Teaching English in Can-eh-da
Posted by Unknown on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Filed under: school, teaching english, work
There was this HORRIBLE commercial for an English school in Brazil that used to play all the time. Probably the most irritating commercial I ever saw while living there (WAY more annoying that Giraffas, Danielle! But that being said... I like the Giraffas commercials, haha)
Cheeeecher.... UGH! HATE! I vowed never to work for this school because of this commercial!
But then I got to Canada... and I have a baby on the way... a course that I'm starting (more on that later)... and so, ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at the newest addition to the OE team!
Actually upon further inspection of this school, I really liked their methods and views on teaching and it seems to be pretty open in terms of various teaching styles. Plus, they're flexible with my schedule. So in fact, it's a pretty great option for me right now. The only downside is the really brutal salary.... especially after teaching in Brazil where you can expect anywhere from R$30 working for a legitimately good school (not a big-box school) to R$60-80+++ teaching privately.
This school pays NINE dollars. My American friends... is this even minimum wage?????? In my province minimum wage is $10.25 - not that it's much better, but it would help if I could start at min wage at least.... oh well beggers can't be choosers and I've emailed them to see if I can start a liiiittle higher. We'll see what happens.
My biggest fear now is how it'll be managing a new baby and a college program... The words look crazy even as I type them. I'll have a little break in the beginning but I have no idea what to expect REALLY. I know what people tell me... no sleep, no schedule, life all about the baby... but I will really have to see for myself how I'm going to deal with it all.
Why would I put myself through all of this right now? Because seriously, I love this shit.
P.S. I wouldn't leave you hanging and not show you my beloved Giraffas commercials... Bahaha both are equally amazing!
August 23, 2012 at 2:15 PM
Open English in Brazil and elsewhere is a web cam English school. The ads are so funny and misleading. I liked the one where the two guys are comparing the English skills for conferences calls to Washington DC. It played in Brazil for over a year. :)
August 23, 2012 at 3:51 PM
Ahhh, if only it were like in the past where US dollars would give me more money (especially when Im getting paid in them...)but at least I'm getting paid through paypal which means I can cash in when the CAD is a little bit lower...
Crazy though, right???
August 24, 2012 at 10:22 PM
The minimum wage was 8.25 in Illinois when I was there, so you're actually making a little more. lol I only saw the comercial for OE once. I'll look into it, and maaaaaybe I can get a job too. God knows I could use a little money right now. Working at home sounds so great.
New baby and school at the same time will be tough, but I think you can do it. Babies are awesome and school's good too. ;-)
August 27, 2012 at 2:48 PM
Another friend of mine who is a teacher said the OE pay is 'insulting'. I agree.
September 10, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Hey Lindsey! Love the blog! Question. I'm looking to see if I can get a job with OE. How many hours per week do they give you? Was it hard to get the job? Do you have any tips when applying for the position? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
John
September 11, 2012 at 10:59 AM
Hi John! The process is a little long to get in with this school and the pay isn't good at all BUT they have a lot of flexibility and if you have an open available schedule, you can work as many hours as you want.
I didn't find it 'hard' to get the job, just a lengthy process - you have to attend webinars, do a practice teaching in front of your peers, shadow other classes - I guess I would suggest shadowing classes as much as you can to get a good idea of what they're looking for.
Good luck and thanks for commenting :)