Master of International Studies - would English tuition be settling, or my best bet?

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    Brisbane, Australia
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    Cool Master of International Studies - would English tuition be settling, or my best bet?

    Hey guys,

    This is my first message on the forum, but I have already done a lot of reading around, particularly on the many posts on native english teaching jobs.

    I would be extremely appreciative of any advice or feedback anyone may offer.

    I'm a 26 year old Australian (female) with a Bachelor of International Relations/Asian studies and a Master of International Studies (peace and conflict resolution more precisely), both from Australian universities. I graduated with the university medal from my bachelor degree, and received between a distinction/high distinction GPA for my master's (I mention this only with the intention of giving some context to my employability). I've worked in a variety of jobs here in Australia, including in sales (for an international NGO), administration/customer service, and in a couple of volunteer roles in the area of community development/social enterprise/with refugee communities.

    After graduating from uni back in 2010, I moved to Singapore to work as a research analyst and later senior analyst (bascially, a writer on development issues facing Southeast/East Asia) for a policy-oriented research centre at a university there. After 18 months, with the chance to publish some of my own writing, I got tired of the low pay (a non-profit centre) and began working for an Australian-owned English tuition centre, teaching 3-12 yr olds. I spent around 10 months with them before heading back to Australia (so around 2 years in Sing all up).

    So - I'm extremely keen to move over to Hong Kong - and wondering where you think I should focus my job search (I may have overlooked some viable options). A few months back I applied for a few management consultancy roles without any luck. My interest is in analysis and writing and I've found a few jobs advertised which I'll apply for, for native English speaking writers (eg one position involves preparing speeches and correspondence for execs, and comes with a salary range of 30K-60K). With my degree in 'international studies' am I likely to be competitive with graduates from comms/journalism/marketing/etc?

    I'm also considering teaching English, as I actually enjoyed it in Singapore, if being a little under-challenged/mentally stimulated (though it was with a tuition centre with the curriculum all supplied). I've applied for the Primary NET Scheme, but the Austrailan recruiter told me they don't typically shortlist applicants without teaching qualifications (even with a CELTA which I would get if shortlisted). I'm waiting to hear back from them.

    So my question - are tuition centres possibly my best bet, or do you think there are opportunities worth seeking out for someone with my quals/experience? (NB most of the international NGOs tend to be explicit on their need for English and Chinese for obv good reason). I'm not overly excited about the prospect of 18K/month..

    Sorry for the detailed post - thanks to anyone that read through and is willing to offer their two cents!

    Cheers

    Last edited by Pushkin771; 10-02-2013 at 09:46 AM.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    If you're not overly excited about the prospect of living on around 18K per month, then working in a tutorial centre is not for you.