Asian-Appearance teaching English to kiddos?

[Donutynuts]

Hello Everyone!

This is my first post here. I've been lurking around for the past 2 years though.
First of all a bit about myself. I am of Asian-decedent, born and raised in North America. I graduated from a some what well-known university. I've worked with kids for around 3 years in NA, and has done another 2 years in Hong Kong.

My job nature was to use English to teach kids. While I do not possess a B.Ed nor the teaching certificate, nor TESOL - I have some confidence that I am experienced in teaching young children and ESL learners. I'm also experienced in report writing, handling parents, program design.

I've recently quit my full time job, because I am financially in need to have a higher income.
My monthly salary was on the lower end of 10,000. I am hoping to see if I can earn 20,000~30,000 per month.

I know I have the experience to teach, but unfortunately I don't have any papers to show it (I heard HK cares a lot of about certificates..), plus the fact that I look Chinese.... Anyone here knows if my goal is achievable?

[jmbf]

Short answer - yes it's possible to earn that amount (and more) through tutoring but with a few caveats.

You will need to do something to stand out from the crowd, perhaps you can focus on preparing students for admission to US schools / universities? Or offer specialist writing courses?

In any case you will have to work hard to promote and advertise yourself in order to find new students.

Also, in the tutoring field it's not really about certificates and qualifications, it's mostly about your reputation and that takes time to develop.

[Cegaiga]

I recently got a job teaching, and if I meet my all my bonus requirements, its the low end of the range you are hoping to achieve. I believe English Teachers tend to get paid around 15k - 25k, however this depends on bonuses, housing and such. I think 15k is the minimum you should be looking for.

Experience wise they usually look for two years teaching experience and a teaching certificate. The teaching certificates are easily obtainable (I did a 120 hour online TEFL course) so if you have a spare two weeks, you should be able to obtain one.

You say you have worked with kids. That is a bonus as that is what my company that I work for asked me. A few things I would ask you are:

• Have you managed a class before?
• Did you independently manage the group of kids?
• What was a typical lesson you taught to the kids? (May be similar to the companies programs, for example phonics)

As for the 'face of the company', I had this conversations with my uncle and aunties (locals) and they claimed that English teaching companies do tend to go for the 'western' look, as it is more marketable. However, at my center that I am training in, there are a few teachers who don't have the 'western' face, but they have been in the industry for a considerable amount of time. You were born and raised in North America, so technically you are not a 'local' so you should try make it clear that you were raised in a native country, and that you have experience in working in their educational systems.

Finally, apply! I had no experience what so ever when it came to teaching, and I sent my resume to many companies, even asking if they would take me as an assistant to get some experience! If you come across well in the interviews, and (I am assuming English is your first language) come across well with your language then you may be able to get a job!

Sell yourself! Outline your strong points and tell them what you can bring to the table.

[Donutynuts]

Thank you Cegaiga and Jmbf for your kind responses!

Cegaiga, regarding your questions:
Have you managed a class before
>Yes! I have done small classes of 4 - 10 kids. These are usually preschool kiddos.

Did you independently manage the group of kids?
>Yes. I have had assistance from colleagues but I can handle a small group of kids.

What was a typical lesson you taught to the kids?
>Songs with actions, jolly phonics, story books and questions, etc!

I have a question - which school did you go to for TESOL?

Thanks!

[Cegaiga]

Thank you Cegaiga and Jmbf for your kind responses!

Cegaiga, regarding your questions:
Have you managed a class before
>Yes! I have done small classes of 4 - 10 kids. These are usually preschool kiddos.

Did you independently manage the group of kids?
>Yes. I have had assistance from colleagues but I can handle a small group of kids.

What was a typical lesson you taught to the kids?
>Songs with actions, jolly phonics, story books and questions, etc!

I have a question - which school did you go to for TESOL?

Thanks!

You have the experience, the classes I do have a maximum of 6 kids per class, aged between 3 and 10. All the typical lessons you have taught are very similar to the ones my company provides!

120-Hour Combined TEFL Course Information - The TEFL Academy

I did the 120 hour course online. I did in my spare time. You should be able to go through it pretty quickly, the assignments can take a day or two to get marked, however if you grind through it, it can be completed within two weeks I reckon.

Good luck.

[mrdollars]

You should do a TESOL (English for Asia) or CELTA YL (British Consul) course. Expect to pay around $25k for the course (think of it as an investment!) You should be able to get into teaching quite easily after that.

In the meantime, you may wish to consider a Teaching Assistant position to get some more classroom time. International schools will pay 15-20K+ a month for the right person. Local schools pay considerably less.

[jmbf]

You will have to acknowledge the fact that many teaching jobs are quite poorly paid. To counter this you have a couple of options. Either take the time to up skill yourself to make yourself eligible for EDB NET positions / international school positions (which will take time) or develop yourself into a professional private tutor. Both avenues have their pros and cons.

[threelittlepigs]

Hello Everyone!

This is my first post here. I've been lurking around for the past 2 years though.
First of all a bit about myself. I am of Asian-decedent, born and raised in North America. I graduated from a some what well-known university. I've worked with kids for around 3 years in NA, and has done another 2 years in Hong Kong.

My job nature was to use English to teach kids. While I do not possess a B.Ed nor the teaching certificate, nor TESOL - I have some confidence that I am experienced in teaching young children and ESL learners. I'm also experienced in report writing, handling parents, program design.

I've recently quit my full time job, because I am financially in need to have a higher income.
My monthly salary was on the lower end of 10,000. I am hoping to see if I can earn 20,000~30,000 per month.

I know I have the experience to teach, but unfortunately I don't have any papers to show it (I heard HK cares a lot of about certificates..), plus the fact that I look Chinese.... Anyone here knows if my goal is achievable?

So whta you are asking in a roundabout way is - does native English speaker equate to White?

[Donutynuts]

You will have to acknowledge the fact that many teaching jobs are quite poorly paid. To counter this you have a couple of options. Either take the time to up skill yourself to make yourself eligible for EDB NET positions / international school positions (which will take time) or develop yourself into a professional private tutor. Both avenues have their pros and cons.

Thank you! I've actually worked as a SEN support (privately hired) for an international school for approximately 2 years, so I do have some international school experience as well.

You should do a TESOL (English for Asia) or CELTA YL (British Consul) course. Expect to pay around $25k for the course (think of it as an investment!) You should be able to get into teaching quite easily after that.

In the meantime, you may wish to consider a Teaching Assistant position to get some more classroom time. International schools will pay 15-20K+ a month for the right person. Local schools pay considerably less.

Thank you for the info as well . I've heard some TESOL courses have many hours of online instruction but does not require a practicum. While it seems appealing, I've also heard that the ones without practicum are not as good... Would you know anything about that? Thanks!

[mrdollars]

I recommended the two specific courses above because they are both highly regarded and involve over 100 hours of tuition with the practicum element. Doing an online course is not the same IMO. That said, I do know a few people that got started teaching by doing online courses, so maybe it's enough for working in HK.

If you look at the websites for English for Asia or the British Consul all the info you require should be there.

Good luck and PM me if you need further help.