Try something new. That's my basic advice and I am going to give you a suggestion and then you can decide if that's for you or not.
Now I'll tell you about a few opportunities where if you are looking for a career change and have no experience, or no special qualifications where you can enter the work force and do something different and get a job.
That's right it's called teaching English abroad.
You can do it online or in person.
I was listening to this interesting podcast about creativity. And one of the things they mentioned in it was how there are 2 different types of creative people.
But wait...
I am not creative.
You may say, but I think you'll see in a moment how this may relate to your life.
- Type 1 plans. They do a lot of prep before they creative a piece of work art, building, project or whatever you want to call it.
- Type 2 experiments. They don't have a plan. They just start working on a piece without a plan and they figure it out as they go. They learn by trial and error.
So which one sounds more like you?
I am more of the type 2 type. I work as I go and don't like too much planning.
So don't despair. You'll figure out if you keep working on it or at least you will get closer - if you keep working on it.
Teaching English abroad?
That's right.
What do I need to do that?
Well, it depends on the school and location.
The requirements usually are:
- A bachelor's degree (in anything)
- A native English speaker
- Sometimes you may need a related qualification such as TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language)
- Related experience always helps
But you can always find a job at a school that doesn't require experience, or there are some where you can teach without a degree or even be a non-native speaker. Everyone has to start somewhere and the teaching abroad industry sees a lot of turnover. Most people only do it for a year or two.
If you want to try teaching online then that's different as your environment won't change. Teaching abroad is a much bigger experience.
Does it matter how old you are?
Some schools may prefer younger teachers, but the cut offs for visas are around 55-60 years old or so depending on the country.
What's it like? Teaching vs. living abroad
When I first started teaching in Taiwan I thought it was really hard. Living abroad wasn't that hard. I liked traveling and new things so that was pretty easy, however teaching abroad is not traveling abroad. It's a job and you have to sign a contract for like a year normally.
The teaching is hard because you have this material you have to teach and then you have students to teach it to. A lot of the jobs are for teaching kids (in Asia anyways). Kids are high energy and have a short attention span.
So if you don't know what you are doing you are going to have problems.
Teaching remained pretty difficult for a year and a half or so.
Had I taken a better course that prepared me better or found better materials then it would have been easier.
Then after a few years I went to Korea. After like 3.5 years there I went to China for about 6 months then returned back to the States for about 8 years or so and now I live in Japan.
What are you like?
- Do you have an open mind? Are you curious about other countries and cultures?
- Are you interested in learning something new?
If your answers are yes then it might be for you.
I made this course to help get you prepared to teach English abroad. You'll be way better prepared than I was. It's very visual and includes a lot of video. It shows you what it is like as it takes you inside classrooms in Asia and shows you what to do.
If you want to learn more about what it is like to teach abroad (especially in Asia) then see the links above pointing to Taiwan, China, Korea or Japan. Or you can start working on improving your qualifications and learn how to teach.
Here's an old video I made when I started this site 10 years ago.
It includes some footage from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China. Interviews with teachers there, then some how-to videos and me jumping out of a plane!
Conclusion
What do you do if you are "x" years old and no career? Try something new. Teaching abroad is not for everyone, but I don't think most people regret it in the long run. At least I think if you don't like it then it could inspire you to do something different or lead to the next career change from it.
Yep, life is a process not a dead end pot of gold.