Tefl.NET Forums

Hello,

I'm planning to do a CELTA course soon and try and work in Asia. At the moment I am considering Hong Kong, Taiwan or a big Chinese city to start with, then maybe rural China once I get a bit of a hang of the language and culture.

Firstly, is this still a viable career option given that the British economy is collapsing and everyone is looking for ways to retrain? I don't want to waste my time and money doing CELTA if I'm not going to get a job. I have a British BA in Philosophy. I don't need a huge amount of money but I would like to be reasonably confident I'll be able to get by and have some career progression with experience and further training.

Secondly, I'm rather baffled by the process of getting a teaching job in Hong Kong, China or Taiwan. There seems to be a confusing number of different types of schools, colleges and ways to apply. Can anyone point me to a reliable information source where I can start looking?

Thanks for your help, Michael.

MichaelH wrote:is this still a viable career option given that the British economy is collapsing and everyone is looking for ways to retrain?

There seems little chance that the demand for English teachers in your target region is going to be sated any time soon (especially in mainland China) - regardless of the state of the UK economy. And with a CELTA and your degree you should have no problem in landing jobs.

MichaelH wrote:I'm rather baffled by the process of getting a teaching job in Hong Kong, China or Taiwan. There seems to be a confusing number of different types of schools, colleges and ways to apply.

It's not really as complicated as it may seem. This ESL Jobs FAQ is not specifically about your target region but may clarify some points for you. Someone else can probably answer this point more fully.

Thanks! That's encouraging.