As promised, here are the programs to teach English in public schools in Asia. Please note that most of the program don’t have an official website, so I’ve linked to sites that are run by recruitment agencies because they have a lot of information about them. I’ve never used any of these agencies so I can’t vouch for them, but a quick search should bring up reviews by those who have. 

China 

• There is a huge demand for English teachers in China, but I can’t find a government program that places NETs into public schools. After much google-ing I’ve come to the conclusion that  you either have to find a job yourself or apply with a recruitment agency to find the job for you. Check out this site for more information. 

Japan - JET Program 

• Institutions: Public
• Contract duration: 1 year
• Requirements: Hold a BA. Be a citizen of one of these 39 countries. Be interested in Japanese culture. Applications open in late September. You must pass an in-person interview to get in. Competition for a spot in the JET program is very high, I’ve read that out of 5000 applicants only 800 will receive a placement.  

Malaysia - English Language Professionals 

• Institutions: Public
• Contract Duration: ?
• Requirements: Teachers should be 27+ years old, hold a BA and be TESL certified with 3 years experience teaching abroad. This program is interesting because you will not be working with young students, but helping Malaysian English teachers work on their English proficiency. 

South Korea: EPIK Program

• Institutions: Public 
• Contract Duration: 1 year
• Requirements: Citizen of USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. You must have also completed your BA (or equivalent) in one of these countries. Applications open in the fall and late spring. Application process is about 4 months long. 
• I completed a year teaching in SK, so if you want any information feel free to ask me!

Thailand 

• Like China, the TEFL market in Thailand is huge. And like China, I was unable to find a government run program that placed NETs in Thai public schools. If you are interested in finding a job teaching in Thailand, check out Ajarn, a site that is run by expat teachers living and working there.

Additional opportunities for those with a B. Ed or equivalent

Brunei 

• Institutions: Public
• Contract Duration: 16 - 24 months
• Requirements: A degree from a university in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa or the UK. A B Ed/Dip Ed/Dip Teaching/PGCE. A minimum of 3 years teaching experience. A valid driver’s license. 

Hong Kong 

• Institutions - Public (Primary or Secondary)
• Contract Duration: 2 years
• Requirements: Major in English, B.Ed and a TEFL/TESOL certificate. 

Taiwan

• Institutions: Public 
• Contract: 1 year
• Requirements: Minimum requirements are a degree in English OR Education AND a teaching certificate. 

Of course you don’t have to stick public schools, there are also opportunities to teach in the private sector in each of these countries. And while fluency in English is the only language requirement, knowing the basics of the official language of your host country will make your experience in that country much more enjoyable.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you know of any other programs I’ve missed, please message me so I can update the list. 

The following photos were taken between May 5 - 8th 2011, when I went to Japan. I can’t believe it’s already been a year! 

A temple in the Gion district of Kyoto. 

Paper Lanterns within the temple. 

Look familiar? Taken on the way to the Philosopher’s Path. 

Along the Philosopher’s Path. I’m wearing my favourite buy in Thailand, $5 sandals from Bangkok. They were so pretty and unique, but they broke a few months later. 

The famed 1000 Torii Gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto. 

Spotted: Mount Fuji while riding the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Exploring the Harajuku area of Tokyo. 

Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. I sat at the Starbucks (where I took this photo) for at least 15 minutes, and every crossing was as busy as this one.

A manga store. Shelves upon shelves of manga. I think this one also had multiple floors. 

Tokyo Disneyland!

This photo was taken exactly a year ago from today. I wish I could go back and tell her what I know now. It would save her a lot of time, effort and frustration. [And I bet the me from May 2013 will want to go back and tell the me now to stop being so damn melodramatic, haha.] As they say, hindsight is 20/20.

“Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.”

Every day we make thousands of choices. From the moment we awaken we are faced with a choice, go back to sleep or remain awake. Throughout the day more choices are made: what to wear, what to eat, what to do, who to spend our time with. We even make choices without realizing we are deciding: we hear or see something and decide it’s funny, so we laugh. You’ve decided that what I am writing is worth your time so you continue to read this paragraph. I love the fact that there is so much to choose from in our every day lives. I would be very depressed to be living a life that lacked spontaneity or variety; were every day was like the day before it. 

Then there are the big decisions. The choices you know will impact your present and future quality of life, raising the stakes significantly and making the decision process much more stressful. Decisions such as: should you move halfway around the world to live in a country where you don’t speak the language, aren’t familiar with the customs and don’t know a single person? You would think that since I have made this decision before it wouldn’t be so difficult to do so again, but not only am I a different person this time around but the people around me see me differently too. When I decided to go to South Korea in the summer of 2010, most of my family and friends supported my decision (or at the very least did not try very hard to sway it). 

Now, at 24 I am suddenly too old to be traveling around ‘aimlessly’ and need to get settled with a job so that I live the Canadian Filipino dream of living in a detached home with a husband and 2.2 kids. That’s not what I want, I know that’s not what I want, but it seems other people know what’s better for me more than I do. In the last week I have had to sit through lectures from my parents, my manager and my friends, on why I shouldn’t go to Spain (or anywhere abroad) and just stay here. I understand that they believe they are doing me favour, but I never asked for their opinion on my life. And while for the most part I have successfully ignored their opinions, I can’t help but blame myself for putting myself in this situation. 

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Less than 24 hours after my flight had arrived at Pearson international airport last fall, I was already scouring the Internet trying to find opportunities for work abroad. There is a huge demand in the ESL/EFL field and almost every non-English speaking country has opportunities to teach English. I prefer to stick to public/government run programs because I feel that they are a safer bet but that limits my choices. However, if you are willing to take the risk, there are plenty of private sector ESL/EFL jobs available all over Europe.

Here is a list of the programs I found online. Benefits and pay of each program varies; I’ve included links for more information. I didn’t look in depth at all programs, but if you’re interested I suggest trying to find a blog by someone already in the program and ask them questions (or just read their blog for more information). Some programs also have their own forums which can contain answers to any other questions you might have. 

Half of these programs do not require language proficiency in any language other than English. That being said, it would make sense to at least be interested in the culture and language of the country you want to apply to.

Austria - US Teaching Assistantships at Austrian Secondary Schools 

• Institutions: Public High Schools 
• Contract: 8 months (October 1st - May 31st)
• Requirements: Open to American citizens who have a BA. Have intermediate level German language skills. Applicants should be 29 years old or younger.
• Applications open in November and start the following fall. 

France - Teaching Assistantship in France 

• Institutions: Public 
• Contract - 7 months (October 1st - April 30th)
• Requirements: Open to citizens of Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Must have completed all your schooling in one of these countries. Must have intermediate level French language skills. Must have completed at least 2 years of university by the time the program starts. Must be between the ages of 20 - 30 when program starts. 

Germany - Teaching Assistantships at German Schools 

• Institutions: Public High Schools
• Contract - 7 months 
• Requirements: Open to US Citizens with a B.A in German or German Studies. Good Germany proficiency required. Applications open in the spring and placements start in the fall. 

Italy - ACLE Summer Camp Program  (THEY ARE STILL HIRING FOR SUMMER 2012!)

• Institutions: Private (but “endorsed by the Italian Ministry of Education”)
• Contract duration: Varies, but generally 4-5 weeks during the summer. 
• Requirements: Hold a valid passport. Must speak English without “speech impediments or strong regional accents.” Prefers applicants between the ages of 20 - 30. 
• Applications open in February. Camps can start anytime between May and August (it’s up to you). 

Spain - North American Language and Cultural Assistants Program

• Read this post for more details. 

Switzerland - LAP 

• Institutions: Public High Schools 
• Contract Duration: 10 months (except in German speaking Switzerland where it is usually a year)
• Requirements: Be a student or graduate of a university or teacher training college in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada or the USA. Must be 21 - 30 years old. 

Switzerland - Camp Montana 

• Institution: Private Summer Camp
• Duration of Contract: 3 - 9 Weeks
• Requirements: Must be 20 years or older. 

None of these programs require any formal training in teaching, although a TESOL/TEFL certificate or experience teaching will increase your chances of being hired. There are other programs for people who have a Bachelor’s of Education, but I don’t have one so I didn’t bother looking at those programs. 

If you know of any other programs, feel free to message me so that I can add to the list! I am working on making a list for Asian and South American countries, so look out for that in the next couple of weeks.

Until next time, 

Sometimes when I am thinking about my life (what I want it to look like, what I want out of it, who I want in it) I get side tracked and end up trying to recall what I was doing at this time a year ago. I like to compare my current self with my past self and try to find the ways in which I’ve grown and the ways in which I haven’t. I’m not the type to have a traditional handwriting kind of journal; I have made many attempts to keep one, but I always seem to lose interest. Fortunately, with the Internet’s many social media sites, I can still look at myself going back more than 5 years.

My Facebook profile is the one I have had the longest, since fall 2006 when I started my undergrad. I deactivated it more than 6 months ago, and don’t plan on reactivating it until I leave Toronto again. I would only really use it to keep up and in touch with family and friends. It has the most photos of me, but I never used my FB profile as a way to express anything of real substance or value to me. [But I did like that once a year it would remind people of the day I was born. This year a lot of people forgot!]

I signed up for twitter in 2008, but never really used it until 2010. I use it sporadically, and finally hit the 1000th tweet mark last weekend. Select tweets from April 2011:

Some pretty deep stuff, eh?

Tumblr is the one I use most often now. My personal tumblr consists mostly re-blogs, songs and Internet things I think are cute or funny. Dispersed randomly among those are some personal musings and photos. A quick look at the archives show that in April 2011 I:

• watched an MGMT concert with Cindy
• enjoyed the spring weather by going to the park and checking out the cherry blossoms
• started (but never finished) a 30 day Tumblr challenge
• was working on a puzzle of The Great Wave
• watched my very first Cirque du Soleil show
• celebrated Yvette’s birthday at the Arts Centre and
• was very excitedly preparing for my trip to Japan

Conculsion: My life a year ago was so much more exciting and fulfilling then it is at the moment. And while that is quite disappointing, I’m not that down about it because (1) coming home to Toronto and moving back in with my parents, I expected it and (2) I am making changes so that 5(!) months from now I will definitely be in another country. (Verdict is still out on whether I have been accepted into the Spanish program, but I have 2 back up plans!)

My original draft of this post had another paragraph, contrasting me now to me in April 2011 based on my anonymous blog (a blog that no one knows the URL of, so I am completely candid about how I feel and what I think about events and people in my life). The original paragraph  started getting to emotional and heavy so I decided not to include it. However, reading that blog I could clearly see the areas in my life in which I have grown and the area in my life I still struggle to deal with. My hope is that a few months from now I can re-read that blog and honestly say it is no longer an issue. 

Until next time,

My ask/messages page is messed up. I only see one message when I open the page, but if I hit reply to that one message, older ones pop up. Any one know what’s wrong? Or how I can fix it?

Hello dear followers (and random people who have somehow ended up on my blog)! I apologize for not posting anything new these last few weeks. Since I have been getting a few questions about the Spanish program I applied for, I decided to write a post on it. I will write another post on the application process for the program and the application process for the visa in the next few weeks. For more information, I’ve included links to other resources that I’ve found very helpful.

The program is called the North American Language and Cultural Assistant Program or NALCAP for short. (I don’t know if people actually refer to it with that acronym, but that’s how I refer to it.) NALCAP is a program run by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports that aims to place native English speakers into English classes in Spanish public schools. According to the official website the “program provides Spanish students and teachers of English … an opportunity to broaden and increase their knowledge of the English … language and North American culture through interaction with native speakers.” If accepted, I would be an assistant (also referred to as an auxiliare) to a Spanish teacher that teaches English in a Spanish public school.  

The current requirements to be considered for the NALCAP are:

• Candidates must hold a U.S. or Canadian passport.  
• The candidate must be a native or bilingual English or French speaker. 
• The candidate shall hold a minimum of a BA or BS by the end of the academic year preceding the start of the program or be an upcoming Junior or Senior student at their university or be a university graduate. 
• Candidates must be in good physical and mental health. 
• Candidates must be in a position to present a certificate of good conduct or lack of criminal records when applying for his visa 
• Candidates must have an intermediate level knowledge of the Spanish language at minimum. [I currently do not fit this requirement, but am working on it.] 
• Candidates should be between the ages of 21-35. 

The assistant works 12 - 16 hours a week, 4 days a week. Pay is 1000 Euros per month in Madrid, and 700 Euros/ month everywhere else in Spain.  Assistants will also be given “general health benefits” [I’m not exactly sure what it covers]. The program runs for 8 months, from October 1st to May 31st, with the option of renewing for a second year. 

That being said, I’m excited at the prospect of living in Spain as I’m interested in the Spanish culture and language. I visited Madrid in spring 2007 and while I wasn’t blown away by the city (we went there right after Rome) it had its charm. The people of Madrid, known as Madrileños are fairly polite and a few were nice enough to help us when we got lost. I’ve been reading current auxiliare’s blogs from all over Spain and they seem to enjoy it. I think I would really learn a lot by living there. Also, since western Europe is relatively small and traveling within the area is not too expensive, I would probably be able to finally go to some places I’ve always wanted to visit (Barcelona and London come to mind) as well as revisit Rome and/or Paris.

Here’s an intagrammed photo of my birthday cake from last weekend. I actually made it myself. The bottom layer was a chocolate brownie and then a French vanilla flavoured layer of cake on top. I iced the cake with vanilla icing and threw on some sprinkles. I don’t usually bake cakes (I prefer baking cupcakes and cookies) but I think this one came out pretty well. 

Love Locks, Namsan Tower. Seoul, South Korea. August 2010.

“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.”

I have no idea who Alan Keightley is. Other than finding out that he is an author, a Google search on his name doesn’t give me much more information. Regardless of who he is, his quote above struck a cord in me. 

Growing up in a fairly traditional and very religious family, my parents raised me to believe that getting married and raising kids was my purpose in life. My chores included laundry and general cleaning tasks, cooking (although I still have a lot to learn) and baby sitting my three younger sisters.  [And while I recognize the importance of knowing how to cook and clean, I don’t agree with my parent’s reasoning.] My parents always told me that it was necessary to know how to do these things so that when I had my own family I wouldn’t be completely clueless.

Everything I did was to help me become a good wife and mother “one day”. I had to do well in school so that I could get a good job and provide for this future family of mine. I had to make sure I didn’t get into trouble and do anything that would ruin my reputation or none of the good men would want to marry me.  For the longest time, getting married and having kids seemed to me like the only path to happiness.

That all changed when I left my little bubble in Toronto and moved to Incheon, South Korea. One of the beautiful things about traveling is that you come into contact with all kinds of people. Traveling, especially when you are alone, forces you to open up faster and to people you might have never spoken to if you were at home. They bring up topics you’ve never heard of, much less conversed on. They raise questions you’ve never thought to ask. They question beliefs you always assumed were true. I started to question myself. 

What are my beliefs?

Why do I believe this? 

What do I want out of my life? 

I am still trying to find the answer to these questions. And while I may no longer have the answer to the question: ‘What will make me happy?’ at least I know what won’t: Other people’s ideas of how to live my life.