To put a much-needed new spin on the recent grad job market news, the recruitment market is a bit like beach-going in British summer time; far too many of us are piling onto the most popular destinations.
But, rather than a metaphorical beach, how about literally relocating your job search to a sunnier (and potentially less competitive) clime?
Many graduates have already. Increasing numbers of university leavers are finding jobs and success in other countries — such as China, Asia and Singapore — where the job markets are significantly stronger.
For those who too want to combine international travel with an opportunity to launch and develop their career, teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) can be a great way to build skills and experience — as highlighted in the routes into TEFL Q&A we ran last year. Among the advice, our experts emphasised how TEFL teaching primes you for work where presentation skills and dealing with groups of people is important; all valuable assets you could bring back to the UK job market further into your career.
Plus, there is still time to secure posts for the academic year starting this September.
So, if you want to find out more about the health of the TEFL job market in certain countries and what recruiters in these destinations want from graduate candidates join our live Q&A on Wednesday.
Our panel:
Rod Woodford, business development manager (teaching) for the British Council — the UK's international cultural relations body. Having taught in centres in the Far East and Europe, Rod went on to manage large British Council centres in Italy and Japan before returning to the UK for his current role.
Joe Hallwood is founder of TEFL England and TEFL Scotland and Guardian Careers' resident TEFL expert. Joe has worked in TEFL for many years, including time as a teacher abroad and in the UK, and now advises people on TEFL careers both in the UK and abroad.
Colm Downes is the author of Cambridge English for Job-hunting. He started teaching English as a volunteer in Sri Lanka in 1998 and has since worked in Poland, Egypt, Brussels, and the UK. In the summer Colm delivers pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at University College London.
Nick Charge is an assistant director at Cambridge ESOL responsible for running the teacher awards and examinations for prospective trainees.
Susan Griffith is the author of a number of travel titles including Teaching English Abroad. A fully-revised tenth edition will be published on 20 October by Crimson Publishing. Susan's other titles include Gap Years for Grown-ups, Your Gap Year and Work Your Way Around the World.
Peter Watkins is a senior lecturer in English language training (ELT) at the University of Portsmouth, where he is the course leader for the MA in Applied Linguistics and TEFL programme. His books include Learning to Teach English and The CELTA Course (with Scott Thornbury, Cambridge University Press).
Michelle Maxom, author of Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies. After a one-month intensive course in 1997, she began teaching part-time in London, then taught in Italy.
Jenny Johnson has 30 years experience of the TEFL world. She is academic director at Cactus Language Training, head of TEFL at CactusTEFL, and was also head of TEFL teacher training at International House, Barcelona. Author of Teaching English in Spain, a Guidebook for TEFLers.
The discussion is now open for advance questions and comments, so get posting!
