It seems as though entry-level positions are easy enough to come by, and the path by which one applies for those jobs is rather straightforward, whereas something related to my specialty field will require job hunting just like we hunt jobs here in the US.

You are correct.  You will need to use those same skills.  The difference is that people are looking for you; you just have to find them.

It can take a bit of research if you want more than just the generic entry-level job.  And you should want more.  You have a degree and experience that is valuable to the right people.

Should I still look into TEFL certification?

Absolutely.  There are some special skills required for teaching EFL.  It’s not rocket science, you will grasp it quickly and easily, but it is a skill that needs to be practiced and you won’t be super good at it for a while.

Taking a course also demonstrates that you are interested enough in teaching that you took a course to pick up a few skills.  It helps overcome the idea that you just want to travel and well . . . you need a job and some money so . . . hmmm, why not teach?

 Should I send out my resume/CV to any college/university that has a special program in my area?

Absolutely!  Don’t wait for a school to advertise so that your resume/CV is lost in the flood.  Most schools hate to advertise and you do them a favor by sending them your details before they have to.

A bit of strategy here – based on what I have observed on the scene over the last 20 years.

Send your resume and details to the president of the university.  Include a nice photo (required in most countries) where you are dressed professionally and immaculately groomed.

The president may not even look at it, but will pass it to the department head , who may not care to look at it, but is worried that the president will ask about it next time they talk.  So – you are much more likely to get a reasonable review.

A professional photo is very good investment. 

Many cultures put a lot of emphasis on personal appearance.  It is not that you look nice; it is that you make an effort to present yourself as a professional.

That one simple thing will put you ahead of 80% of applicants, who either didn’t bother to submit a photo (they likely won’t be considered at all) or sent one kissing the boy/girlfriend, drunk at a party, hiking in the mountains . . . well, you see what I mean.

And, really, people do send those types of photos.  Some even with the former lovemate blacked out, but still obvious.

Let’s repeat part of the question:  Should I send out my resume/CV

Yes, but that is a pretty passive search.  Telephone calls are dirt cheap these days and Skype is even cheaper.  Follow up.  For people over 50 (like me), I recommend heading out and personally contacting schools – face to face.

 The age issue . . .

Many schools are concerned about health problems, so if they see you in person they can rest assured that you are healthy and ready to take on the job.

With us older folks they are also concerned about rigidity and argumentativeness.  Yeah, some older people are like that – but not me!  Anyway, so if they meet you face to face, that problem is solved too.

Should I take lessons in the local language?

That is a mixed bag.  The school wants you for your English skills, not for their local language.

Taking a language course does show some interest in the local culture, but some schools will worry that you will practice your new language with the students instead of helping the students practice English with you.

TED’s Tips™ #1:  People with some good work experience and education on their resume/CV can leverage that experience and education into better jobs and even university positions if they do a bit of research and look in the right places.

You don’t have to be 50+ to take this route.  There are a lot of people in their mid-late 20s with great work experience and good educations.

Don’t settle for an entry level position if you have the ability to start further up the food chain.

SHARE WITH TEFL NEWBIE: If you are an experienced teacher – or even a newbie – that has some positive advice or a great story to tell TEFL Newbie readers,  CLICK HERE.

Don’t worry about it . . .

Welcome to a new world where the job search and even interviews very rarely have that dehumanizing and degrading aspect that we are all so familiar with from job hunts in our Western world.

Yeah . . . the demand for EFL teachers worldwide is so great that you will find it surprisingly easy to land your first job offer.

They are looking for YOU – not the usual other way around.  But take your time, find the right position and make sure you will be happy.

Whether thinking about a two-year “lark” teaching overseas – or if you would like TEFL to offer you a long-term career – give this website a good read. No, we don’t really have all the answers, because the answers are as individual as each person thinking of entering the field.  But we do have about 100 posts to help you learn more and get yourself up to speed.

If you are interested in trying your hand at teaching English overseas, but don’t yet want to commit to a one-year contract, go over to
TEFL Temp where information about short-term TEFL positions is posted. Some are as short four months and sometimes even include airfare and training. Hard to beat that!

TEFL Newbie was written by a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana from 1989 to 1991 (me!) who designed the site with the complete “Newbie” in mind and answers just about every question you might have about Teaching English Overseas.

Once you land that first job – put what you have learned on this website to work!

TED’s Tips™ #1: Like finding a job in any industry, that first job may not be perfect – nor the one of your dreams. But it is a start. Just because you are heading overseas, don’t let your head get stuck in fantasyland. It is still a job, things are still required of you and your new employer will expect you to deliver. It is all part of growing up – even if you are already in your 60s.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Go on over to TEFL Boot Camp and give that website a good read too.  Much of the content on that website is FREE.

Teaching Internships in China

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

How to land the best job you can teaching English overseas.

Five easy Do’s and Don’ts that will increase your odds of getting that job.

DO have an attractive passport type photo made of yourself
This should be a photo with you in professional dress, groomed immaculately and with a nice smile.  If you are old and look a bit too old, just a touch of Photoshop is okay, but don’t overdo it to the point where the school won’t recognize you when you arrive.

Many cultures put great stock in appearances and in how you present yourself.  Take it seriously, it does make a difference – a big difference – and that is why it is FIRST on this list.

Do have all your documents scanned and ready even before you apply
You never really know for sure for what documents a potential employer might ask.  Have copies and scans of everything they might possibly ask for.  Have it ready so that you can provide it immediately and the hiring authority does not have to wait for it.  During that wait someone else may slip right in and fill that job.

Don’t argue/niggle with an employer or recruiter about what they are requesting
Don’t send a transcript when a degree was asked for.   If you lost your degree, get a replacement before you start applying for jobs.   Don’t send a photo of you out hiking when a passport type photo was asked for.  Not following through makes a potential employer wonder if you will do the things required on the job or if there will always be a problem or excuse at hand.

Do make yourself available for an interview
Set time aside to be available for an interview.  Don’t make an employer wait.  Interview as soon as you can to lock in that job.  Don’t tell a potential employer that you are too busy on a certain day or time.  It makes it sound like the interview is not important to you. If you really can’t interview at a certain time or day, give a solid reason.

Do be polite and professional in all your communications
Write and speak using formal English.  Writing to an employer using email shorthand or Twitter type shorthand just turns people off.  If you are applying for a position teaching English, demonstrate your ability to use it correctly.

TED’s Tips™ #1: You might be surprised how many people do NOT follow these simple guidelines.  And how many good qualified people don’t get the jobs they think they should get, because they didn’t follow them.   As Nike says, “Just do it”.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

The demand for EFL teachers worldwide is so great that you will find it surprisingly easy to land your first job offer. But take your time, find the right position and make sure you will be happy.

If you are interested in teaching English in China, head over to our friends at TEFL Jobs China

If you’d like to teach on a tropical island in SE Asia
(are you crazy – who wouldn’t!?) visit:
Teach English Phuket

If the lure of an exotic big city is your thing, take a look at Teach English Bangkok too.

If you are interested trying your hand at teaching English overseas, but don’t yet want to commit to a one-year contract, go over to TEFL Temp where information about short-term TEFL positions is posted. Some are as short four months and even include airfare and training. Hard to beat that!

Just about everything you could ever want to know about finding your first position Teaching English Overseas and just about everything else about living and working in another country – can be found at our companion website: TEFL Daddy.

Whether thinking about a two-year “lark” teaching overseas – or if you would like TEFL to offer you a long-term career – give the website a good read. No, it doesn’t really have all the answers, because the answers are as individual as each person thinking of entering the field.

Your needs, interests, skills, and goals are unique. But, TEFL Daddy can at least help you address each issue and get on the road to finding exactly what might fit you best.

TEFL Daddy is the original NON-Blog version of TEFL Newbie. Entries on the blog are often based on the pages of TEFL Daddy – but updated with more recent comments.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Do your research. Find out as much as you can before making a final decision. Heading overseas was the best thing I ever did – but it is not for everyone.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

We have to start first with people who want to go and teach English abroad just for a year and sometimes even a shorter period of time. Let me correct that, they don’t really want to teach English, they want to go abroad and teaching English is the way they hope will provide that experience.

Because these people don’t take the idea of teaching English seriously, they often fail in their job search.

Why?

Because their job search clearly indicates their lack of sincere interest in helping students learn English. How do I know that? Because their email often begins with “Yo!” I wanna go teach english somewhere – can I? You can do for me?”

Does that indicate a sincere interest in providing some quality instruction for students on the other side of the world, who often have paid a lot of money to sit in your classroom? Sadly, no.

When asked for a photograph – the very photograph that will introduce you to your new employer – they send photos of them dancing drunk with friends in a bar. And recently a very nice guy, with some quite special skills, sent me a photo of him with his family, his beer belly was sticking out and his shirt had stains on it.

What can I say to that?

Take your job search seriously

Your future employer does. They want a responsible professional who will help give their students an advantage in the hard tough ultra-competitive world of developing countries (where most TEFL jobs are). If you present yourself asking for a two-week contract, send photos of you drinking and dancing – what are they to think?

Education in most of the developing world is SERIOUS business. Education is seen as the only way out of a grinding cycle of poverty or difficult jobs with long hours and poor pay. Schools and students are looking to YOU to help them escape to a better world. Help them escape!

Take your job search seriously

Present yourself professionally. Send a professional resume/CV. Send a professional photograph with you in professional dress. Yes, guys in a tie. Ideally seek some training even if only a short online TEFL certification course – to show that you are interested in doing a good job.

While wages can seem very modest abroad, you will often be earning as much or more than someone with a Ph.D teaching at the same school! They take it seriously. So should you. That modest wage, often combined with free accommodation, reimbursed airfares, sometimes even subsidized utilities often means you can save more than you are saving right now.

Come on, get with and treat teaching English abroad – the occupation, the job – with the respect it deserves. No other occupation can provide you with so many options, so many possibilities for seeing and traveling the world and actually saving a few bucks while doing it.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Approach your overseas job search with the same diligence you would a promotion and/or better job in your home country. This is a job that will allow you to travel, work fewer hours, see the world and possibly even save more money than you are saving right now. THAT is worth some diligence!

TED’s Tips™ #2: Get some professional passport type photos taken. They will be worth their weight in gold. Dress professionally, put on a friendly smile (practice if you need to) and look like the sharp skilled person you really are.

What’s up in China? Learn what kind of jobs are on offer if would like to Teach English in China. I help place people in China – it is great fun – and you can start your career often at a higher level in China than you would in Korea or Taiwan.

How to Teach English Overseas and Secrets to Success Abroad
TEFL eBooks is offering a free download of their new publication Seven Secrets of Success Abroad - and along with it comes a bi-weekly installment and revision of their eBook called How to Teach English Overseas.

Great reviews for the Secrets of Success eBook – in spite of the hokey name – and the How to Teach English eBook is being updated and rewritten and sent out in installments as it is ready.

Here they are – click on the eBooks to get your FREE copies! Great information and the price is right, from our friends at TEFLeBooks.

Here is a recent email:

I have been considering teaching English in a Spanish speaking country, preferably Spain. If not there then Central or South America. I am 62 yrs old and in excellent health. I have been with [a major international bank] for 11 plus years. I am semi-bilingual, since my wife is Colombian. What do you think of my age? Am I too old? How do I find out if I would be eligible to teach in Peru for instance? I have an Associates degree only (a two-year vocational type degree). I have taught a little in a voluntary setting. Can you share your thoughts with me?

My response follows – and I want every person reading this blog and thinking about working abroad to apply such thinking to their job search.

Hi Bill,

You wrote:

What do you think of my age? Am I too old?

You are only a couple years older than me – not too old – you have a lot to share.

And . . .

How do I find out if I would be eligible to teach in Peru for instance? I have an associates degree only. I have taught a little in a voluntary setting.

For Peru specifically contact Sharon – she is a bit of a Peru specialist – but she also knows Latin America well: naturegirl321 @ yahoo.com

You can tell her Ted Tucker sent you.

BUT – I would say that you can create your eligibility – you have eleven years with [a major international bank]? Teach Business English, teach Banking English, create a few courses, sell yourself to corporations, banks, etc as someone who knows business and Business English – see this page:
http://tefldaddy.com/Your_Special_Skills.htm

Yes, you are going to be limited by your two-year degree if you just go and search for any old regular English job, so focus on your Special Skills.

Start here: www.BusinessEnglishEbook.com — get that ebook and start to create a few courses for the specialties you already know. Go to a new country offering something (specialized knowledge and training) rather than going asking for something (a job).

Good luck! Go get what you want.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Most people have some sort of work history. You can CREATE a demand for your specific skills if you focus your job search in that area. Again see: Special Skills.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Search for a job OFFERING something: special skills, special knowledge or if nothing else flexibility and a willingness to adapt – rather than searching for a job just asking for a job.

What’s up in China? Learn what kind of jobs are on offer if would like to Teach English in China. I help place people in China – it is great fun – and you can start your career often at a higher level in China than you would in Korea or Taiwan.

How to Teach English Overseas and Secrets to Success Abroad
TEFL eBooks is offering a free download of their new publication Seven Secrets of Success Abroad - and along with it comes a bi-weekly installment and revision of their eBook called How to Teach English Overseas.

Great reviews for the Secrets of Success eBook – in spite of the hokey name – and the How to Teach English eBook is being updated and rewritten and sent out in installments as it is ready.

Here they are – click on the eBooks to get your FREE copies! Great information and the price is right, from our friends at TEFLeBooks.