ESL Jobs Forum

[neoyamaneko]

I recently applied for an ESL position with Korea Global Connections. I
have 13 years experience teaching in Japan to middle school aged children
and young adults in high school and university. I also have an M.A. in
Education and my 100-hour TESOL certification. When I applied for the job
at the TEFL job search site, I almost immediately got a reply from KGC.

[sterlingalston]

I think there should be somewhat of a Blacklist for ESL schools like this (no pun intended). People place the name of the school on the list, city, and country, and reason for being black listed.

I guess this way schools will all have to realize that there's something called the internet, people talk, and these action reflect badly on the school and the country the schools are in as well.

At the end of the day the school can hire whomever they want, but if there's no one foreign that they can hire while other schools have foreigners they lose a competitive edge.

[cassandraW]

Regarding issues on racial discrimination, I read an article which says that even American President Barack Obama became a victim of it. It is further stated in the article that the best federal judge in Montana has come under fire for forwarding an email containing a racial "joke" about Obama. The judge has apologized, although some feel he should step down. Analysts, however, say he will likely stay in his office, untouched. Resource for this article: Judge apologizes to Obama for racist email.

[gemry]

I am new to the ESL world and just getting started. However, I'm concerned about all the reports on age and racial discrimination in Asia. I'm a 59 year old woman of colour with MA and MSEd degrees, and a TESOL cert. I've been looking at jobs in China, Taiwan, and South Korea. It's frustrating and disappointing that I cannot get a straight and consistent answer concernng the age limit in China. Some say it's 55, others say it's 60.
With Korea, the age limit for the EPIK programme is 62 but I understand there's a preference for young, white, and blond. Do I stand a chance?
Not sure about Taiwan..other than the fact that they want you to travel to Taiwan at your own expense, on a tourist visa, then try to get an interview. This doesnt make a lot of sense to me. What if I dont get hired?...but it's their policy not to issue work visas outside of Taiwan. Can anyone share thoughts on these issues?

[unionjack]

Hello Gemry

Welcome to the forum.

I'm afraid age catches up with all of us and we just become too tired in the end.

However, if you have plenty of energy to keep going, then keep going.

The following site gives the age limit for various countries but I can't vouch for its accuracy:

http://www.internationalschoolsreview.com/nonmembers/age-article.htm

One way around this dilemma is to work for an agency who supplies teachers, under contract, to the country in which you want to work. The agreement is between the agent and the country and not between yourself and the country, so age limits don't come into the equation. This has worked for me in the past and in my case it was in Libya (50 was the age limit here and I was well past that) but that country isn't very stable just now and so I can't advise you on where to go.

Best of luck

UJ