Apologies to those that DO follow ESL-TEACHING-RESOURCES. Yeah - not enticing if the blog isn't updated frequently, although many of my sidebar links are still very much active and proving useful.
Well, if you are wondering what adventures your dear author is having in 2010, I can reassure you that you are probably having somewhat of a more prosperous time than myself at the moment. I decided to venture into the world of house-sitting by way of gradually easing myself into teaching overseas again, although have inadvertently got caught up as an au-pair of sorts, and have been thoroughly conned as to my role. This is the first time I have truly made poor judgement in the selection of an overseas post, and was totally fooled by the person offering it. Usually, I am pretty good at sussing out a dodgy deal. If there was ever a time in my life where someone was taking the Michael, then this is it. Instead of the one hour a day of 'basic cleaning' obligations, and emergency 'very unlikely to ever happen' ha ha childcare cover, I find myself in a surreal household and virtual farmyard, 'working' from 6.30am to 10pm with about 1 hour break for lunch (hence the absence of blog posts) across 7 days a week. I couldn't have hit on a worse deal whether as a house-sitter or au-pair if I'd tried!
I can vouch that being an au-pair/nanny is HARD, and probably more so if, like me, you are a day over the age of 20. If you are going to consider an au-pair/nanny/tutor/governess position overseas, as there are positions of this sort for qualified EFL tutors, DO go for the LIVE-OUT options, and make sure you agree at least one or two full free days per week.
Part of the reason for my move was that my previous position was not financially viable. I could save ZILCH. However, there are nanny/tutor/governess positions out there that pay HEAPS - I'm thinking in particular of posts in Moscow that are advertised with some agencies. In case you didn't know, in the 'nanny' industry, all wages quoted are net, and there are some posts out there that will pay more than any school/college teaching gig, are tax free, and pay for all housing and travel.
Again, be warned - and I cannot state this enough - that I absolutely believe you need to go for the live-out options to make it work as a long-term opportunity. Otherwise, you run the risk of being like a trapped Cinderella, abused around the clock, in danger, unpaid, and with no Fairy Godmother to bail you out. You also need to be thoroughly prepared for the cultural differences of certain nationalities that offer the better paid positions; for them it is viewed more of a serious business transaction in the sense of investing in their child's education, than an opportunity for you to become best buddies. For those interested in a life of servitude, a list of sites that you might want to check out are below. For many of the posts you need formal childcare qualifications or baby-care experience, but there are a few that are looking for EFL teachers:
Bonne International (Russia) - www.bonne-int.com
Ms Poppins - www.mspoppins.com
Valday Service (Russia) - www.valday-service.ru
Simply Angelic (UK) - www.simplyangelic.co.uk
Governeur International (Russia) - www.guvernior.ru
Nanny Agency.com
Eden Nannies - www.eden-nannies.co.uk
Great Aupair.com - www.greataupair.com
Great Nannies.com
Royal Nannies (UK) - www.nannyagencylondon.co.uk
Nanny Jobs.com
House Carers - www.housecarers.com
(For the Philippino/Thai/Indo nannies who go to live in households in places like Hong Kong and Singapore, my sympathy really goes out to you - but at least you get paid!)
Well, if you are wondering what adventures your dear author is having in 2010, I can reassure you that you are probably having somewhat of a more prosperous time than myself at the moment. I decided to venture into the world of house-sitting by way of gradually easing myself into teaching overseas again, although have inadvertently got caught up as an au-pair of sorts, and have been thoroughly conned as to my role. This is the first time I have truly made poor judgement in the selection of an overseas post, and was totally fooled by the person offering it. Usually, I am pretty good at sussing out a dodgy deal. If there was ever a time in my life where someone was taking the Michael, then this is it. Instead of the one hour a day of 'basic cleaning' obligations, and emergency 'very unlikely to ever happen' ha ha childcare cover, I find myself in a surreal household and virtual farmyard, 'working' from 6.30am to 10pm with about 1 hour break for lunch (hence the absence of blog posts) across 7 days a week. I couldn't have hit on a worse deal whether as a house-sitter or au-pair if I'd tried!
I can vouch that being an au-pair/nanny is HARD, and probably more so if, like me, you are a day over the age of 20. If you are going to consider an au-pair/nanny/tutor/governess position overseas, as there are positions of this sort for qualified EFL tutors, DO go for the LIVE-OUT options, and make sure you agree at least one or two full free days per week.
Part of the reason for my move was that my previous position was not financially viable. I could save ZILCH. However, there are nanny/tutor/governess positions out there that pay HEAPS - I'm thinking in particular of posts in Moscow that are advertised with some agencies. In case you didn't know, in the 'nanny' industry, all wages quoted are net, and there are some posts out there that will pay more than any school/college teaching gig, are tax free, and pay for all housing and travel.
Again, be warned - and I cannot state this enough - that I absolutely believe you need to go for the live-out options to make it work as a long-term opportunity. Otherwise, you run the risk of being like a trapped Cinderella, abused around the clock, in danger, unpaid, and with no Fairy Godmother to bail you out. You also need to be thoroughly prepared for the cultural differences of certain nationalities that offer the better paid positions; for them it is viewed more of a serious business transaction in the sense of investing in their child's education, than an opportunity for you to become best buddies. For those interested in a life of servitude, a list of sites that you might want to check out are below. For many of the posts you need formal childcare qualifications or baby-care experience, but there are a few that are looking for EFL teachers:
Bonne International (Russia) - www.bonne-int.com
Ms Poppins - www.mspoppins.com
Valday Service (Russia) - www.valday-service.ru
Simply Angelic (UK) - www.simplyangelic.co.uk
Governeur International (Russia) - www.guvernior.ru
Nanny Agency.com
Eden Nannies - www.eden-nannies.co.uk
Great Aupair.com - www.greataupair.com
Great Nannies.com
Royal Nannies (UK) - www.nannyagencylondon.co.uk
Nanny Jobs.com
House Carers - www.housecarers.com
(For the Philippino/Thai/Indo nannies who go to live in households in places like Hong Kong and Singapore, my sympathy really goes out to you - but at least you get paid!)
1 comment:
it's good to see this information in your post, i was looking the same but there was not any proper resource, thanx now i have the link which i was looking for my research.
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