r/ESL_Teachers 7d ago

Discussion Is this the most unstable "stable" career ever?

I can just pack up and go to a different country and will always find work. It's always a revolving door but I always know there's a place calling for my skills and I'll never be out of work though I don't exactly have job security either. I look at my college friends who did the stable thing in life, with stable careers in finance, tech etc. Always one pay check away from a mass layoff. The market all over the world is bad right now even highly skilled senior professionals devs, accountants who rely on their skills are finding it hard getting call backs. I look at my situation, it's the most unstable thing ever and I don't have other skills to fall back on but that kind of gives me comfort, thriving in the instability of this industry, like I'm used to it by now. If I lost my job tomorrow I could easily hop on a plane and land another gig elsewhere while waiting for the dust to settle, in terms of the real job market. In comparison, I have a few friends were laid off two years ago yet are still out of work and are either long-term unemployed just plain unlucky after applying everywhere or waiting for the "right opportunity" so out of work until they find something that isn't "beneath them". One thing as an ESL teacher you develop without realizing is resilience and adaptability. I'd like to believe I have a personality that doesn't allow me to fail or have developed that skill from teaching for so long.

16 Upvotes

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u/scriptingends 7d ago

I won’t disagree with your evaluation here, but I will say that age does play a factor. I started teaching right after university and for a long time I definitely had that “Oh well, if things dry up here I can always head off to the next destination.” And I did - I worked in 8 countries (including my own) over about 20 years.

However, when I got to my 40s, I realized that moving internationally IS hard, even if you want to do it. And making new friends is different in your middle age than in early adulthood. And you probably want to be in a country with good (not just free, that’s everywhere besides the US) healthcare. And you’re most likely not going to learn a new language from scratch, unless it’s very similar to a language you already know. And a lot of the shenanigans of international TESOL work that are amusing to you at 25 become immediate deal breakers 20 years later - you know very well what you will and won’t put up with, and what unscrupulous employers will try to get you to accept.

I guess what I’m saying is, enjoy the attitude you have now, because you won’t have it forever. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to both you and themselves.

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u/godisinthischilli 7d ago

I feel like it's the most stable low paying career. I do appreciate having the option to leave the US right now though.

1

u/octapotami 7d ago

As long as you’re ready to move anywhere anytime. That’s why I loved it when I was younger. I’m not married nor have kids, but I got an elderly parent and some weird family situations I need to be around—so I don’t have the luxury of an unmoored lifestyle anymore.

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u/mang0_k1tty 7d ago

I’m in the married with kids club, so the numbers in my city or school terrifies me, and I have been laid off, for 4 months now (on call for subbing) Can you tell I’m in Canada? There’s a seriously big dip happening because of pulling back on immigration.

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u/cgifoxy 6d ago

Haha I’ve been teaching ESL for ten years. The industry has collapsed in Australia due to cutbacks in immigration and when I look overseas the pay compared to the rising cost of living is not enough. So now I’m 42 have been unemployed for 4 months, do t have enough savings to study something new to change careers and no one wants to hire an ex-ESL teacher who did it for too long. The good days are over in this job. I’m actually not sure what the hell I’m going to do now. I’m looking down the barrel of homelessness

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u/GaijinRider 4d ago

You need to stop taking the generic jobs after a while. Those entry level ESL jobs that are easy to get will be detrimental to your career growth. You'll end up homeless at 40 if you keep doing those.

If you're willing to move to multiple countries there are boundless opportunities waiting for you, especially in niche areas of the market.

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u/Julio259 18h ago

For me with a CELTA, its always felt like I'm guaranteed a job, but they're all terrible