Tefl.NET Forums

Hey guys.

So I have some questions and would appreciate any help.

Switching from being a high school English teacher to an English language teacher next year. Myself and my girlfriend were accepted into a CELTA course in Thailand beginning in January. We plan to spend the month after completing the course just doing a bit of travel before hopefully finding a job in Korea or maybe Japan.

What is the application process like for getting work? Are there typically quite a few positions available and is the process generally quite fast?

Can we expect to find a job and (successfully) apply for it within a month of getting our qualifications, or should I be applying for jobs now, before I have the CELTA certificate with the expectation I will get it? Are language schools ok with this?

Any information, anecdotes, or dirty jokes are appreciated.

Thanks.

For both those countries the visa process can take a while so you'd need to apply much more than a month before you want to start work (you don't need a CELTA for the visa). Both also start the academic year in April, so that seems like a likely start date for someone finishing their CELTA in Feb.

Ok, thanks. So we should get some visa applications rolling, then. What about job applications? And will a successful job application speed up the visa process?

You need to have a concrete job offer to get the visa.

Great.

So job applications first. Since my visa will take a few months to be processed, I should be applying for jobs now - before I even begin the course. Correct?