Jobless U.S.A.

I got back from France three months ago, and at the time, I breathed a sigh of homecoming, and thought to myself, "I'm not going away again for awhile." It's not that France was bad, exactly, except for the teaching part, but it's just nice to be home, to be surrounded by familiar comforts and a culture I know.

But. This job market sucks. I've applied to approximately 20 jobs at this point (I know if you are unemployed or close to me in age, you're thinking "only 20?" I think, however, that pre-recession, the sentiment would have been more along the lines of "20 jobs, and not even one callback?" It's frustrating to put in at least 1-2 hours per application - because you want to do it right, because you know you have to do a good job to even have a sliver of a chance - and get absolutely no feedback, besides an automated "We have received your application. If your candidate file meets or exceeds our requirements, a member of our hiring team may contact you."




It seems as if I am shooting little time capsules into outer space. I learned that for half of the positions you see posted, the institution already knows exactly who they want to hire, but they have to post it as part of policy regulations. Well, thanks for that. I'm glad I spent 45 minutes editing my cover letter for someone who will never read it.




So, I got to thinking the other day that maybe I should think about teaching abroad again. If I work with the same program, Teaching Assitant Program in France, I'll be at an advantage this time around because I know how it works, I'll know not to teach elementary-aged students again, and I know what familiar comforts are available in France.




Or, I could broaden my horizons - I could get my TEFL certification and go to Germany, Spain, or South America. If I'm brave enough, I could even attempt to hack it in South Korea or Japan. Because, goodness knows, it's a job, and there's a need, so it should be easy enough to find one. What's more, it'll help me solidify my dream to continue traveling internationally throughout my lifetime. What better way to gain international experience than by living abroad in a situation that pays you to do so?




What do you think? Should I be patient and try to stick it out in the U.S., or should I set my sights on another international adventure?

Note: All the photos above, with the exception of the cat, whose name is Horatio and belongs to my cousin, were taken from Wikimedia Commons.