Profs Abroad is a job site that compiles university jobs from various sites around the Internet into a single easy-to-search database. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t avoid those ridiculous recruiter filled job boards over on ESL Cafe if at all possible? But, this goodness doesn’t come for free-it’s $29.95 for a 3-month membership.
Here are the claims made on the site:
- Search 1,000+ university jobs in 40+ countries
- New Jobs Daily
- Post your resume and become searchable to employers
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
So, let’s talk about Profs Abroad and whether or not it’s worth it.
Here’s what I like about Profs Abroad:
There are lots of things!
#1: Only University Jobs
You know when you go to the Korean Job Board at ESL Cafe and are looking for university jobs? Yeah, that’s right. You have to wade through about 50 ads from not universities to find the gold nugget that you’re looking for. And there’s not really an easy way to weed them out either. Profs Abroad only has university jobs.
#2: You can Search Through Old Job Ads
On ESL Cafe, jobs disappear after 3 months. On university websites, they can be posted one day and gone the next. However, Profs Abroad keeps all the old job ads indefinitely. Why might this be useful to you?
Well, I’ll give you an example from my current employer. We’re only hiring one English teacher this semester and so instead of advertising and getting hundreds of applicants and dealing with that annoyance, they’re just choosing from amongst the resumes they have on hand, mostly sent in through friends of current teachers.
If you had access to Profs Abroad, you could have found the job ad from last semester from my university, sent in your resume around the beginning of October when universities in Korea are beginning to contemplate their hiring moves, and gotten your resume into the mix. It’s obviously not a guarantee of a job, but it’s better to have a chance than none at all.
The other way you can use this is when doing research. Want to see what schools in Tokyo are paying these days? You can find it. Want to see the contact information for schools in Busan? It’s easy to get.
#3: It’ll Save you Lots of Time
See the first point. You won’t have to wade through tons of job ads for things that are not universities (for example hagwons in Korea, or public school jobs). The other way this will save you time is that you won’t have to spend time cruising 10 different sites daily looking for jobs. There are also some universities that only post on their school’s website. It’s killer to try to find these ones yourself. Trust me. I’ve done it before. It was an epic time-suck.
The other way it’ll save you a ton of time is by allowing you to search by country. Only interested in Japan? Just search Japan.
#4: You can Find the Obscure Jobs Easily
If a job is posted on ESL Cafe, there is going to be a ton of competition. For some of the top university jobs in Korea for example, they probably get over a thousand applications for a single job ad and that estimate is probably on the low side.
Let’s assume that the school is hiring 3 people. I certainly don’t like 3/1000 odds, do you? But, if you find an obscure job on Profs Abroad from a site that isn’t ESL Cafe, it’s going to be gold for you. You are going to cut those odds down from 3/1000 to 3/100. I like that a whole lot more.
It’s not going to answer the questions of Korea vs Japan teaching jobs but you’ll see a wide range of options from both those countries.
#5: Find Jobs Where an MA is not Required
Don’t have a Masters degree but want a university job? There’s a filter to search for this which will save you lots of time if you’re in that situation.
Learn more about getting a university job teaching English in Korea with only a BA:
#6: You can Submit your Resume
You can submit your resume to Profs Abroad and check which countries you’re interested in. If an employer asks to receive resumes from everyone interested in that country, your resume will get sent automatically to the inbox of the person who does the hiring. Pretty sweet, right?
Here’s what people who don’t like it have to say:
Some people have a few concerns about Profs Abroad.
#1: Jobs are Posted Elsewhere so Why Pay?
Yes, it’s true and this is probably the biggest negative about the site. But, what’s your time worth? For me, it’d be worth it to just pay the 30 bucks. For you, maybe not.
#2: It’s too Expensive
If you can find a university job through this site, it’s going to be the best $30 you’ve spent in a long time. University jobs are pure gold in the ESL teaching world. $30 actually seems too cheap for the service this site provides. But, to each their own and hey, if you don’t want to get a well-paying job teaching English, then save your 30 bucks.
#3: There are Some Low-Paying Chinese Jobs
Some critics say that the site is filled with job ads from Chinese universities paying 6000 RMB a month. Sure, there are some of these jobs but it’s not a huge percentage of the total jobs available. And there are also some high-paying ones mixed in too. You can search jobs by country so it’s easy enough to avoid these Chinese ones if you’re not interested in them.
#4: There are some “uni-gwon” Jobs
Unigwon is term unique to Korea. It’s a mix-up of university/college + hagwon (private language institute). This isn’t a big deal because I actually think unigwons can be an excellent way to get your foot in the door at a university if you don’t have any experience teaching in one. Work there for a year or two, have the name of a university on your resume and you’re ready for bigger and better things.
Is Profs Abroad Worth It?
If you’re looking for a university job, yes, I certainly think it is. But, if you have a ridiculous amount of time on your hands and are proficient at the local language and can navigate websites in the country you want a job in, perhaps not.
But, I think it’s a good value at $29.95 and don’t a lot of teachers drop this much on a dinner and a couple drinks on Friday night? You don’t like it? There’s a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Pete stands behind his product. Can’t complain about that and you certainly have nothing to lose by trying it out.
What are your thoughts about Profs Abroad?
Love it? Hate it? Have you found a college job teaching English through them? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think about it.
Last update on 2022-06-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
