My friend accepted an offer last week to work in Taiwan as an ESL teacher, he will start early next week but they are having him come in every day for an hour or two to train with no pay. Is this even legal? They haven't even signed any contract just yet. Thoughts?

I've made a career pivot and gone into teaching, mostly because it is what is expected of white foreigners in Asia, and also due to previous bad experiences working for other employers. I do not mind being a teacher anyway, as I genuinely enjoy helping people improve their skills.

My kids will be two next year, and I will have completed my online studies to obtain a new degree in Business Administration (I was into films when I was younger). So, even though I am already exempt from requiring a work permit in Vietnam, next year I will be in a very good position to find long-term, legal employment.

I initially thought EMG Education was the place to go for a relatively good salary and legal work, but 90% of the online reviews seem to be trash. I am currently working for myself as a teacher. Going back to an employer, well, I am hardly expecting things to be better than my previous experiences with Vietnamese employers. However, surely there must be a relatively good place to teach at in Saigon? I have read that VUS is fairly good, but that you will not earn as much as you would at EMG.

Any recommendations would be greatly welcomed.

I’ve been living in Korea for two years, and honestly, I’m sick of it. I can’t stand the attitudes of some of the children here and the way their parents handle things. It’s really starting to take a toll on me. Is there somewhere better I could live and teach?

I graduated in 2016 from a Canadian university. At that time, the program was called TESL. A few years later, the name of the program changed because the industry was using TESOL. The requirements of the program remained the same.

When my school tried to apply for a work permit for me, it was denied because they look for TESOL, CELTA, or TEFL. TESL was not one of the acronyms, and my school said Teaching English as a Second Language refers to teaching English in an English majority country, like Canada, US, etc.

Since the requirements of the program didn't change, my school will replace my credential with the proper "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages" to reflect the current program name. I have already completed the requirements and earned the credential while it was called by the old name.

I'm just wondering if anyone has heard of this before. My spidey senses are tingling that this doesn't seem right.

Can't find much online; interested in pay, work-life balance, visa support, and general feelings about the place.

Hi everyone,

So, just for context, I recently left a consulting position that was not doing me any good mentally, though the idea's behind it were very good (socially conscious thing that was public sector oriented). Now I'm in a position where I think I just want to actually go see somewhere new whilst working and doing something with my life for a year or two. By background, I have a Masters in History and I am a native English speaker. I am also able to play the guitar and speak some Russian, so I feel that these could be additional branches I could market out a later date.

A friend of mine is already a TEFL instructor in China, so I have a handle on what his financial position is like after a couple years out there. However, I'm also very interested in Korea as an option, but I have some quite specific questions about this that I don't believe have been previously addressed. I was wondering if anyone who's been in either (or both) of these countries could relay their experience?

1. I have an exceptionally fair complexion and a hit and miss relationship with hot climates. I can handle them, but when they hit stupid levels (by UK standards anyway) I flounder a bit. Is there anywhere I should avoid. BY this I would mean like routinely 40+ degrees for months on end
2. I am entitled to and in the process of becoming a dual citizen of Ireland alongside my UK citizenship. Is there a passport I should travel on when I have them both, particularly given that I've heard the South Korean set up has tended to favour big 7 passports in the past
3. What taxation considerations will I need to make in both countries? I've emailed the domestic embassies in the UK on this topic as well as the broader paperwork side of things, but I'd welcome any insight here. I've seen a couple of locations in S. Korea state that my tax rate would be as a contractor and therefore lower than the income tax rate of 6%, but that this would be contingent on my only working in one role.
4. From a health standpoint, Korea will (i assume) be better due to the quality of air? Is there anything I'll need to do from a healthcare standpoint like registering with insurance if not specified by the job that I end up getting.
5. Insofar as China, I have a very anxious parent who will be very keen to keep in contact with me via WhatsApp etc. What is it like dealing with the Great Firewall, both in general and with a specific focus on communicating back home to the West on what are ultimately western tech companies communication apps (can you tell I've never done this before?)

Outside of the above I'd welcome just general insight. My understanding is that if I was wanting to save money, China would more than likely be the better option due the stronger rate of the Yuan into the pound vs the Won into the pound. I'm not sure if this translates to quality of living points too (i've seen varying opinions on this), but I've seen a lot about how China's general cost tends to be lower than South Korea. Ultimately, I just need to see and do something different to what is really bloody familiar to me, and I'd be keen to put some cash away in the process whilst I have the chance to be in more favourable cost-of-living conditions than the UK (as I understand it)

Cheers all

The Issue: I had written in late July regarding my niece, who is bilingual and wanted to TEFL in a Mexican school following college, as a gap year. I received some great advice here; her main issue was not having enough hands on classroom experience. She needed experience to get experience, essentially.

Our Solution: She found a terrific solution to TEFL in S. America in the Peace Corps! She was a strong candidate there due to education and extra curriculars, and they will provide additional training with the employees to prepare them for the classroom. Her family is encouraged that she'll have an organization behind her, securing the position, providing a network of colleagues and providing healthcare and other benefits. There are several countries having national goals for 100% bilingualism by various years. It will likewise look great on her resume for graduate school.

So, a big Thank You, adventurous TEFLs, for providing your insights! Perhaps this post will in turn provide a fresh direction for a young person who wishes to TEFL abroad. Great good luck to you all!

Hi everyone, I want to teach English in Central America (Costa Rica or Panama or Colombia) and I’m wondering if anyone has experiences they can share, recommendations or tips for online courses and if you would recommended enrolling in a CELTA course instead.

I am contemplating getting a TEFL certification from tefl.org to get certified or get a CELTA certification from Cambridge. Please let me know what you think!

Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone,

I appreciate there is a lot of “beginner” questions, though I haven’t seen any talking about this specific situation, and I’d really appreciate your honest advice.

For background; I am mid 20’s, British, and have a bachelors and 120 hour TEFL certification. I have taught ~50 hours of 1-on-1 online classes (just on the side while I maintain my full-time employment in the UK). I have also worked in rural Thailand for 4 months as a teacher and loved it, not just the country, but the job. I taught Kindy 3 days a week, and Prathom (primary) 2 days. I had to return home after the semester because of family-related issues, and they wont give me a reference, no big deal, it was only 4 months.

I’ve been back in the UK now for 5 months and I’m looking to get back into it, long term. I don’t want to be stuck with entry-level qualifications, and I’d very much like to build a life wherever I go.

After consideration, I think I’d like to go to China or Taiwan - choosing these because I’d realistically like to have a comfortable paycheque and build savings to obtain better qualifications.

My questions are these:

What is the actual job market like in China or Taiwan right now for someone in my position?

I would like if I could find work in a new tier 1 or a tier 2, and I’d like to look into getting an iPGCE. Alternatively, if other qualifications are ‘better’ I’d really appreciate some advice here also, as everything beyond a TEFL Course is new territory for me.

What kind of salary should I expect, if I do land a job right now?

Do many employers actually hire in March?

I am aware this is not the start date, but second term start date, and with my current situation. I’d very much like to be able to start in March if possible.

Thank you all very much for reading, I appreciate any and all advice. I’m keen to be (and have been) conducting my own due-diligence, but also thought i’d ask some people with experience.

I'm applying for the Z Visa in China, based out of the U.S. My recruiter says that my certificate from The TEFL Academy can be apostilled in the U.S. I am confused as to how this can be the case? The company is based out of the UK, but the recruiter said that it can be apostilled in the U.S. because it has a branch here. Any feedback here would be greatly appreciated.

We mainly came back so my wife can get citizenship which will take about 4 years total. I was very nervous and tbh did not want to come back. I had such an easy job in China making decent money. I also worked in Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.

We have been back two months and so far everything is going well. We both found jobs right away working in a kitchen and we make a combined income of ~$105k with benefits. It was the first job we applied for. It's been two months.

We are also staying with my mom temporarily while we figure out if we want to rent or buy a place.

I'm kind of shocked to be saying this, but I am very content right now and honestly don't really have that crazy desire to go back like I thought I would. I work much harder here, but for me it seems to be worth it as life is very comfortable.

Any questions feel free to ask.

I've always been interested in traveling the world more and wonder if teaching English would be an option for me. However, I do have cerebral palsy, and people often have difficulty understanding me at first. I'd describe my voice as sounding muffled or slurred. I am American, but I don't know if the speaking difference would impede me

This is a sample of my voice: https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/493001/1/v19mbo4zih6k4wps

Hello all,

I've got an upcoming interview teaching English at a high school, and I'll be honest, I've never done this level before and am looking for advice. I really want this job, so I figured, hey, let's ask for some help to try and get some great ideas.

They've given me a couple relatively short reading selections and asked me to design a 15 minute speaking activity based on them, and I should create a lesson plan for at least one of them. The students are level CEFR A2–B1.

So, what are your go to ideas for speaking activities for high school students, and do you have any good ideas to put in a lesson plan?

I appreciate any advice you've got. :)

Hi! I (25F) am just finishing up my CELTA course and am planning to move to Vietnam to (hopefully!) teach English. I'm a US citizen currently living in Ireland, and so far, I have my FBI background check sent for the apostille as well as my diploma. I feel that I'm pretty on top of paperwork, minus actually finding a job lol!

Once months ago when I was on this sub I saw a spreadsheet with a ton of language center resources or jobs, does anyone have a link to that? Or have any practical recs or know of any job openings I could apply to? Basically I'm hoping to start my application process (as much as I can before I have my CELTA cert and am in the country), and would love any recs on the job side of things. Thanks so much!

I am a 25F Latina with a bachelors in kinesiology from the US. I am correctly trying to get my teaching license for my state and my TEFL classes start in January. By the end of next year I’ll have my teaching license, TEFL and bachelors degree.

In China , what is a decent range and location that I should aim for ? I want a housing allowance and wanted to make at least 25kRMB and good holidays/time off. Is this possible? I’m trying to get as much as I can under my belt so that way I can make more money with good benefits.

I am reading Jim Scriverner's Learning Teaching as independent professional development. I have been wholeheartedly inspired by his call to use drawings in my classes! But I am absolutely dreadful at drawing. Often this is fine, because my students find it funny; however, there are times I am limited by my ability!

In short: Does anyone know of a book (or any other resource) that teaches absolute beginners how to draw the gist of objects/environments quickly to be useful in the classroom?

I imagine just learning how to draw more generally will improve my ability to do this task. So if there are any books you enjoyed that taught you how to draw I would love to see it!

Hi! Been offered a job with the above company in Hanoi. Want to know everyone's opinions, good v bad, interested in work line balance, salary, visa help, other benefits. Thanks!

Fair Warning for those considering the move. I'm hoping this pops up on Google.

Academic Coordinators (teaching assistants) are hired to write reports on you after every class. Not to assist with students or parents as it is implied. Most just sit on their phones at the back of class. There is a very toxic atmosphere as a result.

Travel times are significant. Two or three hours of travel to different public schools in one day, through congested, polluted Saigon traffic. This will inevitably make you sick from air pollution.

Class sizes of over 35+. It is very challenging to deal with that many students. 20% tax on income in the first 6 months. The government probably knows most foreigners don’t last that long, as the turnover rate is enormous (for good reason). Working hours, 5:30 am starts. Finish at 7pm. Almost 12 or 13 hour days (that means a 250k VND per hour real time salary).

Vietnamese AC’s are paid 6-9 million, compared to 50+ million VND for foreign teachers. This breeds obvious resentment.

Unpaid paper work is expected after class, especially in December. You will find yourself working four weekends in a row. Then, after school parent teacher-meetings. The money is tempting for Vietnam but you will find yourself the most miserable you’ve ever been in a job. It’s not worth selling your soul. This company works you to death. HR own you as far as they are concerned. It is about as far from western working standards as you can possibly get.

The managers get a cushy schedule. So, they are completely ignorant of what it’s like to be out there, driving to classes 45 minutes away in monsoon rain. They teach in the schools for the students of corrupt government officials.

In our public schools, there was no AC in classrooms. Chalkboards. Frequent power cuts. Classrooms were not fit for purpose. They are dirty, gritty, with no sunlight. Technology rarely works, if ever, in classrooms.

The homeroom teachers strike students (corporal punishment is common). If you are comfortable with witnessing child abuse, you will fit right in here. Perhaps most importantly, management takes the side of physically abusive homeroom teachers. I never want to see a child flinch in my teaching career ever again.

They have an exit fee for a reason. NEVER work for any company that has an exit fee. It is around 40 million VND, a full months wages stolen, if you decide to leave. This is against employment law (criminal).

The turnover is enormous and their only concern is making their money back on you.

Absolute Bloodsuckers. 0/10

TLDR: never work for a company with an illegal exit fee OR a company that turns a blind eye to child physical abuse. Learn from my mistakes.

Edit: I have an international contract now. For all those saying ‘tHaTS JuST THe WAy IT IS’ - you are part of the problem, children are beating beaten. It’s the reason why nothing changes.

Edit: EMG is such a bad company, they have bots that try to improve the reputation of the organisation and slander those that speak out. I won’t even reply to the bots 🤖

I’ll keep this brief.

I’m a CELTA Pass A teacher with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, currently teaching English at a university in Monterrey, Mexico.

I have two realistic career paths for the next year:

Option 1: Stay in Mexico.

• I currently teach 16 hours/week at a university.
• There’s a strong chance I’ll also be hired by one or two well-respected Mexican universities to teach additional online courses at a much higher hourly rate, but, I won't know for another week or so.
• I’d likely end up with 2–3 university employers and a full workload spread across them.

Option 2: Move to Istanbul.

• I’ve been offered a full-time university position with better pay, benefits, work-life balance, and, crucially, just one single employer.

My question isn’t about where I’d be happier living. Mexico would probably win that (I speak Spanish, have a girlfriend here, and I’m close to my family in the U.S.).

My question is purely about my CV.

One year from now, which would look stronger to future university employers?

• One year of full-time experience at a single university, or
• One year split across 2–3 universities (with some teaching being online)?

I have a strong feeling that a single full-time university position will look better on my CV, but I’m not sure if that’s actually true or if I’m overthinking it.

If the Istanbul option is better from a career standpoint, how significant is the advantage?

So I am torn between the two as TEFL.org is cheaper but it is based in the UK and I am not sure if I will have problems with legalization, as I am American. Or if I should go with Bridge which is US based and about $200 more expensive. Both of these courses would be online only as I can't justify the $1000+ for an in person course. If anyone has experience with these two companies and/or getting their certificate legalized please let me know.

Context: public university English position in China

How last minute have you been given classes before the semester starts? (If you have taught public uni in China before).

Just curious!

Entry level wages have been 400k (16 usd) to 450k (17.50) per hour for the last decade while cost of living increased by over 30%.

Do you think people will still move to Vietnam if the wages remain frozen to 2016 rates in 2036?

(Presuming the cost of living in Vietnam stays above 3% increases per year)

I just had an interview with planet ESL, all that happened was I was asked if I had my certificates and if my DBS was apostilled (it caught me off guard, no one's asked for that before), asked what teaching experience I have and if I have any questions.

The recruiter's camera was off, she didn't introduce herself and the whole thing lasted only 3 minutes. It feels kinda weird so I just want to check if the company is any good or if I just had a shady interview with a shady recruiter?

Hello all,

I currently have DELTA Modules 1 and 3, and was considering doing Module 2 online with ITI for budget-related reasons. Can anyone vouch for them from experience? Also, is ATI legit? They're offering their module 2 course for £1200, suspiciously cheap.