Planning the move back home after ESL
This is something that inevitably happens to all ESL teachers. That tenuous period where we realize we have to go back home. Whether it be (like me) because of career ambitions and family circumstance or whether it is simply just your time to make an exit from the ESL life. Moving back home can be a source of joy and anxiety both. Where will I live? What will I do? When should I start applying for work? All fairly common questions. I will try and go through some basics here so that whatever stresses you out about moving home gets resolved, even if just a little.
Where should I live?
This is a tough one. But in the end if you are moving back to your home country you may already have an idea of where you want to live. One of the fears I had about moving back to Sydney was that it might create a feeling of backwards movement. After a few years abroad nobody wants to just settle back into their hometown. Well.. Some people might. But that’s not me. I chose the next closest city center as my focal point. One thing that is very important here is that living locations can change. Dust off your old networks and reach out sooner rather than later. See how long you can couch surf for until you get a paycheck and can find a place of your own if need be. Though this may not sound ideal, it is either that or you can move back to your parents house. Your call.
What should I do? What is my career goal?
Okay, this may come as a shock, but I can’t help you here. Hopefully you already have a career plan to follow when you go back home. If not then you may need to suck it up and get a part time job, get some career counseling and move from there. Personally I am heading into communications, that’s what my degree is in, and honestly, that’s what I love doing, that and I am good at it and find it easy to concentrate on projects in that field.
What skills did I gain from my time as a ESL teacher? Is any of it transferable?
Holy crap yes! Anyone who tells you otherwise is oblivious, jaded, or lets face it – has probably been in ESL 10 years too long. Now the skills, you will need to tailor to your resumes. I suggest writing a list of EVERYTHING that you learned as a ESL instructor, then when it comes to CV writing time, you just pick and choose what will look better to that particular employer. Feel free to steal these, but here are some examples:
- Excelled in maintaining a professional appearance
- Collaborated with co-workers to work through tough challenges in the workplace
- Gained a higher level of cultural awareness
- Planned and delivered instructional activities
- Developed new concepts and games that aimed at enhancing student speaking and listening skills
When it comes to public profiles on job seeking sites I would recommend just sticking to the basics. What age groups you taught, what their English level was, how long you had the job and the location, the rest of the stuff up above you can throw in for show, but that’s up to your own discretion. You don’t have to justify why you were an ESL teacher! What you do need to justify is why you want to move into the specific career direction that you are going for. That’s all the employer wants, not a long list of “I totally did ESL because yadda yadda yadda and now I have XY skills that are totally handy dandy”.
When should I start applying for work?
Short answer – as soon as you CV is polished and looking nice. Slightly longer answer – about 1-2 months before you leave the country. We all know what it is like applying for jobs now. You see something ideal online and apply, only to get a rejection letter. Don’t let that get you down! Spend time on your resume, tailor each cover letter. Don’t mention that you are currently out of country, or if you do explain that you have a definite time that you will be back in the country and ask for skype interviews. Oh, and for the love of glob, don’t spam your CV. Nothing gets a rejection letter faster than a generic CV that you have spammed. Use keyword searches on the advert, then use those keywords in your own CV. It will greatly enhance your chance of getting that job sorted so that you can slip right in when you get back home. Make looking for work back home your after hours job, have a coffee and just doooooo eeeeet.
Use the ESL momentum
There comes a time where every ESL teacher realizes that what they are doing is only temporary, whether they want to continue teaching or not is arbitrary. They will still only be in their current location, in their current position for a short period of time.
So this begs the question, what next? Did this year help or hinder my career progress? Should I go back home or should I go to another country and seek my fortune there? Worry not, for there are still many places to choose from. As for where to search I would suggest a combination of recruiters and craigslist. Don’t feel bad about using multiple recruiters, sometimes they make you sign a document saying that you will use them and only them to look for a job, but to do so not only limits yourself but is just plain stupid. Sure some recruiters have links with only higher quality schools, but many of them leave things to the last minute.
I found my new job in Nagoya (Japan) through craigslist and after two skype interviews got the joy of trying to get my Hagwon to organize my flight to Japan. When push comes to shove Korea is a very lazy and last minute society, it works well when you want to live on the fly, but doesn’t work well if you have a paranoia about being late for things.
As for choosing your next country to live in I have a few suggestions that really helped me out. Print out a map, just a black and white map of the world. Highlight the places you have visited and the places you have lived. Now you see all the blank areas? That is where you are going! Somewhere among all that blank space on the map. Then start looking for things that might affect your life to narrow it down such as;
- cost of living
- crime rates
- average income for ESL teachers
- tourist attractions in the country
These things will help you a lot in making your choice. Next size up the pros and cons, put all of the above on a piece of paper, choose 2-3 countries. Then apply, apply, apply. You are better off to plan apply in multiple countries because it means you still have that surprise when you get the final job offer. If you find that you are starting to lean more towards one particular country then start applying there more. Don’t be afraid of the countryside, the cities DO NOT always offer the best teaching positions. That and you are trying to immerse yourself in another country, do you really want to live in a tourist hub?
A Korean magpie
Temples and Mazes
So today I got lost… again. But this time it was somehwere interesting. I decide to plan my trip, though I didn’t complete it I visited the coex comples. Now the coex complex is a maze filled with human stink, i.e. it is so sweltering that you must remove all but your innermost shirt (mayhapes even your skivee.) So once I was in the coex complex I was immediatly searching for an exit which allowed for fresh air rather than cigarette smoke and faecal smells. Eventually I was rewarded, by ignoring the directions of a local and going in the opposite direction I found the Bongeunsa Temple , a quaint little temple (by which I mean expansive) that acted as a central park, or hub for natural life. Within this urban sprawl it seems there is still room for the natural world to grow. If in a somewhat manicured way. Though I refrained from taking pictures of worshippers (as it was their sacred space) I cannot help but share the magnificence that was their large buddha surrounded by oriental looking lions.
Getting into the Swing of Things
So it has taken a while for me to remember my password for this blog (hence the long silence). For expats who get concerned about their school leaving things to the last minute (as mine did) I have but one piece of advice. Have faith and if not, have a backup plan. When I arrived at the airport, I was both nervous and excited, who wouldn’t be? But my lift was no where in sight. So I did the only sensible thing. I waited.
My patience was rewarded and soon I was on a bus to my new place of employment for a short visit before heading to my apartment. After that I had a weekend to set up my place (which I like to think I did quite well) and explore the local area (mostly by getting lost and making my way back to Chingsu University station (Isu).
As for the first week of work, well, as my first full time job, working in a foreign country, where no one speaks my language and I teach children how to speak English. It has gone pretty well. I am tired, but such is life. And today (a Saturday of all days) I had a meeting, where I impressed the executives of the school and fellow teachers with some illusionary magic tricks. Afterwards I headed to the Namdaemun markets. Where I walked over 5km any which way to try and get fresh air among a throng of people.
Too Many Vaccine Choices
So after my documents were sent off I knew I would have this week period of absolute silence, these things take time. While that is happening however, you should research where you are going and figure out what you need to pack. This is also a great chance to clean out your room of all the stuff that is non essential so that you don’t have to worry about possessions while overseas. First thing is first though…
Vaccines, what should I get? When should I get it? How much will it cost? So here is the big list of things you COULD get if you wanted to spend the money;
- Hepatitis A – $75
- Hepatitis B – $30
- Japanese Encephalitis – $360
- Yellow Fever – $70
- Malaria – $25
- Typhoid – $55
- Tetanus, diphtheria, Polio – $80
- Rabies – $315
If you are anything like me, you are more concerned with how you will survive in the first month than vaccines. Which means not spending over $1000 to get vaccines that you may not even need. So here is the list of absolutely essential vaccines which should tide you over for quite a while without hurting your budget too much.
- Hepatitis A – $75
- Hepatitis B – $30
So you are looking at about $100 for those two, though it could be argued that you need an influenza vaccine, it makes more sense to get it once you have settled in South Korea. This is because the strain that is present in South Korea may differ from that in your own country.
Teach, Travel, Research and Shenanigans 