Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. If you’re here, odds are you are already an ESL teacher or thinking about becoming one. I decided to start writing this blog because I remember when I first thought about becoming an ESL teacher and coming to China. It was the most exciting, scariest and craziest thing I have ever done. I also remember that it was difficult finding a lot of great information online about the situation I was getting myself into. As much as I was trying to make an informed decision, it also felt like I was taking a huge chance, so I hope maybe this blog will help someone else to feel better with their choice.
I have been in China for three years now. I first started thinking about teaching ESL in the fall of 2010. I had been out of graduate school for two years, but was having difficulty finding work. It was my hope to become a teacher, although I was not an education major. When I finished my B.A. I wasn’t too worried. Everybody said it didn’t matter what your major was, they (I was living in Florida at this time) needed teachers and you could get a job if you wanted one. However, I went to graduate school instead and when I finished that the economic situation had changed. Now they weren’t hiring so many teachers. I did get a couple of interviews, but nothing that ever turned into a job. The most I got was working as a substitute teacher and an afterschool tutor. It was around this time I remember a friend of mine from graduate school who worked as an ESL teacher in South Korea for a year. I thought if I did this it might be a way to get experience and help me eventually get a teaching job in America.
I went online, did some research and eventually got an online TEFL certificate (which is not a great certificate I know, but it will help you get a job). At this point I was ready to start applying for jobs. I began by applying for jobs in Korea. However, getting into the education system there is very demanding and so I began to turn my sights to China. I found it was much easier to find a job in China (which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but that’s a topic for a later post) and soon had a job lined up.
And so it was in June 2011 I had my passport in hand, my bags packed, waiting in line to get on a plane to go to China. Oh, it was also my first time leaving the United States. Again, this was the craziest thing I had ever done.
NEXT TIME: Examining the reasons you want to teach and figuring out what you want to get from the experience
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