[wnewport]

I'm specifically looking for reliable sites with job listings, or other recommendations for finding the best jobs.  I've done extensive Google searches, but I really don't know who to trust.  I figure Head-Fi might steer me in the right direction.
 
China is my first choice, but I'd be willing to look elsewhere depending on the salary.
 
I know it's not as simple as that, so I'll provide a little more information.
 
I (will) have a liberal arts degree in computer science from a respected US university.
I do not currently have a TEFL certificate.
I'm a US citizen.
I am white, which, unfortunately, I've heard does matter to many Asian employers. 
I'm very independent, healthy, and stable. Plus I can handle emotional and physical stress.
I have taken classes on secondary language acquisition, but besides English, I can only speak a little German (which is probably irrelevant).
I would considering working abroad illegally depending on the risks/benefits, both of which I'm not familiar with.
Ideally, I'd like to live someplace with a low cost of living, so I could save as much as possible.
I can't predict how long I will want to teach, but it seems like 1 year is the usual amount.  It also seems like 20 hrs/week is common, but I'd be willing to work 40+.
There is also a slim chance I'd be going with a Chinese friend who is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.  I'm not sure of the likelihood, or how this would affect things, but it seems worth mentioning.
 
I hope I don't sound too naive.  Any guidance and advice is sincerely appreciated.
 
Wyatt
 

 

[moocow111]

I think the employers are looking for a degree in English, not a liberal arts in computer science. Also, if you want a low cost of living, don't even consider Japan, they have one of the highest costs of living in the world.

 

[wnewport]

I've taken many upper-level English classes in college (received all A/A-'s), I'm also well-read, write decent poetry, and excel in college's English in general.  In HS I got a 6 on the IB English exam.  I realize this isn't equivalent to an English degree, but I'm saying I could provide a writing a sample or other evidence to show I'm capable.  

 

[rawrster]

It might be a bit late now but you can get in for the next semester which starts around the winter time.
 
I don't know anything about China but I do know a little bit about Taiwan and Korea. Your degree really doesn't matter but lately it does help to have something related to teaching. Not to be racist or anything but since you are white it helps. You also need a degree which you have.
 
For Korea there are a couple of places that can help you. One is TALK (teach and learn korean) and the other is epik (english program in korea). Epik provides room and board so you can save a good a bit there. I'm not sure about the other one.
 
For Taiwan there's a bunch but standards have been going up for Taiwan due to demand. Some of the popular ones are hess and reach to teach. There's also a job board you can use for tealit. You will have to find housing yourself but it usually isn't too much. Also with tealit you can also find yourself some part time tutoring jobs which can give you a good amount of money on the side.
 
Also lots of the places does mention 20 hours but that's usually just the teaching part. You do have to prepare for lessons and stuff which would really make it closer to 40. I don't know much about China but I believe reach to teach has some placements in china as well as korea as well. China might be the hardest place and Korea being the easiest.

 

[ford2]

 
Quote::but besides English, I can only speak a little German
 
How are you going to teach them when you can not understand them.

 

[wnewport]

Quote:

 
Quote::but besides English, I can only speak a little German
 
How are you going to teach them when you can not understand them.

Yeah, I thought the same thing at first, but everyone has assured me that this is a non-issue.
 
Edit: To clarify, I won't graduate until May 2011, so I have some time to plan for this.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I've looked at it a little bit, too, since it would be fun to get out of the country for a year. Unfortunately, I don't have any solid recommendations. I have seen some discussions where people went to China with a work permit and by hanging around expat bars, made some connections and ended up working at an English school.

You might also want to consider some of the schools in South America - they want native English speakers, too. I think it would be a little easier since I've taken a bit of Spanish. Not fluent, but I can speak enough to get by and can mostly read Spanish newspapers. It'd be comfortable enough and I know the language would settle in.

If you're serious, you ought to use your last year in school to take a couple semesters of the language of the country you want to go to. For me, China would be intimidating because I don't know the first thing about Mandarin. Since it looks like I'll be in Yuma, Arizona for a year or two, I'm planning to take some Spanish classes. The border is only 15 minutes away, so I'll probably visit Mexico a couple of times a week and work on conversation. That way, I'll be ready to take a job down there if I want to.

 

[Jubei]

Well, don't know much about the topic, BUT my nephew did used to go to a pretty expensive English tutorial place taught mainly by native speaking whites.
 
Here is the website for your info : http://www.languageventure.com/venture/comp_bg.html
 
Basically, the following matters :

• Being white and a native speaker. Doesn't matter if you're local Chinese like me (despite having a English degree from a major US university). Being White means the school can charge higher fees in short, so it does matter.
• Did you graduate from a prestigious university? Chinese are notoriously conscious about brand name degrees, so if you graduated from, say, an Ivy League, you have better chances of a better job and better pay.
• Do you know the latest teaching theories? Teaching English as a foreign language means you need to have specific skills like phonetics etc.
• Some of these fancy tutorial places also help with teaching skills, like teaching kids how to use mind maps etc
• Not being able to speak Chinese (Cantonese in Hong Kong) doesn't really matter. In fact, some see it as a plus as students are then forced to deal with you speaking English. Anyway, most of the students here will have elementary English skills so it won't be from scratch.
• In general, rent in Hong Kong is expensive. The other major bills aren't cheap (at least I wouldn't call them cheap), but mostly manageable if you are careful and not picky.

 

[majestic12]

I teach English here in Japan, and it is something I really enjoy.  In my case, I got a visa through my wife, who is Japanese.  There are programs such as JET and GABA that can get you in.  While the cost of living is really high here, one can still live fairly well on the incomes provided permitted they don't eat out for every meal.  As far as teaching English in China or other countries, I don't really know about how that would work.  I don't recommend the illegal/non-visa methods though. 
 
Here are the sites you can visit if interested:
JET
http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/
GABA
http://careers.gaba.co.jp/overseas/
 

 

[ahilal]

Look into Thailand. Close friends of mine have been teaching there for years. They started out where you are: basic language instruction, but are now full time teachers in a private school that has made English a chosen first language. They say that teachers are basically professional class there, very looked up to and paid a decent wage. Living costs are very low. People are nice, especially the kids they teach. 

 

[jellojoe]

How much money do you expect to save per month while teaching? 
 
One of my colleague's son taught English in China at various schools for about a year. He is also caucasian and has a bachelors degree from a US university. The other posts are correct in that being caucasian will help your job hunt. That is because the ESL students and their parents are stupid in that respect, but I digress. I think his salary was 6-8k RMB/month (not sure if that's before or after taxes) which is comparable to the salary of a group leader (below associate director) in a science-related field. If you live in Shanghai, you can expect to pay ~2k RMB for rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in a decent part of the city. Food and transit in Shanghai will probably be about another 1-1.5k RMB if you are frugal. If you are interested in saving money, I would avoid the big three of Shanghai, Guangdong, and Beijing.

 

[KimChee]

I'm tired, so this reply might not make much sense but just a few things I think you should consider if you haven't-ChinaNOW,Jet, Epik as others have mentioned.  I would recommend doing a lot of research before you decide which country you would like to teach in.  A degree in English is not necessary just a Bachelors, and you will be fine.  
 
You are looking at this entirely the wrong way, you are white you should look at it as an advantage, as these countries are looking for "authentic," native english speakers from America.  I don't know how much any of this has changed but you might be looking at conversational English.  Most students have been studying English for a while.  I'm sure they know a lot more English than you know of their language.  Make friends with your students they can be your friends and help you around.  
 
You have to have a high level of consciousness of your surroundings, you will stick out, people will notice, you could be a target of robbery,etc.
 
Korea-check to see if they are going to give you room and board with a Korean family (this might be awkward).
 
Also you should research social culture, day to day living (no A/C, heat, hot water, TP, cant communicate with others, etc) that you may not be considering.
 
Good luck in your decision.

 

[jjinh]

You could pick up a copy of something like this.
 

 
Covers pretty much everything you need to know from red tape, qualifications, how to get a job, etc.
 
Most relevant to you there is a country by country guide for approximately 100 countries detailing employment prospects, placement agencies, regulation and information on conditions of work (by country and individual employer).
 
For the larger countries this includes details of each employer including their size, qualifications required, pay, facilities and who to contact if you want a job. 

 

[SiriuslyCold]

you can look here as well http://www.cfbt.com/
 

 

[Currawong]

It's a lot of fun, but remember one thing: You are no more important than a teenage Macdonalds worker teaching English in Asia.  You can get shafted at any time by your employer and nobody will give a rat's bum.  I've seen foreigners in Japan who were in formal university positions turned out on a whim, illegally.  When Nova, the largest English language school in Japan collapsed, the company that took them over tried to get all the teachers to sign a contract that gave them nothing of their entitlements!  Some clever teachers, though, stood outside their closed school, collected all the students who came by, and started their own school!  The lesson to be learned is, look for the opportunities, which include learning the local language as best you can.  The best chances aren't those that show up on job boards.  Overall, there are different good and bad aspects of living and working here, so be prepared to adjust your way of thinking and doing things somewhat.