Having returned back from three years overseas I wanted to spend time with my family and take it easy before looking for another overseas teaching job. In November I started applying expecting positive results with my newly minted Celta certificate I just got in Sept during my 4 wk course in Budapest.

I expected timing to be a bit bad with the bulk of Sept hiring already done so was looking for positions in the new term in Jan-Mar. I was also trying more for university positions.

Things were quiet and I was applying to all kinds of places. I applied to the Westgate University teaching program in Japan and got as far as the interview stage but backed out as they were looking for the Apr-Jul term and I didn't want to put my life on hold for that long and just a four month position.

Surprisingly a rural university in Korea called me for an interview 'next Wednesday'. When I pointed out that I was in Canada I got no response back. A school in Moscow was offering $1000 USD/month in a shared apartment but wanted all kinds of lesson plans just for an interview on such a low salary and some unknown roommate.

Saudi I quickly found out was not possible. Despite having an abundance of ESL jobs paying $3000+ USD as a Canadian I was part of some visa embargo and would not be able to get one unless I had a BA in English which I don't.

I inquired about the backdoor coming in on my UK passport but the UK visa process was too big of a gamble where I would have to fly to the UK for a month only then to face the chance of being rejected as my Korean work visa was on my Canadian passport and my university degree was from Canada so things wouldn't add up.

One of the random places I applied to a university in Turkey asked me for a interview. With the 7hr time difference I got up early one morning and dressed for the Skype interview. He asked some questions about classroom management and teaching philosophy and I think it went ok. He said they needed a day to think about it.

Then 20 minutes later there was a job offer in my inbox!!. The pay was $2000 USD in very nice private accommodation. This was great as I would be able to get university experience which is *************'t have a masters degree.

But the terms of the contract were somewhat bizarre.
- it was an 18 month contract not 12 months as advertised
- for 18 months there were only 15 vacation days and Saturdays COUNT as vacation days
- $200/mth is withheld to make you complete the contract and paid at the end
- if I quit I must repay FOUR MONTHS SALARY!!

The position was in Gaziantep some 50kms from the border with Syria and the conflict city of Aleppo. The university campus itself was very nice and modern and there were a large group of expats working there.

However I didn't like the poor vacation allowance, counting Saturdays, and making me forfeit four months pay if I have to leave for some family emergency. When I sent a polite response thanking them for the offer and to discuss the terms his response was to 'wish me well in my job search' so that was the end of that!

Another Turkey university in Ankara wanted to interview me at 8am on Christmas Day. I asked if I could do 9am as I would have to wake up earlier to get dressed up for the interview. They say no, 9am was not possible, and it must be 8am.

So Christmas Day I woke up and got ready for the 8am interview but nobody came on Skype. Then an email popped up that they had already offered the position to someone else. Happy Christmas to me!

The same thing happened with another interview from Qatar. By the time I emailed back just to ask what age group I would be teaching they replied back to say the position had already been filled!

Before Christmas I had become fed up and decided to pack in ESL. There were lots of nonsense jobs like this out there. I'm not just getting on a plane and walking into who knows what and I need to be able to get back if there are any family problems. And frankly most places were not responding as the ESL market caters to "good looking white people in their 20s!".

Maybe if I was in my 20s I would take one of these crazy jobs and those are the types of people plunging into these unknowns just for the experience. My backup was that I can always get an insurance job back home as I had 12 yrs exp, professional designations, knew people in the industry, and would make more than the best paying ESL jobs.

It was time to settle back home again and be closer to family