Countries in which non-teaching spouse can work.

Yantantether · Post by **Yantantether** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:20 am

Anyone have any ideas re. the best way to find out in which countries your partner / spouse can legally work, and how realistic the chances of finding employment are? Also just noticed that similar info. used to be on each schools Search info. page (though this was very vague and not useful really) but has now been removed.....is this correct?

Is it a case of individually researching each country or is there a useful resource out there to tap into? I'm thinking specifically Asia and the ME. (Might also be useful to know about Ed Visas for countries too).

Thanks all.

westcoaster · Post by **westcoaster** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:46 am

If your spouse has an undergraduate degree then try South Korea. There are loads of EFL work there.

Yantantether · Post by **Yantantether** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:07 am

Aghh, should have pointed out that my spouse is Asian (therefore an ELL)., though her English is good enough for her to gain positions with western companies.

Thanks though WC. Have you worked there yourself? Curious as I had it on my' possible countries' list but more or less now unofficially taken it off - The S. koreans seem a chilly and serious bunch and I'm not sure it would be much fun after a month or two.

Still open to persuasion though!

westcoaster · Post by **westcoaster** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:25 am

I taught EFL there for two years before I became a certified teacher. I enjoyed my time there and would consider working there again. I found Koreans to be very hospitable and friendly. It's not a perfect country to work in... but it is a very easy country to live in, I think. The Korean language is super easy to learn to read and write which in turn makes ordering food, catching trains and buses, finding places much easier.

inman · Post by **inman** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:46 am

It's really not nice to say this, but it really depends on her nationality. Outside of education there is a high level of discrimination towards East Asians in the Middle East. If she is Philipina, Thai, Indian or Pakistani, many companies will try to pay her much less than they would pay someone from more developed countries, and she may not be treated so well. It might also be quite annoying that you won't get the same holidays. Similarly, in East Asia discrimination towards other East Asians can also be quite high. If she's Japanese or Korean then she'd probably have no problem at all finding a job in Japanese or Korean countries wherever she is.

The UAE and Qatar have such a huge expat populations that she shouldn't have too much trouble finding any work there, but to ensure not bad treatment and the same holidays, then if she's not opposed to working as a teaching assistant then maybe that is not a bad option to consider. Perhaps she could do some short course or volunteer somewhere first to make her application more appealing, though in the schools I've worked in the requirements for TA's have rarely been higher than having semi decent English and some enthusiasm for the job. Any experience working with kids before is a bonus.

Hope this is useful. All the best.

DCgirl · Post by **DCgirl** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:28 am

Your spouse would be entitled to a work permit in Hong Kong.

Yantantether · Post by **Yantantether** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:47 am

westcoaster: Thanks for your perspective, interesting.

inman: I completely understand where you're coming from and it is something that I'm aware of and been contemplating, so don't worry about mentioning it. And thanks for your thoughts re. employment options.

DCgirl: Thanks, it's somewhere we would consider.

durianfan · Post by **durianfan** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:04 am

I'm interested in this too. My wife is Thai, and she was told by more than one snooty secretary at my school in China that "she cannot work." However we plan to get out of China after this school year and I assumed the only places she could legally work would be the US (where I'm from) and Thailand. Her English is good but not good enough to teach. A Teacher's Assistant for PYP might be ideal.

fine dude · Post by **fine dude** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:20 am

It all depends on the skill set of your spouse. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore are not so bad for a non-teaching spouse. Even the diplomatic missions are not averse to accepting job applications from their citizens living abroad. Having said that, if the non-teaching spouse has certain foreign language (Chinese, Japanese, Spanish etc), computer or accounting skills, finding a job should not be much of a problem.

PsyGuy · Post by **PsyGuy** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 4:56 am

Your spouse is going to have a hard time finding a position. Either schools will only cnsider her as a local hire or the preference in an IS is for "western" teachers, its just the way it is. Countries tend to be the hardest on those who are similar to themselves. Asian schools tend to be the least accepting of other asians for example.
The school doesnt want to risk offending the native staff, is one of the main school concerns, since an overseas recruited package is better then a local package, and the school doesnt want to send the message that they can "marry up" to a better salary etc.

The best possible routes i see for your are:

1) Find a school that wants you bad enough there willing to extend your wife an offer as part of a package deal.

2) Your wife goes into business for herself. A variety of translating and or tutoring opportunities exist pretty much wherever she goes. Another option is an online business, such as an import/export business using ebay or amazon.

Countries in which non-teaching spouse can work.

Countries in which non-teaching spouse can work.

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