Working abroad after Uni

I am in my final year of my degree and I would really like to go abroad for anything for a year to a few years. Where shall i go looking if i want to get a job anywhere abroad? I am prepared to go pretty much anywhere apart from unstable places such as the middle east for example i have the savings to be able to afford Australia even. So yeah can anyone point me to a good place to look for any type of work like this? Cheers.

Reply 1

standreams

There are 'working holiday visa' schemes for countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia, where you pay a sum of money to get a visa, and can then live in that country for a fixed period (usually a year) and work in any job which will take you (sometimes with restrictions). This is the only realistic way of getting employment in those countries, alongside other schemes such as 'Camp America' where you work a summer in a camp with children.

With a degree, and presuming you are a native English speaker, you can also consider teaching English (in fact, even without a degree this is sometimes possible). You may well need to pay to get a teaching certificate (CELTA or Trinity TESOL are the most reputable) which may set you back around £1,000. You can then look for teaching jobs anywhere as advertised, but the vast majority of jobs are in East Asia (Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan). These countries pay the best salaries. There are also British Council opportunities to work as a language assistant in schools in many countries.

You have the right to work anywhere in the EU, the only limitations being experience and language skills.

Reply 2

amoverend

As 'Standreams' said, you have a few options as to how you approach working and living abroad. However, TEFLs don't cost nearly as much as they stated. Go to this facebook page www.facebook.com/tefl120 and you can get a 120 hour online TEFL for just £99, through TEFL express. They also post jobs on their website.
I am currently coming to the end of my TEFL which I bought through the FB page, and have already secured work in China for January 2013 through 'Opportunity China'. I'll have everything set up when I arrive; job, a good wage, accommodation... it's all very exciting :h:

On the other hand my course mate from Uni went to Paris this year. She also did the 120 hour TEFL, but found her own accommodation, had secured one nannying job before she left, and has found a couple more roles whilst being out there! She loves it!
If you wanna know anymore just ask. But that facebook TEFL page was a great find :-D

Reply 3

standreams

Original post by amoverend

You are correct- but I didn't mention online TEFLs for a reason.

While there are many jobs (and in some cases, countries) which insist on a 4 week TEFL course with classroom experience (i.e a CELTA or similar), there are barely any employers who insist on a 120 hour online TEFL course (as opposed to no experience at all).

It might give you an advantage over candidates who don't have it, and will certainly give you a better understanding of grammar and teaching methodology, but it is almost never a prerequisite for employment. Whereas a CELTA/Trinity TESOL is essential for many positions- and unless you are lucky enough to find a long-term course at a FE college, will almost always cost give/take £200 either side of £1k.

For many positions, if you don't have a CELTA/Trinity TESOL, you won't get an interview as it's a basic requirement. Experienced teachers often have to get this basic certificate in order to get a foot through the door- despite their years of teaching. If you want to make a career of TEFL, it's almost obligatory, and getting one will open doors to many more jobs and countries than otherwise might be the case.

However, it's certainly true that a CELTA or equivalent is not a baseline requirement for all jobs in the industry, and as your experience demonstrates, it is possible/easy to get work without one.

Working abroad after Uni

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