Get Real and Get Flexible for TEFL

How the “Other” World Operates

Today’s post might seem like more of a rant, but it is meant to help people understand a bit of how the non-Western world operates.

In the course of my TEFL career I have dabbled a bit in a variety of things and one of them is recruitment (Satan!). Well . . . some people consider recruiters satanic. Some are not so good, some are great.

I enjoy recruiting because I am a bit of an evangelist for TEFL careers and of the extra-ordinary lifestyle that teaching English abroad can provide to us relatively normal folks who don’t have doctorates or degrees in rocket science.

One of the problems that I see in people who are interested in working abroad is a rigidity about how things must be and a general lack of flexibility about letting things be different.

My favorite example is of a person who was seeking a job in China, which is where I sometimes place people. He was a well-qualified teacher and had already signed a contract when the school asked him to sign another one. The new one was blank.

Now, I don’t advocate signing blank forms or blank contracts but sometimes to get what you want you have to do what someone else wants. The teacher had a fit and withdrew from the position. The teacher had experience in Japan and in Korea and said he had never had to do such a thing before.

I quite understand his bewilderment and discomfort with the idea, but the signing of blank forms is a common thing in many countries.

In the aftermath, my wife and I sat down and tried to remember all the contracts and forms that we had signed while abroad that were either blank or written in a language that we couldn’t at the time understand and there really were too many to count.

Another example was just yesterday at the post office. I went in pay my annual fee for my post office box and the clerk asked me to sign a blank form that was written in the local language.

Did I balk, have a fit, stomp out, demand a translator or refuse to sign it?

No, it just seemed like a regular form they used and she needed it filled out, but as I couldn’t fill in the blanks, she would do it later. No problem, I signed and in fact, got a nice refund on the security deposit for the PO box! Great surprise.

All I am trying to say here is to be flexible and try to read situations before freaking out and bailing out.

Try to read the person and the situation. Don’t sign a blank form that a stranger offers who pops out of dark alley, of course. But if a human resources clerk at your language school asks you to sign a blank form for immigration – really, it probably is okay.

Much of the world operates on trust far more than the Western world. They don’t tend to have the trust in contracts that we have, they know how easily they can be broken.

People who are always looking for “scams” and other things do tend to find them. That’s just how the world works. Yet, in my 20 years abroad, I’ve not yet signed my future paychecks over to a clerk or signed a confession for something I haven’t done.

But then I haven’t been actively looking for scams and expecting them to appear in my life.

Ted’s Tips™ #1: Take some trust with you into the real world. It is not a bad thing.

Ted’s Tips™ #2: Learn to read people and situations and gauge your responses by the situation rather than by a rigid set of YES/NO rules.

Teaching English and Job Security

Is there job security when teaching English abroad?

People often ask me this question and my answer is usually, “Yes, and No.”

To a large extent it depends on your employer and the country in which you decide to work. The English teaching world is not really any different from working in your home country, there are excellent employers and there are shady characters you hope you never work for.

So, just like back home, take your time and select your employer carefully. See Checking your Employer’s Reputation on this blog.

It is up to you to create your “security”.

Easy enough answer, no?

There are many people in this business, and I am one of them, who will tell you that you should always consider yourself a “private contractor”. That you should always think of yourself as working for yourself. Don’t count on any one employer looking out for you or assuring your future. If you do, you will surely be disappointed.

Case in point: My best friend worked for a university in Korea for over ten years, only to find that they had decided to implement a policy which would limit foreigners to THREE years. At first, he was told that they would “grandfather” him into his position.

But the reality was that he had to leave. He had put down roots in the town where the school is and had made himself very comfortable in a good job. He did his best every year for the students and school. Yet, he found himself hustled out the door. Boooooo, bad school!

Year-to-Year Contracts

Year-to-year contracts are the norm in this industry and that should tell you something. Namely, that you should be prepared to hunt down a new job every year (but you won’t really have to). Some jobs, in some countries offer longer contracts. they are not rare but they are not really common either.

Though contracts for teaching English tend to be year to year, lots of people work for many years at all kinds of schools. If you do a decent job, you will usually be renewed.

It’s not all that bad

The good thing about all this is that, as noted in one of the subheadings, you will have to learn to create your own security. You will find a deep sense of satisfaction in building your own employment and financial world that is independent of your employer(s).

Don’t find yourself in the same boat as the people who worked for Enron or Worldcom, CitiBank, Bernand Madoff or even those who relied on defined benefit retirement plans from some of the largest corporations in the world. Take care of your future.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Learn to take care of yourself. It’s not a bad idea, it’s a GREAT idea.

If you intend to spend more than just a year or two abroad or if you surprise yourself and end up spending longer than you thought you would, get moving at educating yourself for long-term financial security.

I bought and paid off several rental properties to help provide for my old age (Yeah! You can do that while teaching English and seeing the world!) I am not rich but I don’t have to worry about my former employer(s) going bankrupt and failing to pay my living expenses.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Find out about medical plans independent of the minimal plans offered by your employers.

While you are young and healthy this may not be too much of an issue, but life can throw surprises and challenges at you at inconvenient times.

Because the cost of medical in many countries is much lower than in Western countries, you may find good quality insurance much less expensive than you had thought.

Carrying your own insurance usually makes it portable, so you are covered even while traveling outside the country in which you are working, which is rarely the case with employer provided insurance. That portability can also mean you are free to change employers and countries when and if you wish and still be covered – even between jobs.

Disclaimer: Sorry, but you know how the world is . . . so here I will say – don’t follow my advice, nothing is my fault if you create problems in your life and please read our legal disclaimer.

Is Teaching English Overseas Appropriate for Me?

Will I be happy and successful working abroad?

This is one question that only you can answer, but I will provide some guidelines and questions here that will help you take a solid look at yourself and come to a good answer.

Life overseas is not for everyone. It is a life full of wonder and new experiences, but along with all that also come some new challenges and difficulties. Sometimes even simple problems easily solved “back home” can br quite difficult to sort out abroad. Just getting a driver’s license in some countries is probably equal to getting a bachelor’s degree.

What are the things to consider?

Do you have a family that you are responsible for? How would they feel about moving overseas and living in a foreign land? Things often don’t work well unless everyone is on the same team.

Do you have a spouse or partner? How would s/he feel about giving up their job? Will she be able to find work overseas? Is she interested in teaching English also?

Do you have children? How will you educate them while overseas? How might they feel about giving up their friends? Educating children while abroad can be a very expensive proposition. International schools charge huge fees for their (usually) corporate-sponsored families. School fees can easily exceed what the ordinary English teacher earns each month.

Do you have debts that must be paid while you are overseas? If so, choose your country carefully. In some counties it is easy to save US$1000 a month, in others you can live well on the local economy, but it will be difficult to save more than for a ticket “home” once a year.

Are there special medical issues for you or your family that must be considered? This is sometimes an easier issue to deal with abroad. Medicines and medical care in some countries can easily be only ten percent of what you might pay in a Western country. But, some countries won’t have the latest in cutting edge medical care and drugs. If you have chronic or complex medical issues, check with your physician first and double check what is available where you intend to go.

Do you have the financial reserves to return to your home country and re-establish yourself if things don’t work out? It is good to have a little emergency cushion, just in case.

Have you ever taught before – do you have any reason to believe that you might enjoy teaching English? Teaching is a “helping” profession, do you enjoy working with people?

Have you ever traveled or lived overseas before? Did you enjoy it? This isn’t a “have to” but it does help you know. I went to Africa at age 37 only having been across the border to Mexico for a few days. Wow! What a transition. But it worked out okay – for me. It might not for everyone.

Would you find the daily problems of living and working overseas frustrating – or a refreshing challenge? Life’s daily frustrations don’t go away just because you are living in another country.

This list is only a beginning – as individual as each person is – so are the questions that need to be answered in making this decision.

What qualities are needed to succeed?

My observation has been that people who succeed in TEFL overseas have the following characteristics and knowledge:

They have reasonable expectations about their new occupation and what it can and cannot provide for them.

They understand that their new country is not like their home country. Solutions to problems that work at home often don’t work overseas.

They realize that problems they had at home will probably also exist overseas.

They know they will have good days and bad days, just like back home.

They know they may experience good bosses, bad bosses, good jobs and bad jobs, just like back home.

They are flexible people who can roll with surprises and “punches” and can bounce back from a bad situation.

They are willing to work under different cultural expectations, willing to follow different cultural work rules.

They are not generally moody or depressed people.

They view their success as a personal challenge.

They spent a considerable amount of time researching their move, before they moved.

TED’s Tips™ #1: While it is useful to seek other’s opinions on these issues, listen to your heart. Is this something you really want to do? I had dreamed of living abroad for years and years before I finally made the move. It was in my heart to do it. If it had not been, I would not have survived those two years in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

TED’s Tips™ #2: This doesn’t have to be a decision forever. If you find you hate it, you are still free to return home. Few things in life are totally irreversible.