Update on teaching abroad

[peacetraveler22]

Some of you have written to ask about my plans to teach English abroad, which I discussed in this post. I was invited for a Skype interview tomorrow, and will let you know what transpires. This is my first interview via the laptop, and it seems strange to me but it's the only option when you're trying to recruit candidates from the other side of the globe, at least for the initial screening interview.

I have no idea what questions they will ask, but it's just an introductory session to learn more about the "Teach & Learn with Georgia" program, what they expect from me, and where I may be placed (in Tbilisi or some remote village). They will discover more about my qualifications, life goals and personality in the process...it's like a date almost, to see if we are compatible. :)

This will be my first time speaking with native Georgians, so let's see what happens. Already there were some challenges in the application process. Email addresses and forms on the official websites of The Georgian Ministry of Education and Science did not work, causing frustration and inefficiency with sending documents and applications, etc. Maybe this is done on purpose, to prepare potential teachers for the challenges they might face if they move to the country.

It's a huge life decision, but it seems the opportunity is one step closer, if I choose to seize it. Lots of balls in the air to try to juggle and balance. Stay tuned...:)

Comments

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I called them, and they gave me the proper email address for sending everything. However, it would be beneficial if they removed the fill-in application form, because potential teachers don't realize it doesn't work until you get to the end and try to "submit" and everything disappears. So, you waste time filling everything out, and it goes nowhere. Same with scanning all the documents, putting them into an email for transmission, and then getting an "undeliverable" message. It does not bode well for the efficiency of a government when official websites have bad email addresses, wrong information, etc....but what government is efficient? I think absolutely none, some are just worse offenders than others. :)