What are the chances my spouse and I would be able to both get positions in the same city?
Posted by Jessica Johnston 9 years 3 months ago
Hi, both my spouse and I are looking to live abroad and teach for a year. What are the chances we would be able to both get positions in the same city?
Answers
Hi Jessica,
It's not as difficult as you may think. My husband and I are both teaching in the same city and we live together in Japan. We do not teach in the same school, though. I agree with Brooke, start early. Definitely be up front with your hope to teach in the same area. Good luck!
Hi Jessica,
Two people finding a job together is very easy unless you are going through a government program (sorry to disagree with Brooke who previously answered). Government programs are about 2% of the world market and you get "placed" into a school which is typically only 1 teacher in a school. The other 98% of jobs are at language schools which employ 5 to 100 teachers and there are often 500-5,000 teachers in a city (up to 20,000 in mega cities like Shanghai and Seoul). You may work at the same school or may not but you can live together which is really the big question. Some couples are best not to work together all day and live together at night, you can see where that is going. Btw, half the world's markets you interview face to face in the country at the start of the job season. Here's a list of popular countries and hiring procedures: http://www.internationalteflacademy.com/country-chart-world-index-english-teaching-jobs
Here's an article to answer this for you:
http://www.internationalteflacademy.com/faq/bid/102735/Can-friends-or-couples-teach-English-abroad-together
Hi Jessica,
It does require a bit more time and effort for a couple to coordinate positions in the same city, although it's certainly still doable! My recommendation is to start your job search earlier and more thoroughly than if you were just looking for yourself. Check out teaching through governmental programs, such as the Language and Culture Assistant positions in Spain, or the SENA teaching positions throughout Colombia. You might also want to reach out directly to larger-scale schools in your destination(s) of choice, as they might be hiring multiple new teachers.
I wouldn't recommend arriving without first obtaining job offers or at least in-person interviews, since having to find two positions in the same city may be stressful if you're in a time crunch.
Best of luck!