flexible. Thenumberoneissuethatwill

broadenornarrowthescopeofchoicesisifyouhaveacollege/universitydegreeornot.Toalargeextent,

thesubject/majorofthedegreemaynotmatterasmuchaswhetheryouhaveoneornot.

Thedegreerequirementisalmostneverachoicefortheschoolasitistypicallyanimmigration,Ministryof

Laboror

Ministry

of

Education

requirement.

The

school

will

usually

have

no

choice

in

the

issue

so

don't

wasteyourtimeortheirs tryingtonegotiatetherequirementifyoudon'thaveadegree. Moveon.

Generallyspeaking,muchofLatinAmerica,China,awayfromthemegacities, Indonesia,Cambodia,Laos

andafewotherplaceswillofferteachingpositionstonondegreedindividuals. That'sabigpartofthe

worldsodon'tbediscouragedifyoudon'thaveadegree. Ifyouhaveadegree,theworldisyouroyster.

China,ThailandandKoreaareprobablythemostnewcomerfriendlyTEFLcountriesintheworldforpeople

withdegrees.Ifyoudon'thaveadegree,LatinAmericaandthecountriesmentionedaboveareyourbest

bets.

China,ThailandandKoreaareveryacceptingof"newbie"teachersanddon'ttendtohavesuperdemand

ingexpectationsof yourteachingskills. Theywillallowthemtodevelopovertime.

Japanismoredemanding.FortheMiddleEastteachersneedtobeskilledandpreparedanda

disciplinarian,butmuchofAsiaandLatinAmericaarequitelowkeyandwillallowyouasometimetoget

yourbearingsasanEFLteacher.


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Money

Ifmoneyisanimportantfactorandyouhavedebtsorwishtosaveasmuchmoneyasyoucan,thentakea

closelookatKorea,TaiwanandtheMiddleEast.Nondegreedindividualswillrarelybeabletoworkin

countrieswheresignificantsavingscanbeaccrued,thoughsomesavingsarepossibleinChina.

InKorea,TaiwanandJapan,US$8001000anduparequitepossibleintermsofsavings. IntheMiddleEast

evenmore

can

be

saved

but

advanced

degrees,

years

of

prerequisite

experience

and

challenging

students

arestandardfare.

WhentoGo

Toalargeextent,thisisuptoyou.Itisworthdoingalittleresearchaboutthecountryyouareinterested

in,aseachcountrywilltendtohavetimeswhenhiringisatitspeakandtimeswhenhiringisinalull.It

oftendependsontheschoolyearwhichcanvaryformcountrytocountry.

Theschool

year

in

Korea

and

Japan,

for

example,

begins

in

March.

In

Thailand

it

begins

in

May.

Hiring

comestoastandstillinTaiwanandChinaduringChineseNewYearbutmayhitapeaksoonafterthat.

Gototheforumsat: Dave'sESLCafeForums:Clickhere. ItisthebusiestforumontheInternetforteach

ers. Asyouwouldwithanyforum,beawareofhype,sourgrapesandotherissues. Generally,ifagood

numberofpeopleagreeonabitofinformation,thenitisprobablyatleastsemiaccurate.

Don'ttrusteverythingyouhearbutdogetasmuchinformationasyoucanfromasmanysourcesas

you

can.

Ontheforums,askabouttheschoolyearsoyoucanapplyatthemostadvantageoustimeandgetthebest

possiblejobforyou.

Allthatsaid,languageschoolstendtohireallyearlongsoanytimeyouarereadytogo,therewillbejobs

readyforyou.

...ifagoodnumberof

peopleagreeonabitof

information,thenitis

probablyatleast

semiaccurate.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/


15/63


WeekTwo

Summary

Cruisethewebandmakeadecisionaboutwhereyouwouldliketoteach.

Decidewhenyouwouldliketostart.

WeekTwoChecklist

Decideon

aspecific

country

to

focus

your

search

Includefinancialwantsandresponsibilitiesinyourdecision

Decidewhentogo

Asyouwouldwithany

forum,beawareofhype,

sourgrapesandother

issues.


16/63


OrganizeYourJobSearch

Thisis

the

fun

part.

Schools

and

companies

overseas

actually

need

and

want

you!

Its

anice

boost

to

the

selfesteemandonlythefirstofmanydramaticchangesthatthislifeandlifestylewillbringtoyou.

AShortPersonalStory

MywifeandIsometimeslookateachotherandsay,"Wouldyoueverhaveimaginedbeforewemoved

overseasthatwecouldhavedoneallthethingswehavedone? Thatwewouldhaveworkedandlivedinso

manycountries? Thatwewouldhavebeenabletotraveltosomany differentcountries? Thatwecould

havelearned

and

experienced

so

much?"

Ouranswerisalways,"No,couldneverhaveimaginedit!" Itstillsurprisesus!

Thislifecanberealforyoutoo.

TeachingEnglishoverseascanexceedyourimagination. Whenyouareonthediscussionboardsonthe

Internet,lookforsomeofthelongtermandreputableposters. Askthem!

Pleasenotethoughthattherearemanywhowillmasqueradeasexpertsonthediscussionboards.

Bequite

careful

from

whom

you

take

advice

and

on

what

advice

you

make

your

life

decisions.

IhaveheardsomanyridiculousclaimsaboutwagesandjobsthatImnotevensurprisedanymore.Dont

fallvictimtothesestories. Thingsarentnearlyasfantasticastheysaynoraretheyasbadastheysay.

Sometravelersfinditdifficulttojustsay,Yeah,ItraveledtotheFarEastandtaughtEnglishforacouple

yearsanditjustwentgreat!Theyseemtoneedtoaddafewembellishmentsaboutpirates,robbersand

crooksalongtheway.Itmakesforamuchmoreexcitingstory!

Infact,manythousandsofustreadthispathwithveryfewproblems. Comeonboard!

Week Three


17/63


Corporate,

Kids,

Adults?

Dependingonyourpreviouslifeexperience,youneedtotargetthekindofjobyouwantbecausethere

reallyaretoomanyoptions.Corporateclasses,kids,adultswhattypeofclasseswouldyouliketoteach?

Somanyoptionsareavailabletoyouthatyoucantevenimaginethemall.

Thereareawiderangeofopportunitiesfrominternationalhospitalstoairportstolarge corporationsand

thisisthetimetonarrowyourjobsearch. Payspecialattentiontoyourownpreviousexperienceandskills.

Many

people

have

special

knowledge

related

to

certain

careers

that

many

others

dont

have.

Take

advan

tageofitandseekemploymentteachingEnglishinthatarea.

IfyouworkinITrightnow,forexample,considerteachingEnglishatacollegewheretheyteachITora

technicalsecondaryschool.Youwillalreadyknowthespecializedlanguageandhaveaninterestinthe

area. Ifyoualreadyknowthebusinessandvocabularythatgoeswithit,youareidealforthem.

NotenoughpeoplemarrytheirpreviousexperiencewiththeirnewjobsinTEFL. Mostpeoplewillhave

specialtalents,knowledgeandskillstheyshouldexploitifnotimmediatelywhenfirst,thenlaterwhenyou

havealittle

experience

under

your

belt.

CVsandResumes

Getusedtotheideathattheworksceneoverseasisverydifferentfromyourhomecountry.

Employerswillwanttoseeyourphotograph. Theywillaskyouaboutyourfamily,yourageandifyouare

married. Getusedtotheideaofdifferentnotbeingabadthing. Itisnotunusualforpeopletoaskmany

questionsthatwouldbeillegalinmanycountries.Intheircountrytheyarelegaland,intheireyes,theyare

legitimatequestions.

WorkvisasforEnglishteacherssometimesrequirethatyourpassportbefromacountrytheydeemas

beingEnglishspeaking. Ageissometimeslimitedforcertainkindsofvisas. Menmaynotbeallowedto

teachatawomen'sschool(SaudiArabiaforexample).

Decidenowiftheseissuesreallybotheryou. Iftheydo,youmayhavesomedifficultylandingajoboreven

survivinginsomecultures.

Manypeoplehavespecial

knowledgerelatedto

certaincareersthatmany

othersdonthave.

Takeadvantageofitand

seekemploymentteaching

Englishinthatarea.


18/63


Whatto

put

on

your

Resume/CV

Traditionalresumesarefinebutbesuretoputtheessentialinformationnearthetopwhereyourpotential

employercanseeitquickly. Traditionally,aCVisamuchmoreacademicallyorientedformandmore

detailedbutyou'llfindthetermsresumeandCVusedsomewhatinterchangeablyoverseas. Keepthem

bothtotwopagesorlessifyoucan.

Ifyouareanolderperson,putacutoffpointtolimithowlongyourresumewillbe. Dotheyreallyneedto

knowthatyouworkedforMcDonalds35yearsago? Conversely,ifyouareveryinterestedinteachingina

particularspecialtysuchasBusinessEnglish,ScienceEnglish,HospitalityEnglishorHospital/Medical

English,thenbesureto includeyourexperienceinthatareatostrengthenyourposition.

Photo

Mostcountrieswillwantaphotoattachedtoyourresume,passportsize,topleftcorner.Itisusuallyokayif

youprintitontheresumeiftheprintingisofhighquality. Makesureyoudressandappearprofessional in

thephoto.Youaresellingyourself. Thisshouldnotbeaninformalphoto.

Age,MaritalStatus,Sex,Nationality,Dependents

Ifyoudon'tincludethisinformationandtheemployerhasmanyapplicants,guesswhereyourresumewill

go.Getusedtotheideathatnoteveryonethinksthesamewayorhasthesamerulesorstandards. People

andculturesandcountriesaredifferent. Thatiswhatmakesitallsointeresting.

ContactInformation

Makeiteasytobecontactedandmakesureyouhavepropercontacts.

MarketYourself

Twothingsareveryimportant. One,makethemwanttohireyou. Makeyourselfanattractivecandidate

ineveryway. Two,letthemknowyoudon'thavetheproblemsthelastpersontheyfiredhad!

Twothingsarevery

important. Makethem

want

to

hire

you

and

make

yourselfanattractive

candidateineveryway.


19/63


Be

an

attractive

candidate,

literally

and

figuratively.

Make

sure

your

photo

on

your

resume

is

profession

allydoneandthatyouaredressedprofessionally. Menshouldbeinadressshirtandtie.Smileinyour

picture.

HighlightyourTEFLtrainingifyouhaveit,anyteaching/trainingexperienceyoumayhave(TEFLornot,paid

and/orvolunteer),multiculturalknowledge,travelexperience,multilingualskills andanythingelsethat

makesyouappearready,skilled,andprofessional.

Yourtravelandknowledge/experience withotherculturesandcountrieswillreassurepotentialemployers

thatyou

won't

run

away

after

only

aweek

or

two

on

the

job.

Besuretohighlightyourspecialskillsandabilities,andanyworkexperiencethatmightbe relevanttothe

joborsimilartotheexperienceoftheircustomers/students.

Writespecificallythatyouarereliableandcanholddownajobforlongperiods(ifyoucanandhave).

Highlightfamilyresponsibilities,noteifyouaremarriedandaddanythingthatstressesdependability.

Expectationsofemployersareoftenreflectedincontractstheywillshoworofferyou.Trytocounteranyof

thenegative

issues.

Some

inexperienced

newbies

react

with

outrage

and

anger

at

such

clauses

in

their

contract. Understandtheemployersandshowalittlefinesseindealingwiththem.

WeekThreeSummary

DecidethefocusofyourjobsearchCorporate,Adults,Kidsorwhateveryoucanland.

WeekThreeChecklist

Prepareresume/CV

Getaprofessionalphotoforresumesandapplications

Providepropercontactinformation

Prepareacoverletter

Doublecheckyourscanneddocuments

Getaprofessionalphotofor

resumesandapplications


20/63


Week Four

Bynow,yourpassportmayhavearrivedorshouldbearrivingsoon. Scanthefacepageofyourpassportto

sendwithyourlettersofinterestandemailsofenquiry. Thoughthisisweekfourinatenweekprocess,

youcould

actually

find

yourself

overseas

within

three

or

four

weeks

from

now.

StartingtheJobSearch

Onewordofcaution.Manypeopleondiscussionboardswillsuggestthatonlytheworstjobsareadvertised

andyoushouldjustheadonoverandgetajobinperson. Tosomedegree,theyarerightbutitalso

dependsonthecountry. VerypopularcountrieslikeThailand,forexample,tendtohirelocally. Countries

likeKorea,tendtohirefromoverseas.Japandoesabitofboth. LatinAmerica,largelyhireslocally,China

tendsto

hire

from

overseas.

Probablytheeasieritistogetaroundacountrywithoutknowingthelanguage,themorelikelytheywill

hirelocally. Butmanycountriesareabewilderingmazeifyouarenotfamiliarwiththemandevenjust

findingalanguageschoolmightbeclosetoanimpossibletask.

Beinghiredlocallyoftenmeansaschoolwontpayyourtravelexpensesandalsooftenmeansyouwill

needtoleavethecountryandgotoaneighboringcountrytoapplyforavisathatwillallowyoutowork.

Manycountrieswillnotallowpeoplewhoarrivedonatouristvisatoconvertthatvisatoan employment

visa. Therefore,anextraexpensewillbeinvolved.

Ifthisisgoingtobeyourfirstjoboverseasandpossiblyyourfirsttimeoverseasatall,trytolandajobfrom

yourhomecountry. Itjustmakesiteasier. Forsomecountries,likeChinaforexample,itiscommonfor

airfaretobepaid. Yournewemployerwilloftenmeetyouattheairport,helpyougetsettledandwill

oftenarrangeyourhousinginadvance.Youwillhavelittletoworryaboutotherthanjustshowingupfor

workondayone. Comparethattoarrivingnotknowingwheretogoandwheretostayandifyoullbe

successfulatarranginganythingatall.


21/63


ShouldYouUseaRecruiter?

Manypeoplemistrustrecruitersbutsomecanbequitedecent. TheauthorsveryfirstTEFLjobwasfound

witharecruiter.

MyExperiencewithaRecruiter

Wasthefirstplacementproblemfree?No!MyfirstschoolgotoutoftheTEFLbusinessandleftmeessen

tiallyunemployedinastrangeland. But,therecruiterhandleditallandactuallygotmeupgradedtoacol

legejob.

All

of

asudden

Iwent

from

one

week

of

vacation

per

year

to

four

months

paid

vacation.

Not

bad

atall!

Iwaspatientanddealtwithmyrecruiterinareasonableway. Iaskedfortheirassistance.

Ididn'tdemandit,swearatthem,callthemcrooksordemandaninvestigation.Manyothers insimilar

situationsdoreactinsuchways. BecauseIwasreasonableandbehavedinaculturallyappropriateway,

therecruitertriedhardtosolvemyproblemsand,intheend,didagreatjob.

RecruiterorNot?

Checkthemout.Askontheforums.Checkouttheemployerjustasyouwouldifyoufoundthejob

yourself. Becausearecruiterfindsyouajob,doesnotmeanyouhavetotakeit! Checkouteveryangle.

SomeCulturalIssues

Beingtooassertivecanbeyourgreatestdownfall. Otherculturesdealwithproblemsin differentways.

Trytolearnthemostappropriatewaytogetthingsdone. Knowwhatyouwantandneed,butusetheir

culturalbehavior

to

get

it

done.

Overassertive

behavior

will

often

not

work.

Followingculturalrules,youcangetwhatyouwant,evenwhenothersdon'tgetwhattheywant.

Itdoesntmatterwhoisrightorwhoiswrong. Justgetdonewhatyouneedtohavedone.Followthecul

turalrules. Theywork. Leaveyouregooutofitandlearntooperateasaskilledexpatriate.

Lifeoverseasismorelikeafunculturalgame. Learnhowtoplayitsoyouwin. Itisfunandchallengingto

figureout. Youwillfeelgreatwhenyougetitsolved. Havesomeculturalawarenessaboutallyour

interactionsstartingwiththeinterviewsandallthewaythroughyouremployment.

Followtheculturalrules.

Theywork. Leaveyourego

outofitandlearnto

operateas

askilled

expatriate.


22/63


Howto

Contact

Employers

Thesameapproachdoesn'tworkeverywhere.Whatreallyworksbest? Personalcontactandnetworking

worksbestbut,ifyouarenotincountry,you'llhavetotrysomeotherapproaches.

AdvertisedJobs

Whenjobsareadvertisedonpopularboards,theadvertisermaygetasmanyas100responsesormore

Youneed

to

think

about

how

to

get

your

application

to

the

top.

Follow

up.

It

can

help

you

land

the

job

you

want.

Tip:Itisworthyourefforttogetalistofschools(onlineisofteneasy)andsendyourletterofinterest(or

email)tothembeforetheyadvertise. Trytonotcompetewiththehoardsonthe Internet. Lookfor

schoolsthatadvertisedafewmonthsback. Someschoolsknowtheywillneedateacherinafewmonths

butmightfeelitistooearlytoadvertise. Theywouldloveyoutocontactthemtoknowtheyhavethe

situationtakencareof.

EMail&Telephone

Manyofususeemailforeverything. But,forsomereason,noteveryonerespondswelltoit. Some

employerswilluseitefficiently;otherswon't. Useitifthatiswhattheyaskforbutdon'texpectittodo

thejob. Afollowupphonecallmighthelpyougettothetopofthelistevenifyoumustmakeitat2AM

yourtime. Thatlittlebitofeffortmightmakeahugedifferenceifyoulandthejobyouwant.

Somecountrieswantapersonalcontacttomeetyoufacetoface. Thisishardtodoifyouareinyourhome

country.Phone

calls

are

cheap

nowadays,

try

them

too.

Be

aware

of

time

zones

of

course.

RegularMail

Someemployerswillwanthardcopiesofyourresumeandaletterofinterest. Stillitisbesttofollowup

witheitheranemailoraphonecall.

Thefuturebelongstothose

whobelieveinthebeautyof

theirdreams.

EleanorRoosevelt


23/63


ViaRecruiters

Recruiterscanfacilitateyourrapidplacementbutbesuretoconductyourduediligenceordoyourresearch

thatwewilldiscussinWeekFive. Dontsendyouroriginaldegreeororiginalofanydocumentstoa

recruiter. Iftheyhaveyouroriginals,youwillnotbeabletoindependentlylookforotherwork.

HowMany?

Planona10to20contactstofindthejobyouwant. Someplaces(Koreaforexample)will requirefewer;

othersmayrequiremore. Berealisticandmentallyprepared. Thereisenoughdemandthatyoucanlook

overafewoffersbeforeyoudecide. Don'tholdouttoomuchbutdon'tfeeleitherthatyoumusttakethe

firstjoboffereither.

BePatient

Hold

out

for

the

right

job.

Know

that

as

a

newbie,

you

may

not

find

the

perfect

situation

but

don't

give

up

whatyouwanttooquickly.

TEFLInterviews

TEFLinterviewsarelikeinterviewsforjustaboutanyothertypeofjob,butwithafewexceptions.

Particularlyifyouareabeginningteacher,don'texpecttrickgrammarquestionsorreally difficult

questionsofanysort.

Usually,the

employer

is

just

trying

to

get

afeel

if

you

are

afriendly

and

pleasant

person.

Both

of

these

issuesareimportanttotheemployerwhoistypicallyabusinesspersonrunningaschoolwhereitwouldbe

niceifthecustomers(students)liketheirteachersenoughtokeepsigningupformoreclassesandearning

him/heraprofit. Theyalsowillwanttoknowifyoustutterorhaveaspeechdefectorstrongaccent.

Speakclearlyandcarefullyduringyourinterview.

Usually,theemployerisjust

tryingtogetafeelifyou

areafriendlyandpleasant

person.


24/63


ProfessionalInterviews

Itwouldbeunusualtohavewhatyoumightconsiderareallyprofessionalinterview.

Thenotions,mentionedabove,offriendlinessandpleasantness,aregenerallywhatinterviewers arelook

ingfor. Ifyouareapplyingforajobthatrequiressomeexperienceortraining,thenyoumightexpecta

questionaboutyourteachingphilosophy,teachingmethodsorhowtodealwithadisciplineproblem. Of

course,thinkaboutthesethingsbeforetheinterview.

TheUsualInterview

Atypicalinterviewdoesn'texist. Soreally,youprobablycan'tdomuchtoprepare,excepttoputyourself

inagoodmood,smilealot,dressappropriatelyandgoforit.

SpeakClearly

Onethingalmostallinterviewersarelookingforisyourabilitytospeakclearlyand understandably. Do

thatpurposefullyduringtheinterview. Don'ttrytoimpressthemwithyouruseofthelanguage. Youare

probablyalreadylightyearsaheadoftheEnglishlanguageskillsofanynonnativespeakerthatisinter

viewing you.That'swhytheywantandneedateacher. Theywanttoknowthatyoucancommunicate

wellwiththeir

students.

TelephoneInterviews

Thesetypeofinterviewsarefairlycommonifyouaretryingtolandajobfromabroad. Trytospeakclearly

assomeconnectionswon'tbegood. Bepoliteandaskforaquestiontobe repeatedifyoucan'tunder

standwhatisbeingasked.Telemarketersaretoldtosmilewhentheyareonthetelephonebecauseithelps

toconveyasenseoffriendliness.

Goconfidentlyinthe

directionofyourdreams.

Livethelifeyouhave

imagined.HenryDavidThoreau


25/63


The

Role

of

the

Teacher

in

Society

Knowthatinmanyculturestheteacherisconsideredasurrogateparentandthateven experienced

teachersinsomecountrieswilltellyouthemostimportantthingaboutanyteacheristhattheylovetheir

students. Itisabitrefreshing. Thereisaniceoldfashionednessaboutsuchthinking.

It'sokaytotellaninterviewerthatyouenjoyteaching,enjoystudentsandhaveastronginterestintheir

success.

Justberelaxedandsincere. Thatsincerityisoneofthethingstheyarelookingfor.

Where'sthebestplacetostartteachingoverseas?

Ifyouhaveadegree,thebestplacesareprobablyKoreaorChina.Therearemanyothergreatoptionsout

theretoo. Koreaoffersthebestcombinationofminimal expectationsforanewbieteachercombined

withfreehousing,airplaneticketsandagoodsalarythat allowsyoutosaveUS$1000ormorepermonth.

China,withthesamequalifications,cansometimesofferyouauniversitypositionwithfewerhoursand

more

paid

time

off

though

with

a

smaller

wage.

Ifyoudonthaveadegree,Chinaawayfromthemegacities,SouthAmericaandCentralAmericayourbest

options.

FactorstoConsider

Yourbestplacemaynotbe,andprobablyisn't,anyoneelsesbestplace. Takealookatfinancialissueslike

howmuchitwilltakeyoutogetsetup.Knowthatmostcountriespayonlymonthlyandyoumaynotget

paiduntil

as

late

as

the

middle

of

the

month

after

your

first

month

of

work.

Six

weeks

of

work

may

pass

beforethefirstmoneystartstocomein.

AirTickets

Doyouneedtopayfortheseorwilltheybereimbursed? Somejobsrequirethatyouworkaspecific

amountoftimebeforeyouarereimbursed.

Justbe

relaxed

and

sincere.

Thatsincerityisoneofthe

thingstheyarelookingfor.


26/63


Housing

Doyouneedtorentyourownhousing?Whataboutdeposits?Howmuchoutofpocketwillyoupaybefore

yourfirstpayday?

YourFirstJob

UntilyouhavelivedandworkedoverseasasanEnglishteacherforatleastsixmonths,trytominimizeyour

spending. Ifyoudecidetheoccupationisnotforyou,youmightpreferthatyoudidn'tspendtoomuchto

findout.

KeepaReserve

Whenyouheadout,makesureyouhaveareservetogetyoubackhomeandbackonyourfeet,justin

case.

WeekFour

Summary

Startyourjobsearch. Readabitaboutculturalissuesandmanagethemcarefully.

Usearecruiterifyouthinkitwillbetoyouradvantagebutdochecktheirreputation.

Useappropriatecontactmethodsforthespecificjob.

WeekFourChecklist

Beginapplyingforjobs

Prepareforaninterviewandsmileduringthatinterview

Contactarecruiter

Dontacceptajobimmediately

Everygreat

dream

begins

withadreamer.Always

remember,youhavewithin

youthestrength,the

patience,andthepassionto

reachfor

the

stars

to

changetheworld.

HarrietTubman


27/63


Week Five

Getting

that

first

serious

job

offer

is

a

very

exciting

thing.

After

you

dance

around

a

few

moments,

stop

and

catchyourbreathandstarttothinkaboutthingsyoumustknowbeforemakingafinaldecision.

Thissectionisdesignedtohelpyouknowifyoushouldtakethatjobornot.

AskQuestionsAbouttheJob

Don'tbeshy.Thereareimportantthingsyouneedtoknowbeforemovingyourselfhalfwayacrossthe

world,butdon'taskallthesequestionsatonetime.You'lloverwhelmyourpotentialemployer.Spread

themout

abit.

Many

of

these

can

be

asked

during

the

interview

or

while

reviewing

the

contact

youll

have

whenthejobisoffered.

Someimportantquestionstoaskorthingstoknow:

Whatisexpectedofmeonadailybasis?

HowmanyclassesadaywillIbeexpectedtoteach?

Howlong

is

each

class?

Is

each

class

considered

"one

hour"

even

if

it

is

only

45

or

50

minutes

long?

WillIbeexpectedtostayattheschoolevenwhenIdon'thaveclasses?

WillIhaveresponsibilitiesotherthanteaching?(likecleaningtheclassroomortheschool,recruitingstu

dents,evaluatingstudentsforplacement,handingoutflyersfortheschool,parentmeetings,etc.)

WillIbepaidforthattime?


28/63


Doesthejobprovidehousing? Isitfurnished? Whatdoes"furnished"mean? Howarethebillspaid? How

farisitfromtheschool? Isiteasytogettoworkfromthere? DoIhavetopayadepositforit? Howbigis

it? WillIhavetoshareit? Whataretheaveragemonthlycosts?

Whoismyboss? TowhomdoIreport? Whoevaluatesme? WhatcriteriaisusedtodecideifIam

successful?

HowmuchsickandvacationtimedoIget? WhodecideswhenIcanuseit? CanIuseitallatonetime?

DoesitaccruemonthlyorcanIonlyuseitattheendofmycontract? Isthereabonusorgratuitypayment

atthe

end

of

my

contract?

How

much

is

it?

How

is

it

determined?

Whatteachingresourcesdoestheschoolprovide? Teacher'smanuals? Photocopymachine? Projector?

Internet?Computer? Printer? Paper? Chalk/Markers?

Isthereairconditioningand/orheatingintheclassrooms?

Howmanystudentsareinaclass? Howaretheyplacedorevaluatedforplacement? Howdowedecideif

thestudentsareprogressingorsuccessful?

WillIhave

awork

space

available

at

the

school?

A

desk,

an

office?

Arethereotherforeignteachersattheschool?

AskQuestionsAboutYourEmployer

Onceyouhaveajobofferandareseriouslyconsideringit,youneedtodoalittleresearchaboutyour

employer. It'simportanttocheckthereputationofyouremployer.

Askmorethanoneteacheratthatschoolifitispossible. Rememberthateveryonehasadifferent

experienceand

while

one

person

loves

the

job

and

employer,

others

may

not.

Things

that

greatly

distress

oneteacherwontevenbotheranother. Askmorethanoneperson. Askspecificallywhattheylikeordon't

likeabouttheemployer.

Someemployersarewellknownfornotpayingontimeorpayinglessthanwasoriginallyagreed. Some

haveworkedforaschoolwiththeseproblemsbutstayedknowingthattheemployeralwaysmadegoodon

amountsowingattheendofthecontract.Itisuptoyoutodecideifyouwilllettheseissuesbotheryou.

Insomepartsoftheworld,

contractsarelookedatas

"flexible"instruments.

Askcurrentemployees

ifthecontractisfollowed.


29/63


AskQuestionsAboutYourAccommodation

HousingcanbearealconcernintheTEFLworld. Notsomuchofaproblemifyourschooldoesnotprovide

itasyoucanfindandgetthequalityofhousingyouwantandarewillingtopayfor. whentheschool

providesit,sometimesyouwillbestuckwithalessthansatisfactorysituation. Employerprovidedhousing

isquitecommonintheFarEast,China,MiddleEastandinotherareaswherehousingtendstobeexpensive

orrequireshugesecuritydeposits.

CuttingCosts

Schoolsthatprovidehousingwanttospendtheminimumamountneededforyourhousing. Asktheother

teachersthereifitisdecentornot.

SharedHousing

Askifhousingisshared. Itmaybegoodtosharehousingwithsomeonewhocanshowyouaroundand

maygivesomehelpwithyournewjobandemployer.Youmayendupwithsomeonethatyoudonthave

anythingincommonwith.Ifthejobisattractivetoyou,itmaybeworthtryingit.

"WesternStyleHousing"

SomeemployerswilladvertisethattheyprovideWesternStyleHousing. Askindetailwhatisprovidedin

thehousing.Askaboutthesafetyoftheareawhereyourhousingis.

RequestDecentHousing

Whenhavingaproblemwithhousing,youcanalwaysaskyouremployer,"Wouldyouacceptlivinghere

likethis?" Don'tdemandamansion.Havereasonableexpectationsbutdorequiresomethingdecent.

Housingissuesshouldnotalwaysbethekissofdeathforapotentialjob. Somesmallissuesarenotso

importantinthebigpictureifyoureallylikeajob,itslocationandwhatyouwillbedoing.

...probably97%ofschools

payon

time,

treat

their

employeesfairlyand

followthecontractsthat

theyhavesigned.

You

just

don't

hear

about

them. Theiremployeesare

outenjoyingtheirlivesand

notbusycomplainingon

theInternet.


30/63


WeekFive

Summary

Whileyouareintheprocessofgettinginterviewed,thisisthetimeforyoutostartaskingquestions.

Getthedetailsaboutthejob,youremployerandaccommodation(ifprovidedbyyouremployer)

WeekFiveChecklist

Startinterviews

Asktheimportantquestionsaboutyourjob

Askquestionsaboutthereputationofyouremployer

Askquestionsaboutyourproposedhousing

Goconfidentlyinthe

directionofyourdreams.

Livethelifeyouhave

imagined.Henry

David

Thoreau


31/63


Week Six

GettingOrganized

Weeksixisaboutorganizingyourlifeforsomemajorchanges.Onceyoustartaseriousjobsearch,itmay

actuallytakeyoulessthantwoweekstolandajobthatyouwouldlike.

IfyouareheadingtoKoreaorChinaandhavedoneyourresearch,itwillnotbe uncommontofindagood

jobwithinonlyafewdays.

Ifyouusearecruiter,theycanalsospeedtheprocessalong. Evenifyouusearecruiteryoushouldstilldo

theresearchonyourjob,employerandhousingthatwassuggestedinWeekFive. Ifyourrecruiterdoesnot

wantyoutoaskquestionsaboutthejobthatshouldbearedflagtofindadifferentrecruiter.

Bytheendofthis,youshouldhaveacceptedaposition,seenandsignedacontractforthejobandreceived

eitherafaxorascanofyourcontractsignedbyyournewemployer.

Contractsareaguidelineandemployersdontalwaysfollowthemtotheletter. Expectyourcontracttobe

inthelanguageofthecountrywhereyouaregoingwithpossiblyatranslationofitintoEnglishanditmight

beapoortranslation. Thequalityofthetranslationisnotanindicatorofthequalityoftheschool,though

itmightbeanindicatorofjusthowmuchtheyneedyou.

Generallyspeaking,

only

the

native

language

of

the

country

where

you

are

going

is

legally

valid

for

contractsinthatcountry. Dontgetoverlystressedaboutcontracts. Thereareoftenafewthingsyouwill

justhavetotakeongoodfaithoryouwillneveradaptoverseas. Dontforgetthatyournewemployeris

takingongoodfaiththatyouwillbeadecentandreliableemployeeandthatyouhaverepresentedyour

selffairlyandhonestly.

Thisweek,wewillfocusonorganizingforthemoveoverseasevenifyoudontreallyknowwhereyouare

goingyet.


32/63


Whatto

do

with

your

home

if

you

own

it

Ifyoualreadyownyourhome,goodforyou. Shouldyousellitorrentitout? Theanswerdependsaloton

youremotionalattachmenttoyourhome. Doyouviewitasjustaninvestmentorassomeplacesacredfor

youtokeepallyourlife?

AnInvestment

Financialsecurityisanimportantissueforthoseofuswholiveoverseas. Itisimportanttoviewyourhome

asan

investment.

Keep

it

for

long

term

gain

if

you

live

in

an

area

where

you

can

expect

prices

to

appreciateinthelongterm.Ifyouplanonreturninghomeinonlyafewyears,keepitbutrentitforthe

income.

Rentit

Ifyouviewyourhomeasaninvestment,youshouldconsiderrentingitsoitproducessome incomeor

returnoninvestmentforyou. Thisismoneyyoucansaveforlaterinlifeorforyourreturntoyourhome

country. Useyourpropertytohelpsecureyourfuture.

ProfessionalManagement

Getprofessionalmanagement.Theyknowhowtomanagepropertytherightway. It'swhattheydo. Don't

leavesuchavaluableassetinthehandofamateurslikefriendsorfamily. Rentalpropertyproblemscan

strainrelationshipstothebreakingpointandyoucanfindyourself headinghomeaheadofscheduleto

solve problems. Donttrytomanagethepropertyfromoverseas. Itisdifficultenoughtodowhenyouare

onthescene.

HealthInsurance

Employersinmostcountrieswillprovideyouwithaverybasicformofhealth/medicalinsurance.

Insomecountries,youwillbecomeeligibleforthenationalhealthcaresystem.Inothers,youwillbelongto

aprivateplanthatyouremployerhaspurchasedforyou(oryoumaypayfora certainpercentageofthe

coverage). Insomecountriesyouwillnotbeprovidedwithanyinsuranceatall.

Employersinmostcountries

willprovideyouwitha

verybasicformofhealth

insurance.


33/63


Thereal

question

is

this:

Is

the

provided

coverage

or

private

insurance

you

can

buy

adequate/enough?

Ifyouareyoungandhealthy,don'trideamotorcycleanddon'ttraveltoothercountries,thenitprobably

is. Thesetypesofcoveragearefinefortheoccasionalvirusorsemiseriousillnessbuttheyarenot

adequateforlongtermoroutofcountrycoverageorforanykindofseriousorcatastrophicillnessor

injury.

Ifyouarethinkingaboutteachinglongterm,aremiddleagedorolderorrideamotorcycleandtravelout

of

country,

then

consider

purchasing

a

good

quality

policy

that

you

can

take

with

you

from

country

to

coun

try.

Aren'tthesetypepoliciesexpensive? Whatisreallyexpensiveistohaveaseriousmedicalproblemwithno

orpoorcoverage. Youwillfindthatsomepoliciesofferedbymajorinsuranceprovidersarequite

expensive. Buttherearesomereasonable alternatives.Twotraditionalcompaniesthatoffer"instant

quotes"onlineareMultiNationalUnderwritersandGoodHealth. Ifyouseekgoodinsurance,itwillbe

worthyourtimetoconductaseriousGooglesearchtofindsomethingthatwillfityourneeds.

Twotraditional

companies

that

offer

"instant

quotes"

on

line

are

MultiNational

Underwriters

and

Aetna

International(AI). AIishere: http://www.aetnainternational.com/

TryhereforHCCMedicalInsurance:http://www.hccmis.com/citizensecureeconomyinsurance/

UKCitizenshavegreatoption,theInternationalTeachersPortfolio.Contacttheirconsultant

[email protected].

Useyourownjudgmentaboutinsurance.Consultyourphysicianandfinancialadvisorforfurtherguidance

asneeded.

BeforeMovingOverseas

Takecareofallyourobligations,debts,bills,taxes,etc.beforeyougo. Considerapermanentforwarding

addresssothatimportantmailcanfindyou. Mostofususeourparentsorrelativesforthisatfirst.

Takecare

of

all

your

obligations,debts,bills,

taxes,etc.beforeyougo.
http://www.aetnainternational.com/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.aetnainternational.com/


34/63


CommercialMailbox

Ifyouaregoingtospendmorethanacoupleyearsoverseas,considerusingacommercial mailboxservice

ratherthanleavingittoyourfamilyorfriends.Inafewyears,ifyouwouldlikeanothercreditcard,wantto

maintainacredithistoryorbuyahouse,forexample,itisusefultohaveapermanenthomecountry

address.

GetaCPAorqualifiedaccountantforyourtaxes

Taxesarenotdifficulttodobutifyouhatedoingthem,makearrangementsbeforeyouleaveforaqualified

accountantto

do

them

for

you.

Also,

over

aperiod

of

time,

taxes

can

become

more

complicated

as

you

losecontactwithallthechangesandasyouincreaseyourinvestments.

Everycountryhasdifferentrequirementsfortheircitizenswhileabroad.Learntherulesandfollowthem

carefullybyhiringaprofessional.Alocalaccountantinyourhomecountrywillbe cheaperthancontacting

aninternationalofficeinaforeigncountrywhenyourunintoaproblem. Takecareofyourtax

responsibilities. Youwillhavetoanswertothemwhenyoureturnandcanevencomebacktobiteyouif

youneverreturntoyourhomecountry. Doitrightfromthestart.

Useyourownbestjudgmenthowtoapproachyourpersonalhealthandfinancialissues. Consulta

professional advisorasneeded.

WeekSixSummary

Startorganizingyourlifeforyourmove.

WeekSixChecklist

Acceptapositionandsignthecontract

Makeadecisionaboutyourhouseifyouownone

Makeadecisionabouthealthinsurance

Findanaccountant

Considerapermanenthomecountrypostaladdress

Useyourownbest

judgmenthowtoapproach

yourpersonalhealthand

financialissues.

Consult

a

professionaladvisoras

needed.


35/63


VisasAllowingEmployment

Bythisweek,youshouldhaveresearchedandacceptedapositionandsignedacontract. Noteveryjobwill

comewithacontractbutoftenasignedcontractwillberequiredforyoutogetthecorrectvisayouneed.

Checkoutthejobsituationiftheemployersays,Comeonover.Welltakecareofthepaperworkwhen

yougethere. Keepyoureyesopen. Ifyouarehiredfromoverseas,thepaperworkandvisasareusually

(butnotalways!)doneandthecorrectvisastampedinyourpassportbeforeyouleaveyourhomecountry.

Ifyoutraveltoacountrytoscoutforjobs,expecttodoavisaruntogogetthepropervisafromoutside

thecountry. Somejobsmayrequirethatyouarriveonatouristvisaandchangeittoalegalworkingvisa

oncethere.

Inquire

about

the

details

and

ask

another

teacher

at

the

same

school

if

this

worked

out

okay

forthem.

Visaapplicationprocessesandpaperworkcaninvolveanythingfromasimpleletterfromyouremployer

andcopyofthecontracttoasubstantialamountofpaperworkthatyouwillwonderifyoucanever

complete. Ifthevisaprocessseemslengthyordifficult,experiencedemployerswilloftenhaveacontact

personwhocanhelpwalkyouthroughtheprocess.

Getthevisaprocessgoingnow.Itcantakeanywherefromafewdaystoamonthorevenmore.Itdepends

onthe

country,

the

employer

and

if

all

the

paperwork

is

done

properly

the

first

time.

Expect

afew

hitches

intheprocess. Theydohappen. Theyarenotasignofproblemswiththeschool.

GiveNoticetoYourCurrentEmployer

Thisisalwaysthemomentoftruthandoneofthemostexcitingpartsoftheprocessthoughtherewillbe

manymoreexcitingstepsalongtheway. Nowyoufindoutifyouwereplayingandfantasizingorifyouare

reallyreadytogo.

Week Seven


36/63


Budgetingfor

Your

Transition

Overseas

Planforenoughtogetsetup,dealwithanypossibleproblemsandreturntoyourhomecountryifneeded.

Figureouthowmuchthatwillcostyouandsetthatmoneyaside.Itisyoursafetynet.

Peoplesometimesheadoverseaswithonlyacouplehundredbucksintheirpocketandsomehowdojust

fine.Infact,thegreatmajorityofpeoplereallydojustfine. Onlyasmallminorityhaveanyrealtroubleand

eventhenpeoplewhoarewillingtotoughitoutusuallysurvive.

PlanOptimistically

and

Realistically

Youarenotprobablygoingtogetpaiduntilthefirstdayofthemonthafterthefirstcompletemonthyou

work. Planonbuyingbasicfoodsandotherbasicnecessities. Agoodguidewouldbetotakewithyouat

leastwhatyouwillearnthefirstmonthonthejob. Ifyoucan,taketwomonths.

PlanyourReturn

Besuretosetasideassoonaspossiblethefundsyouwouldneedtocompletelysetyourselfupathomein

caseyouwishtoreturn.

SellorStore?

IfyouthinkyouareonlygoingoverseastoteachEnglishforshortperiodoftime,itmaybegoodtokeep

andstoremostofyourpossessions. Considercarefullywhatyoukeepasyou'llbesurprisedhowlittlesome

thingsmeanthatseemedsoimportanttoyoubeforeyouleft.Ifyouarethinkingofspendingalongtime

overseas,selleverythingexceptthoseofsentimentalvalue.

ATipforWhileyouareOverseasandTraveling

Whenyoutravel,ifyouwanttoacquireamementoofyourvisittoaspecialcountryorplace,buyjustone

specialthing. Inthisway,youcanendupwithagoodcollectionofqualityart,fabrics,carpets,andother

veryspecialthingsfrommanycountries. Theywillholdyourmemoriesandlaterfurnishyourhome.

Peoplesometimeshead

overseaswith

only

acouple

hundredbucksintheir

pocketandsomehowdo

justfine.Infact,thegreat

majority

of

people

really

do

justfine.


37/63


WeekSevenSummary

Youareontheway.Timetotakecareofsomeessentials.

WeekSevenChecklist

Startyourvisaprocessifyouhavenotdonesoalready

Givenoticeatyourcurrentjob

Makeabudgetforyourtransitionoverseas

Decidewhattosellandwhattokeep

Ilikethedreamsofthe

futurebetterthanthe

historyofthepast.

PatrickHenry


38/63


Itstime

to

sort

out

your

travel

arrangements

if

you

have

not

done

so

already.

Is

your

new

employer

send

ingyouaticketorgoingtoreimburseyouwhenyouarrive? Arethearrangementsuptoyou? Getallthat

takencareofnow.

WhatKindofPlaneTicketsShouldYouBuy?

Buyanopenoneyearreturnticket. Justincasethingsdontworkout. You'llhavethisticketinyourback

pocketandyouwon'thavetoworryaboutit. Itmaywellhelpyougetoversomeroughspots. Knowing

youcan

leave

often

helps

you

to

decide

to

stay.

OneWay

Probably,mostpeopleheadoverseasonaonewayticket. Manythinktheywillwanttogo travelingand

notheadrighthomeaftertheirfirstyearoverseas. Theythinkthattheywillwanttocontinueworking

overseasafterthat. Theyareprobablycorrect.

Employer'sTickets

Someemployers

will

provide

your

ticket

or

reimburse

you

for

your

tickets

either

on

arrival

or

after

acertain

periodoftimeorattheendofyourcontract. Waittobuyituntilyouknowwhattheywilldo. Sometimes,

thisisallaverylastminutesituation.

Week Eight


39/63


WhatKindofExpensesareInvolvedinMoving?

Berealisticaboutwhatyouneedtotakewithyouandyouractualmovingexpensesshouldnotbemuch

morethanjustyourplaneticket. Dontforgetthecostsofsettingupyournewhome.

Knowthatoverweightbaggagefeesareveryexpensiveandcaneasilyexceedhundredsof dollarsevenfor

justonebag! Doublecheckyourweightallowanceandinvestinasmallscaleandweighyourbagsbefore

headingtotheairport. Beparticularlycarefulofthingslikebooksastheyareveryheavy. Thisisallpartof

good

planningseveral

weeks

before

you

leave.

SetupyourBanking

Keepitsimple.Don'tgochasingafter"offshore"accountsandotherfancybankingschemesthatwillcost

youasmallfortuneinfeesandthatareonlyinterestedinyouifyouhaveseveralhundredthousandor

evena milliondollars,ataminimum.

StartPractical

Getabankaccountwithfree"BillPay"servicethatistotallyaccessibleviatheInternet. Evenyourlocal

creditunioncandothisnowadays. Findabankorcreditunionthatalsooffersotherfinancialservicessuch

aslifeinsurance,billpaymentsvia"EFT",and/orinvestmentaccounts.

SetupyourAccounts

Arrangetheseaccountsbeforeyouleaveyourhomecountry. Somearequitedifficulttosetupfrom

overseas. Oncetheyaresetup,itiseasytoattendtoyourfinancialaffairs,evenfinancialplanning,

fromanywhere

in

the

world

via

the

Internet.

InternationalATMCard

MakesureyougetaninternationalATMcardtogowithyouraccount. Itshouldbelongtooneofthe

internationalsystemssuchasCirrusorMaestro. Traveler'sChecksareoldfashionedthesedays,some

placeswontevenknowwhattodowiththem. GoodinternationalATMcardsworkalmosteverywhere.

...overweight

baggage

fees

areveryexpensiveandcan

easilyexceedhundredsof

dollarsevenforjustone

bag!


40/63


IntegratedBanking

WithyourbankaccountonlineandarelatedATMcard,youwillfindyourfinancesgreatly simplified. If

youwiremoneyhometoyouraccount,youmaywithdrawitasneededviayourATMcard,payyourbills

withtheBillPayserviceandevenmovemoneyinandoutofyour brokerageaccount. Allofthiscanbe

interconnected withyourPayPalaccountifyoudon'tliketouseyourcreditcardsontheInternet.

Security

Manypeoplefearidentitytheftorothersecurityissueswhenmanagingtheirfinancesonline. Ideally,you

shoulduse

your

home

computer.

If

you

use

an

Internet

cafe,

be

sure

you

carefully

close

all

windows

and

signoutofeachaccount. Openthemagainbeforeyouleavetomakesurethatyoudid. Theyshouldopen

totheloginpagenotdirectlytoyouraccount.

ShouldYouSetupaBrokerageAccount?

Ifyouthinkyoumightwanttoinvestinstocks,mutualfundsand/orbonds,checkintoabrokerageaccount

andseeifitsuitsyourneeds. LookontheInternetforagoodcompany. Almosteverythingcanbedone

onlineonce

you

have

the

account

set

up.

It

is

usually

much

easier

to

do

it

before

you

go.

Onceoverseas,itisusuallydifficulttoopenabrokerageaccount. Manyfinancialregulationsarebasedon

whereyouliveandwherethebrokeragecompanyisbased. WhileyoumightnotconsiderJapanorKorea

orSaudiArabiatobeyourrealhome,brokeragehousesmay.

Online

Get

it

done

before

you

go

and

sort

out

any

and

all

the

problems

of

using

the

account

online.

Most

broker

ages(andbanksandcreditcardcompanies)have"paperless"transactionsandstatements. Thisiswhere

yourstatementsaresenttoyouviaemailoryoucandownloadthemfromtheInternet. Itavoidsthe

problemofhavingtodecidewhatshouldbemailedtoyouandwhatisn'treallyneeded.

Arrangeyourbrokerageaccounttobeinterconnectedwithyourbank. Mostbrokerageaccountsandmost

bankswillallowyoutosetupbackandforthmovementofyourfunds. Thenyoucandoitallonline.

Ifyou

use

an

Internet

cafe,

besureyoucarefullyclose

allwindowsandsignoutof

eachaccount.


41/63


WeekEight

Summary

Takecareofyourplaneticketsifyouhavenotdonesoalready. Becarefulofyourweight.

Arrangeforyourbankingandinvestmentaccounts.

WeekEightChecklist

Arrangeyour

plane

tickets

Weighyourbaggage

SetupabankaccountaccessibleviatheInternet

SetupaninvestmentaccountaccessibleviatheInternetand

interconnectedwithyourbankaccount

Wearewhatwerepeatedly

do.Excellence,therefore,

isnotanactbutahabit.

Aristotle


42/63


PassportandVisa

Everyweekgetseasiernowasyounearyourdeparturedate.

Aboutnowyoushouldhaveyourpassportreturnedfromtheembassyofthecountrywhereyouaregoing

withanewvisastampedinitthatwillallowyoutogotothatcountryandbeginorpursueemployment.

Everycountryisdifferentandhowthisworkscanworkin50differentways.Askyournewemployer. Most

likely,youwillalsohavetodoafairamountofpaperworkonceyouarriveatyourdestinationtocomplete

theprocessofworkingtherelegally.

Overseas

Onceinthecountryinwhichyouwillbeworking,you'lltypicallyneedtogosomewhere(immigration,

MinistryofLabororboth)togetyourworkpermitsortedout. Usually,yourresidencevisaisonlyfora

shorttimewhenyoufirstenterthecountry. Itwillthenbeextendedtotheperiodoftimeforyourwork

permit.

Thiscanbeconfusingwhenyourworkpermitcanonlybeissuedfortheperiodoftimeofyourvisabutyour

visawillonlybeissuedfortheperiodoftimeofyourworkpermit.Butdoesthechickencomebeforethe

egg?

Thereisnoneedtoworry.Somehowitallgetsdone. Leanonyouremployer. Itwon'tusuallybethefirst

timetheyhavegonethroughit.

PlansBandPlanC

Beforeyougo,createaPlanA,PlanBandPlanC.

Week Nine


43/63


Westernerstendtothinkofthingslikecontractsasbeingwritteninstonebutinmanycountries,contracts

canbequiteflexible. Thiscanmeanthatyouremployermaynotdothethingstheysaidtheywoulddo.

Youmaynotlikethat. Youmaywellfindatimewhenitmaybebestmoveon.

PlanBandPlanC

Whenyoudoyourresearchaboutcountriesandjobs,keepasecondandthirdchoiceinyourmind,justin

casethingsdon'tworkoutforPlanA. Keeptheseinthebackofyourmind,keepyourresumeuptodate,

andfishtoseewhatisouttherefromtimetotime. WithadecentPlanBandPlanC,youwon'thaveto

worryaboutasurprise.

Thereisalsothepossibilitythatyoujustwon'tlikethejobyoutook,thecountryyoumovedtoorsome

otherunforeseenproblemmaysouryouonthewholedeal.

YourFirst

Country

Your

First

Job

Keepopenthepossibilityofgoingbackhome. Don'tburnyourbridgestoanywhere. Youjustneverknow

whenyoumightneedtoheadbackwhereyouwerelastyear.Trytokeepyouroptionsopen.Leaveevery

employerongoodtermswiththemreadyforandinterestedinyourreturn. Maintainandnetworkwith

peoplefrompreviousemployment.Itallworksbothways;youmightneedtohelpafriendcometowhere

youaresomeday.

Youmay

never

need

them

(Plans

B

and

C)

,but

It

is

best

to

be

cautious.

The

TEFL

world

is

just

alittle

less

stablethanothertypesofemployment. MostpeopleneverneededtheirPlanBorC,buttheyarethere,

justincaseyouneedthem.

Ifyoudonothope,youwill

notfindwhatisbeyond

yourhopes.

St.ClementofAlexandra


44/63


WeekNineSummary

Youshould

have

your

passport

back

from

the

embassy

or

consulate

that

issues

your

visa.

HavingaPlanBandCisagoodidea.

WeekNineChecklist

Receiveyourpassportwithanappropriatevisainit

DevelopaPlanB

DevelopaPlanC

Weareallinventors,each

sailingout

on

avoyage

of

discovery,guidedeachbya

privatechart,ofwhich

thereisnoduplicate.

The

world

is

all

gates,

allopportunities.

RalphWaldoEmerson


45/63


Herewego! Thisweekistheeasiestofall.

Timetodosomefinetuningwithyourbaggagebeforeyouheadofftotheairport. Thisisweektenbutyou

probablyshould

think

about

this

several

weeks

before

now

as

well.

WhatShouldYouTakewithYou?

Takeonlywhatyoumust. Movinglotsofheavybagsaroundtheworldisnofunatall. Especially,asit

seemsyoumayarriveonveryhotandsteamydaysorinthemiddleofasnowstorm,neitherofwhichisa

lotoffunforcarryingalotofluggage.

Medicine

Generallyspeaking,manymedicinesaremuchcheaperoverseassodon'tbothertobringalotifyoucanget

itthere. Unlessthemedicineyouwantisunusualorverynew,itwillmostlikelybeavailablewhereyou

aregoing.Askonthediscussionboardsbutdonttrusttheanswers100%ifthemedicineiscriticaltoyour

health.

Anythingthatiscriticalformaintainingyourhealthbesuretotakeitwithyouontheplane.

Other

BringonlythebasicsinclothingYou'llfindyoucangetbywithfarlessthanyouareusedto. Bringafew

specialphotosoffamilyandfriendssoyournewplacecanfeellikeayourhome.

TeachingMaterials

Bringoneortworeferencebooks. Booksareheavyandbulkybuttheyareoftenquiteexpensiveoverseas

andsometimeshardtofind. ButwiththeInternet,youdon'tneedthemquiteasmuch. Youcanlookup

almosteverythingonline. EventhemostremotesmalltownsnowadayshaveInternetaccess.

Week Ten


46/63


ToBringaComputerorNot?

Lotsofpeopleusemovingasanexcusetopickupanicenotebookcomputer. Really,itisjustsomethingto

worryabouthavingstolen. Acheapdesktopwhereyouaremovingwillusuallycostyouabouthalfwhat

yournotebookwillcost. Pricescanvaryalotsoaskonthediscussionboards. Beawarethatinmany

places,piratedsoftware(notadvocatingthis)isloadedontothesedesktopsforfreeorverycheaply.

Getalargeflashdriveorportableharddriveandloadallyouressentialfilesonitandbringthatinstead.

It'sawholelotlesstroubleanditisonelessheavythingtocarryandworryabout.

WhatShould

You

Mail

to

Your

New

Home?

Ifyoureallyneedit,putitinyoursuitcase. Ifitiscritical,carryitonboardwithyou.

Thingsmaygetlostifyoumailthem.Inmanycountries,mailserviceisnotreliable.

SayGoodbye

Itistimetosaygoodbyetofriendsandfamily. Saygoodbyetothosethatyoumaynotseeagainforquite

sometime.

Spendtimetogooutandvisitsomeofyourfavoriteplacesbeforeyouleave.Haveagreattime.Tellfamily

membersthatyoulovethemandsaythethingsyouhavewantedtosaybuthaventsaid.

WeekTenSummary

Plancarefullywhattotakewithyou. Saygoodbyetofamilyandfriendsandgooutandhaveagoodtime.

WeekTen

Checklist

Decidewhattotakewithyou

Whattomailtoyourself

SayIloveyoutofamilyandlovedones

Getonthatplaneandgo

Spendtimetogooutand

visitsomeofyourfavorite

placesbeforeyouleave.


47/63


Youmightjustbeabletousealittleguidancetohelpyougetthroughthefirstcoupleofweeks overseas.

Onthe

Job

Overseas

Whatshouldyouweartoyournewjob?

Alwaysassumeashirtandtieandtrousersformenandsomethingequivalentforwomen. Askyourem

ployertobesurebuteveninveryhotweather,moreconservativeculturestendtodressupabit. Dressing

downisnotusuallyappropriate. Youwillbeseverelyjudgedbyhowyoudress. Groomingandappearance

areveryimportantinmanycultures. Makeagoodfirst Impression. Itwillmakeadifference. Thereisalot

oflocal

variation

with

this,

so

do

ask

your

employer.

Shouldyoubuyacarormotorcycle?

Avehicleofsomesortgreatlyenhancesyourabilitytogetoutandseeyournewcountry. Ifyoudon't

alreadyknowhowtodriveamotorcycle,overseasmaynotbethebestplacetolearn. Rulesoftheroadin

many countriescanatbestbetermedflexible. However,manycountrieshavegreatpublictransportation

systemsandyousometimeswon'tneedyourownvehicle.

How

will

you

know

if

it

is

safe

where

you

live?

Askyouremployerandcoworkers. Ifitisnot,asktobemoved. Livingoverseasisgreatfunandareal

challenge,butgettingmuggedorkilledshouldn'tbepartofthepackage. Itisimportanttoask;don't

assumeyouknow. Culturalandvisual/behavioralcuesaboutcrimecandifferfromyourownunderstand

ing. It'sgoodtobesure!

Week OneOverseas


48/63


Howcanyoureduceyourstartupexpenses?

Don'ttrytobuyeverythingatonceanddon'ttrytosolveeveryproblembythrowingmoneyatit.

Bepatient. Yourneedsmaybeverydifferentinyournewsituationfromwhattheywereinyourhome

country. Takeyourtimewithspendinguntilyoureallyknowwhatisgoingon.

TheCultureGame

Insomecultures,afterworksocializationisveryimportant. Becauseofthegreatculturaldivide,itcanbe

quiteuseful

to

socialize

with

your

coworkers,

on

their

terms

and

in

their

ways,

to

help

them

get

to

know

you. Makeaneffortifyouareaskedtogooutforkaraokeandactuallysingifasked. Bytheway,nobody

caresifyousingwell,it'sonlythatyoumaketheeffort.Youneverknow;youmaycometoloveit!

SocializingwithCoworkers

Doitjusttobepolitebutalsobeopentofindingsomenewfriends.Becareful,however,of gettingdrunk

orbecomingtoofamiliaruntilyouknowyourcoworkersandtheculturebetter. Youdon'twanttostartoff

onthewrongfoot.

CultureShock

You'llprobablygetitbutsometimesshockisabitofanoverstatement.

Youcanexpecttofeeleuphoric(Ifinallymadeit),

Angry(whycan'tImakethingsworklikebackhome?),

Depressedanddisappointed(everythingisn'texactlylikeIexpectedittobe),and

Isolated(Idon'treallyknowanyonehere).

Allofthisisnormal. Afterallthisisaverybigtimeinyourlifeandofcourseyouwillhavesomestrongfeel

ingsaboutit.Theseemotionalreactionsareallnaturalresponsestothesituationyouwillfindyourselfin

overseas. Howtodealwithit? Getbusy! Personalprojects,work,travel,makingfriendsandevenvolun

teeringwillhelpyouadjust. Alsotakealittletimeandjustrecognizethefeelingsforwhattheyare.

Makeaneffortifyouare

askedtogooutforkaraoke

andactuallysingifasked.

Bytheway,nobodycaresif

yousing

well,

it's

only

that

youmaketheeffort.

Youneverknow;youmay

cometoloveit!


49/63


OneofthebestarticlesaboutdealingwithCultureShockis atAbout.comCultureShock:byAbout.com

Don'tforgetthatyoucanhaveproblemswithyourjob,boss,landlord,andfriendsinyourhomecountry

too. Don'tblameitallonyourhostcountry!

Knowthatonceyouhavelivedinseveralcountries,theeffectsofcultureshockdiminishasyoulearnto

havemorerealisticexpectationsandasyoujustnaturallylearnhowtodealwithit.

SurvivingUncertainty

Part

of

the

issue

with

culture

shock

is

also

the

uncertainty

of

your

new

situation

and

of

how

things

are

goingtodevelop. Followthesamecourseoftreatmentasforcultureshock. Getinvolved.

DealingwithCulturalDifferences

Yournewcountryisn'tyouroldcountry. Howpeoplebehaveandrespondcanbequitedifferent.

Many(maybemost)culturesarenotasdirectasourown. You'llneedtopayattentionandlistenfor

underlyingcontentallthetime. Youcanmakeyourcoworkersandsupervisorvery uncomfortableifyou

makethem

confront

you

or

if

you

become

confrontational.

It

can

really

stress

your

relationships

and

sour

yourworksituation. Becareful,listen,interpret.

Avoidmisunderstandingswhenmiscommunicationseemstohaveoccurredbyaskingyoursupervisorabout

itinthecontextofaculturequestion. Youcansay,"Iamabitconfusedhere. Doyouwantmeto___?

Pleasehelpmeunderstand." Thiskindofastatementtakestheheatoffthesituationandsaves"face"for

everyoneinvolved. Youcanevenhaveagoodlaughaboutitinsteadofeveryonebeingupset.

Developalittlefinesseindealingwithcrossculturalcommunicationsandyourlifewillgomuchsmoother

overseas. It'sallpartoflearningtobeaskilledexpatriate.

WeekOneOverseasSummary

Dresswellforyourjob. ItisfarmoreimportantthaninWesterncultures.Payattentionto cultural

differencesastheycanmakethedifferencebetweensuccessorfailure.

Developalittle

finesse

in

dealingwithcrosscultural

communicationsandyour

lifewillgomuchsmoother

overseas.
http://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htm


50/63


Itmightbetimetostartthinkingabitaboutspendingayearortwoormoreoverseasandhowthatmight

workfor

you.

Networking

Thinknetworkinginyourhomecountryandoverseasandthinkaboutcontinuingorimprovingyour

credentials.Networkingisevenmoreimportantoverseas. Attimes,youcanlineupgoodjobsviafriends

withashortinterview. Contactsandnetworkingworkforyouevenbetter overseasthanbackhome.

Keepintouchwithpeopleyouworkwith. Theywillmoveontoother,oftenbetter,jobs,andsowillyou.

Younever

know

when

your

paths

may

meet

again

or

when

you

might

be

able

to

help

each

other.

InYourHomeCountry

Don'tforgettokeepintouchwithyourcontactsandfriendsbackhome. Youneverknowwhenyoumight

wanttoheadback. Invitethemtovisityou,beagreathostandshowthemagreattime. Itcouldwellpay

dividendsifyouweretoneedajobbackhomeonshortnotice. Itwillalsogivethemagreatexperience.

Letyourfriendsseehowwonderfulalifeabroadcanbe.

Visityour

Friends,

Bosses

and

Coworkers

Whenyouvisityourhomecountry,makesureyouvisityouroldcoworkers,bossesandfriends. Nothingis

worsethancomingbackcoldhavinglostallyouroldcontacts. Doyourbesttokeepitpersonalwithagood

listofpersonalcontacts.

Week TwoOverseas


51/63


ImproveYourself

ImproveyourCredentials

Whileyouareoverseas,takeanothertrainingcourseorgetanotherdegree. Somejobsoverseasareonly

fourdaysaweekandyoumaygetlongvacationsifyouarelucky. Usethattimetoimproveyour

credentialssoyoucancontinuetomoveuptheladderandimproveyourwages,benefitsandfreetime.

Almostanyprogramintheworldcanbetakenonlinethesedays.

Just

Have

a

GREAT

Time!

Dontneedtoexplainthat.

Nothingwilleverbe

attemptedifallpossible

objectionsmustfirstbe

overcome.

SamuelJohnson


52/63


WeeklyChecklists

WeekOneChecklist

Checkoutthepossibilities

Passport:Order,Update,Check

Degree:Original,Orderaspare

Transcripts:Order

OtherDocuments:TrainingCertificates

Scaneverythingyouhave

Week

Two

Checklist

Decideonaspecificcountrytofocusyoursearch

Includefinancialwantsandresponsibilitiesinyourdecision

Decidewhentogo

AppendixOne


53/63


Week

Three

Checklist

Prepareresume/CV

Getaprofessionalphotoforresumesandapplications

Providepropercontactinformation

Prepareacoverletter

Doublecheck

your

scanned

documents

WeekFourChecklist

Beginapplyingforjobs

Prepareforaninterviewandsmileduringthatinterview

Contactarecruiter

Dontacceptajobimmediately

WeekFiveChecklist

Startinterviews

Asktheimportantquestionsaboutyourjob

Askquestionsaboutthereputationofyouremployer

Askquestionsaboutyourproposedhousing

Knowingisnotenough;

wemustapply.

Willingisnotenough;

wemustdo.

JohannWolfgang

vonGoethe


54/63


WeekSixChecklist

Acceptaposition

Signacontract

Makeadecisionaboutyourhouseifyouownone

Makeadecisionabouthealthinsurance

Findanaccountant

Considerapermanenthomecountrypostaladdress

WeekSevenChecklist

Startyourvisaprocessifyouhavenotdonesoalready

Givenoticeatyourcurrentjob

Makeabudgetforyourtransitionoverseas

Decidewhattosellandwhattokeep

WeekEightChecklist

Arrange

plane

tickets

Weighyourbaggage

SetupabankaccountaccessibleviatheInternet

SetupaninvestmentaccountaccessibleviatheInternetand

interconnectedwithyourbankaccount

Greatspiritshavealways

encounteredviolent

oppositionfrom

mediocreminds.

AlbertEinstein


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WeekNineChecklist

Receiveyour

passport

with

an

appropriate

visa

in

it

DevelopaPlanB

DevelopaPlanC

WeekTenChecklist

Decidewhattotakewithyou

Decidewhattomailtoyourself

SayIloveyoutofamilyandlovedones

Getontheplane

Wearestillmastersofour

fate.Wearestillcaptainsof

oursouls.

WinstonChurchill


56/63


BasicTEFLMethodsandBoardwork

Itisgoodtoknowthebasicsandheretheyare.

TEFLMethodologytaughtinmostTEFLtrainingprogramsisgenerallyeither"PPP"or"ESA"

"PPP"meansPresentation,PracticeandProduction. MostEFLlessonsarebrokenintothosethreeparts.

Presentationisthepartofthelessonwhenthetargetlanguage(thelanguagetobetaughttothestudents)

ispresentedtothestudentsgenerallythroughelicitingandcueingofthestudentstoseeiftheyknowitand

thenprovidingthelanguageifnoonedoes.

Thetargetlanguageisusuallyputontheboardeitherinstructure(grammartype)chartsorindialogs.

Presentationfeatures

more

"teacher

talk"

than

the

other

stages

of

the

lesson,

generally

as

much

as

65

90%

ofthetime. Thisportionofthetotallessoncantakeasmuchas2040%ofthelessontime.

NextcomesthePracticesectionwhenthestudentspracticethetargetlanguageinonetothreeactivities