OVERSEAS ENGLISH TEACHER VS. GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTOR
This report discusses and evaluates the career paths for an overseas English teacher and a government technology contractor, with the objective of enabling the reader to identify the better and more appropriate career path for him or her.
In particular, this report discusses the career overview, career outlook, requirements, and salary ranges for each career path. It then concludes with a recommendation on what would be more appropriate for the reader based on his or her lifestyle and interests, given that both career paths are highly in demand and well compensated.
Career Overview
Overseas English Teacher
The job of an English teacher can be classified as either Teaching English As A Foreign Language (TEFL) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other languages (TESOL). TEFL involves teaching the English language to students either overseas or in the home country whose main or first language is not English. TESOL, on the other hand, involves teaching the English language to students in the home country whose main language is not English (AGCAS, 2010).
Overseas English teachers work in commercial language schools or in institutions and schools of higher education, although they may also work in the industry or be self-employed. They may teach students of various levels and ages in different class sizes. Classes are conducted in English even with beginners.
An overseas English teacher must be able to communicate a passion and love for the English language and must be able to convey information in an interesting manner. For the teaching materials, they may use course books and various audio-visual aids. The media of teaching that are used include literature, language games, formal exercises, role-playing, and dialogues.
Students seek to learn English because of their work, because they want to be admitted to an English-speaking university or college, because they want to prepare for a test, or because they want to improve their conversational English. It is then the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the students improve on the basic language skills, namely speaking, listening, writing, and reading.
Government Technology Contractor
The designation of a government technology contractor falls under the general career path of computer support specialists and system administrators. These would include help-desk technicians and technical support specialists (Anon., Career Information 2012).
They are responsible for providing technical advice, support, and assistance to users and customers. They are responsible for interpreting problems and providing technical support for software, hardware, and systems. They also resolve recurring difficulties, analyze problems with the use of automated diagnostic programs, and answer telephone calls. In addition, they evaluate software programs to ensure their usefulness, and they oversee the daily performance of the organization’s computer systems.
They may work for computer software or hardware vendors or for companies that use computer systems. In addition, more and more of them work for support services or help desk firms where they provide clients with computer support on a contractual basis.
More particularly, computer systems administrators and network administrators are responsible for designing, installing, and supporting the organization’s network connections while systems administrators are responsible for ensuring the efficient use of networks in the organization. In addition, computer security specialist may be involved in planning, coordinating, and implementing an organization’s information security system. These specialists may be tasked to provide support for users in various work environments such as large corporations, government offices, small businesses, and professional offices.
Career Outlook
Overseas English Teacher
TESOL and TEFL are competitive and specialized fields with over 25,000 trainers, teachers, and administrators all over the world (Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, 2002). There’s evidently a need for highly qualified TESOL teachers, a field which the education sector is according more professional recognition.
There is a high demand for qualified overseas English teachers, especially for those who meet the professional expectations and the academic requirements. As such, it is also one of the fastest growing subject areas in America. This great demand allows for various teaching options and career flexibility. Moreover, opportunities overseas offer better benefits and higher salaries for qualified and dedicated TEFL teachers.
Government Technology Contractor
Compared to all occupations, the demand for computer support specialists and system administrators is expected to rise faster than average until 2014 (Anon., Career Information 2012). This is due to the increasing sophistication in technologies that organizations integrate into their systems. This growth will be driven by the growth of the computer system design industry and its related services, which is forecasted to remain one of the “fastest growing industries in the U.S. economy” (Anon., Career Information 2012). Similarly, the demand for computer security specialists will rise as the government and businesses continue to invest more in cyber security. Moreover, the advancements and prominence of the Internet would prompt organizations to hire more information technology specialists who can ensure that the technology is used properly and efficiently for communication among consumers, clients, and employees.
Requirements
Overseas English Teacher
An overseas English teacher must have a solid educational background that includes knowledge of psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, and a second language, as well as some clinical experience in teaching (Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, 2002). In addition, training experience should include conversation and writing skills, “competent selection and evaluation of subject materials” (Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, 2002, p. 12), reading skills, comprehension skills, listening skills, and classroom experience. Moreover, employers would prefer candidates who demonstrate superb communication skills, flexibility, enthusiasm, independence, travel experience, tolerance, sensitivity to diversity, and cross-cultural knowledge. With the increase in the number of TESOL teachers, employers may also now require educational background in teaching English to non-English speakers, specialized training, and a “commitment to continued professional development” (Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, 2002, p. 12).
ESL/TEFL certificates can be obtained from teacher-training institutions. Certification requires completion of about 18 to 21 graduate credits. A master’s degree, on the other hand, requires about 36 units, which can be completed in around 4 semesters. Some of the advanced degrees in this field include an M.A. in English (with emphasis in TESOL), an M.A.T. in TESOL, an M.S. or M.A. in applied linguistics, an M.E.d. or M.A. on TESOL, or other specialized degree programs.
Government Technology Contractor
Given the vast number of skills needed for an information technology specialist, there is no single path of entry to becoming a computer support specialist or system administrator. However, most employers would require some formal college education such as a bachelor’s degree in information systems or computer science. There are some employers, though, who require only a computer-related associate’s degree.
In the absence of a degree, it would be important to have some practical experience and some certification. Some product makers and vendors provide training programs that can serve as qualification for entry-level positions.
Since a large part of the information technology specialist’s job requires troubleshooting and helping others, it’s important for them to have strong communication, writing, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Moreover, it’s important for them to keep up with the advancements in technology. They should update their skills and acquire new ones.
Wage Data
Overseas English Teacher
Salaries range from $20,000 to $89,000 a year, depending on the school and the country where the teaching job is (Anon., Why Teaching Overseas? 2012). This is tax free and other perks may be provided such as free housing. Utility bills may also be paid for by the school.
Government Technology Contractor
In 2005, the salaries for help desk specialists ranged from $26,250 to $53,750 while for technical support staff, the salaries ranged from $44,500 to $63,250 (Anon., Career Information 2012). On the other hand, salaries for system administrators in 2005 ranged from $47,250 to $70,500 (Anon., Career Information 2012).
Conclusion
This report discussed and evaluated the career paths for an overseas English teacher and a government technology contractor where the latter was discussed and presented in the context of computer support specialists and system administrators in general, the field where the job of a government technology contractor would fall under.
The overviews, outlooks, and requirements for each career were discussed, along with the salary ranges for each. These are in efforts to enable the reader to make the right choice on the career path to take.
Recommendations
Given the information discussed and presented in this report, it can be concluded that both the career paths of an overseas English teacher and a government technology contractor are promising. There is an increased demand in both fields, considering that more and more non-English speakers want and need to learn the English language and that technology continues to advance at a very rapid rate.
The main basis for the choice of career path would then rely on the person’s lifestyle and interest. If the person enjoys traveling, learning about new cultures, and being able to achieve a work-life balance while being free of too many financial obligations, then a career as an overseas English language teacher would be more appropriate.
On the other hand, if the person prefers to stay in one place, without much traveling and possibly even working from home then the career of a government technology contractor would be more appropriate. This is also appropriate for someone who’s technically inclined and who likes learning about and tinkering with new technology, as well as working in a fast paced environment.
Either way, both career paths have their own pros and cons. They also have a lot of room for advancement and are also offered good compensations.
References
AGCAS, 2010. English as a foreign language teacher: Job description. [online] Available at:
< http://www.prospects.ac.uk/english_as_a_foreign_language_teacher_job_description.htm> [Accessed 11 February 2012]
Career Information, 2012. [online] Available at: < http://www.collegegrad.com/ careers/proft45.shtml> [Accessed 11 February 2012]
Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, 2002. Careers in teaching: For returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs). [online] Available at: < http://www.peacecorps.gov/rpcv/career/ education/pdf/teaching.pdf> [Accessed 11 February 2012]
Why Teaching Overseas?, 2012. [online] Available at: <http://joyjobs.com/community/ teaching.html> [Accessed 11 February 2012]
