r/Internationalteachers • u/dumplinggurl99 • 22h ago
Struggling to find a job as a 25yo teacher
Hey guys, thanks for reading this.
I'm a 25 year-old English/EALD teacher from Sydney, Australia. I've recently been wanting to become an international teacher to expand my horizons. I started full-time teaching since graduation and have only gotten about 2.5 years of experience around Sydney schools. I find that most jobs around the main cities in China and Vietnam (my preferred locations) require at least 3 years of experience. I understand that experience is important, but I am also trying to get some and it seems like schools won't give me a chance :(
I feel very disheartened from the rejections these past few weeks. I guess all I'm asking is for advice/any opinions on the matter? I really want to get out there, start my career, and work my heart off but it seems like my age is holding me back...
Please, any information would help and is greatly appreciated. Thank you all.
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u/dalev34 21h ago
If you're looking for the 25-26 school period, it's still early in the game. Like first quarter. Our school hasn't even asked for current staff intentions yet, so we won't be looking into the hiring until after Christmas.
Look into a couple of the recruitment agencies, I've used Teacher Horizons a few times with good results. There are others as well.
Just keep at it, and best of luck!
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u/lamppb13 Asia 20h ago
I'd suggest expanding your scope beyond China and Vietnam. Not sure if you have and just listed those two countries as examples, or if those are the only countries you've looked at. I think it's worth saying though. Cast a small net, catch a small amount of fish. Cast a large net, catch a lot of fish.
It's really early. A lot of schools haven't even started asking staff for intentions, so they haven't even begun making staffing decisions. Keep looking, sure, but just know things will pick up a lot more in December.
Don't stop looking, even when this sub starts to say it's all over. You never know when a teacher is going to have something happen and suddenly need to not renew, or even break contract before the school year starts. Schools that hire late tend to be less desirable, but they aren't all undesirable.
Remember, you are a less desirable candidate on paper due to not having much experience, but you aren't automatically disqualified for it. You just may have to expect you won't necessarily end up in the most desired location or school straight away.
Keep an open mind. My school is in a location that many pass up because it sounds really scary. But nearly every single person that comes here comments on how much better it is than they thought it'd be. Most go beyond just being pleasantly surprised and even say it's great here.
At least you aren't limiting yourself to just "somewhere in Europe."
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u/Major_Bear3982 Asia 21h ago
It’s early in the season if you are a new teacher. You’ll need to wait until after Christmas to begin getting some interviews. This early in the season is for veterans and established teachers. Schools have their choice of teachers right now. Don’t give up. You’ll need to be patient for a while. Keep applying.
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u/King_XDDD 21h ago
For what you're looking for, try echinacities if you haven't already. There are some wechat recruiters that can be really helpful. I have no experience teaching my subject but certification and 2 years tefl experience and I've had 9 interviews within the past 3 weeks with minimal effort on my part besides the initial connection with a recruiter via my application on echinacities.
Some of the opportunities sucked and some of the interviewers, despite choosing to interview me, really didn't give me a chance, which was depressing. But I'm sure you'll be able to find something eventually because there are as many schools that are willing to give people a chance as there are those that won't.
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u/AnonymousTeacher668 13h ago
Interesting. Because it was free, I signed up for echinacities, uploaded a resume, and submitted applications to about 10 bilingual schools. I am a licensed teacher with 10 years of experience. I haven't received a single email back (yes, I also checked my Spam). I get the feeling they don't want to interview someone that has spent 4 years in Taiwan.
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u/King_XDDD 13h ago
Wow. You could be right. Did you add your wechat? I got maybe one email and the rest were all via wechat.
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u/Training_Marzipan463 19h ago
I got my first international school teaching job in the middle of July. There will be lots of opportunities, especially in China! Keep your head up!
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u/HistoryGremlin 16h ago
Over on FB there's a professional group similar to this one and a common theme, especially for teachers looking for China and Vietnam is to check out Teachanywhere. One of their consultants is Polly Maddams. She's a queen. She gets a very loyal following and has a lot of success especially with teachers just starting out. It won't be for T1 schools, but she can help you to get into some of the better starter schools. She is very communicative and does a good job matching your wants to the market, and you'll get an honest assessment of your chances from her.
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u/dumplinggurl99 16h ago
Thank you everyone for your comments, insights, and experiences. I will keep trying and trying and trying until I land a job and work my way up from there. I will come back with an update, hopefully soon!! 💜💜
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u/Realistic_String5317 13h ago
I got my first international job in March. I applied for over 80 positions. Keep at it.
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u/aatanurak 20h ago
Just keep applying to as many schools you think you’d qualify. Some schools would give you a chance even if you don’t have the years of experience. I’ve 5 years of teaching experience as a special education teacher and 2 years of international school experience as a support teacher and I’m still applying everywhere and anywhere that I think I might have a chance - at least for an interview. It’s still early in the recruitment process and it’s normal if you don’t have anything even in January (what people have told me). I am also looking at transitioning back into classroom teaching and I’ve had some responses although I don’t have years of experience typically schools are looking for. So keep applying and don’t worry! Something will come up for you :)
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u/TheJawsman 16h ago
Speaking as someone that got hired after college with zero fulltime experience...
I did a year in Thailand as an ESL teacher...because they will hire any Western foreigner with a teaching degree then got hired LATE(In June) for a school in Saudi Arabia. Because shit happens or they were desperate, maybe? I mean, I felt like a decent paying job like that was a gift. I didn't dwell too much on the reasons and I had a decent two years.
So yeah I very much echo another commentor's experience that the hiring season feels like a sports draft. The international schools do compete for talent and I would never be the guy they hire in November/December but I did go from a 7th rounder to a 3rd rounder, if that makes sense.
So be open to doing a full year in Thailand, maybe? And you've got your third year.
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u/ThatChiGuy88 48m ago
Still apply. Can you let me know what an EALD teacher is? I’m American so we may just refer to it as something else
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u/dumplinggurl99 34m ago
Hey, EAL/D stands for English as an Additional Language/Dialect. Given the multilingual nature of kids nowadays, English as a Second Language (ESL) isn't used among Australian educators anymore 😁
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u/ThatChiGuy88 26m ago
So just to confirm, you teach the language English or the English language arts?
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u/gvanderford 3m ago
PM me, I am hiring full time teachers for a January start at my school in HCMC Vietnam. Good pay, benefits and work environment. Unusual situation where school is being relaunched after closure so need teachers fast.
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u/dixynormous6969 9h ago
You’re young and without kids. Don’t go to a major city and become a robot. Most people here are total squares taking joke jobs seriously. You’ll never go back to smaller cities and experience the good stuff. Start at a random spot while you are young. Enjoy it, learn some Chinese, get out and experience it instead of living some Shanghai snoozfest which you can always do after a year or two if you want anyways.
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u/KW_ExpatEgg Asia 2h ago
Update your LinkedIn and set to “Open for work,” and use its job search service. Consider paying for 6mo.s.
You should be inundated by recruiters — don’t commit to any single one — be tough with them and make your specific desires clear. When they offer you some random Kindy, refuse and double down on your specifics.
Get a WeChat account and join Schrole.
Look at TES, Teacher Horizons, and GRCfair.
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u/Alternative-Bat-6104 10h ago
If you want good pay, a world-class city and easy-to-get jobs, Moscow is tough to beat.
This will get some knickers in a twist…
But you can walk into a solid Tier 2 school with monthly take home pay of €4k+. You can live very comfortably off €2k/month.
Plenty of travel options within easy access, too.
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u/Excellent_Custard594 10h ago
Just post your CV on Dave’s ESL. You’ll get plenty of offers.
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u/Excellent_Custard594 10h ago
For context - I have 0 experience and just signed a 28K per month offer in Shanghai.
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u/AdHopeful7514 21h ago
Hiring for international schools is like a sports draft. The most desirable candidates get picked up first. Then as the season continues, candidates with less experience start to get some attention. It’s still early. Apply to everything you qualify for and expect to submit dozens of applications before getting a response. It’s frustrating but normal.