Where can a degreeless American go and still find some work?

[Kunold]

Where can a American with no degree teach English Legally? a place where simply showing up as a native English speaker would ensure you have some work?
this probably wouldn't fly anymore? and perhaps justifiably so.

[Winston]

It's possible. It depends on how much they like you. Some people who run schools, if they meet you and like you, will offer you a job. This happened to me in Poland but it was in a small town. In smaller towns, there are less English teachers and so you may be in demand.

It all depends. There is no one way or method for all. You gotta do a little of everything - networking, asking around, answering job ads in the papers/websites, etc. and if you stick to it, you will find some kind of work that's suited for you. Main thing is to look for a need and fill it, preferably with something that you are good at. Think of your best skills/talents, and how you can use that to fill other people's needs or wants.

If you want to ask about teaching English in a particular country, it's probably best you ask in the forums of ESLCafe.com.

[ladislav]

Go to ESLcafe.com. job forums and sign up. Then you can do a search. But the consensus is basically China at this point seems to be the best place to go.

[Kunold]

China would still accept a American without a degree? I was thinking like only Tajikistan or something would even bother if even than.

[Jackal]

I think you increase your chances if you do one of those one-month intensive TEFL courses to get your TEFL or CELTA certificate.

You might be able to find an English teaching job in Moldova with just a TEFL certificate if you seem enthusiastic and can market yourself well. Obviously, if you apply for a job and say, "Hi, I have no skills, no confidence, and no motivation," they won't be impressed! Get your TEFL certificate, do a little research about the school you're applying to and the country it's in, and seem enthusiastic.

There are lots of bullshit programs out there which make you pay to get a job overseas. Personally, I think that's ridiculous. You should find other organizations that don't charge for job placement or just contact the foreign schools directly.

Start emailing people and asking questions. Take the initiative. Get information. Improve yourself.

[Kunold]

I will look into the classes

[momopi]

Where can a American with no degree teach English Legally? a place where simply showing up as a native English speaker would ensure you have some work?
this probably wouldn't fly anymore? and perhaps justifiably so.

It's a myth that you need a 4-year degree to get a decent paying job -- it helps, but it's not an absolute requirement. When I got my first corporate job at Fortune 500 company in 1990's, I did not have a bachelor degree. I was a certified OS/2 engineer and worked as a contractor. My agency charged $40/hr for my services and my cut was $22/hr + bonus for completing the contract.

If you goal is to make $$ to enable you to travel/live abroad, look around and do your research. Don't limit yourself to teaching English. The rise of China could either increase demand for English teachers in China, and/or decrease the importance of English in the Asian-Pacific region over time.

I'm currently working in the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Operations) field and can tell you that the hottest sector (from my chair's view) right now is natural resource extraction. Due to increased world demand on natural resources, anything that we dig out of the ground (or from under the ocean) is getting more expensive. Even the guys pushing a broom for Suncor or Shell at Ft. McMurray can make $80k CND/year. Aim to make good $$ and invest wisely.

[Repatriate]

I'm currently working in the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Operations) field and can tell you that the hottest sector (from my chair's view) right now is natural resource extraction. Due to increased world demand on natural resources, anything that we dig out of the ground (or from under the ocean) is getting more expensive. Even the guys pushing a broom for Suncor or Shell at Ft. McMurray can make $80k CND/year. Aim to make good $$ and invest wisely.

Interesting, how did you get into this field and what sort of credentials did you have to pick up to get those jobs?

[momopi]

I'm currently working in the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Operations) field and can tell you that the hottest sector (from my chair's view) right now is natural resource extraction. Due to increased world demand on natural resources, anything that we dig out of the ground (or from under the ocean) is getting more expensive. Even the guys pushing a broom for Suncor or Shell at Ft. McMurray can make $80k CND/year. Aim to make good $$ and invest wisely.

Interesting, how did you get into this field and what sort of credentials did you have to pick up to get those jobs?

I faxed in my resume instead of submitting it online. The HR guy was getting 400+ resume's by e-mail every day from job sites and my fax landed on his desk in hard copy. They wanted someone who can travel and fix stuff with a screwdriver (you'd be surprised at how many people cannot figure out how to open a computer case), the Chinese language skills were a bonus since the manufacturing is done in China. We don't make big bucks, our customers in the resource extraction industry do. The company had made a critical error by targetting the US auto industry as our main customer base years ago, and it almost killed the company. Now the best customers are the ones who dig stuff out of the ground.

For those who do want to get an education, don't settle for a crappy school and aim high. I got my MBA from University of Phoenix and it's not worth much. My GF got her MBA from Pepperdine and did study abroad in Beijing at Tsinghua university. It was expensive but the level of people that she meet and networked with were much higher. She has many peers from Europe who recognize China's economic rise and wanted to get a piece of the action. With her credentials and connections, it'd have been easy for her to get a job in EU or China if she wished it.

[wuxi]

China would still accept a American without a degree? I was thinking like only Tajikistan or something would even bother if even than.

First, you need to get a university degree, this is not difficult to do. About, 40% of english teachers in asia teach with fake degrees. English schools are just another racket, remember that.

China is the easiest country to get a job teaching english, thats where I taught. You can save about $500 a month teaching english in China. No one in China is going to check to see if your degree is legitimate because no one cares. As long as your students are happy with you as there teacher everything will be OK. The penalty for teaching without a real degree in other asian countries(other than China) is usually deportation and on rare occasion, jail time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acohwkuIa5o
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/review/index.pl
http://www.horizoneslchina.com/
http://www.englishfirst.com/index.html