A lot of people ask us, "How did you get your teaching jobs in Taiwan?"
Here are some helpful
hints to get you from point A to point far far away.
First of all, let me
start by reminding you about how most people get jobs today. They know someone.
And if they don't know someone, they know someone who knows someone, and if
they don't... you get the idea. It's all about who you know! Personal
recommendations and getting connected to people is easier and easier because of
our connectedness to social media. For that reason, it makes it harder and
harder to get jobs based solely on a good resume, the right experience, and the
right degree. Yes, those things help, but let's be honest. When it comes down
to you and the other guy who knows the owner's son, you are left looking again.
That all needed to be said to make this first point:
Get connected. Go to your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and whip
those social media accounts into shape. Make them snap, crackle, and pop. If
you are going to teach abroad then you are almost guaranteed to be hired from
abroad. This means you’ll have a Skype interview or two and your future
employer will look at your social media use.
Talk to EVERYONE about it. Seriously. We were planning on teaching
abroad over a year before leaving for our jobs. We didn’t know what country,
what age, how much we would make, or anything else about it at all. We didn’t
know anyone who had ever done it before. BUT, as soon as we started telling
people what our plans were (and if you are in college and almost done, you’ve
heard the ominous “what’s next?” question), we started hearing about a cousin
or a niece that did the same thing. Every time someone said they knew someone
who did it, I followed up with a “That’s awesome, would you mind giving me
their contact info?” I would then send them an email asking about his/her
experience and every single time they would tell me more than I needed to know.
Almost everyone who teaches abroad is willing to talk an ear off to another
individual interested in teaching abroad. Even before I went to Taiwan, I was
ready and willing to talk to people who were even remotely interested. So to
conclude this tip: tell everyone about how you are considering teaching abroad
and you will meet the right people. And it often feels much better to talk one
on one with several people than to read a hundred blogs like this one from
those who have done it.
Once you’ve selected
your destination, do your homework.
If you followed tip #2 correctly, you should already know at least one person
who has taught where you plan to teach. If not, repeat tip #2. (I guess you
don’t have to, but you will certainly feel more comfortable.) Ask this person
about how they got his/her job if you haven’t already. Ask if there is a job
board he/she recommends or a Facebook Group (yes, that’s actually how we got
our jobs). Make this person your best friend to the end. If they get you
connected to a few interviews, great. But keep them in the loop. Let them know
about the school you are interviewing for. See if they know if it is a quality,
trustworthy school.
The interview. Just be yourself. You already know this one. If
you do a Skype interview, dress up! Because it’s fun, and you don’t know what
to expect.
Last, but possibly the
most important, enjoy the unknown.
Don’t fret or stress too much about not knowing much about the job, the city,
the language, the food, etc. Those are all part of the adventure. Just make
sure you have been given a contract, read it thoroughly, had other eyes on it,
and as long as you agree with it and have asked around for recommendations for
the school, put the ink to the paper and say, “see ya later!”
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