Job Discussion Forums

[mitsui]

That is good to know but I haven`t been able to get a job in the US.
I get rejected since I never taught at an IEP at an American university.
I got rejected by Teach for America last week, so that is why I have been thinking about my age.

So far it seems my 17 years abroad counts for very little.

[revilo]

If you applied for TFA in your 40s, you put all your eggs in one basket. It is widely known as a stepping stone for the 20 somethings to pay off student loans and make connections for a better job outside of education.

If you search Inside Higher Education .com you will find an article that describes a public university using TFA as a "feeder program" to supplement its own credential program. And the kicker is that taxpayer $$$ goes to the university.

I have seen American education turn into a big F'N scam....and it's getting worse.

[mitsui]

How about public schools in Memphis or in Charlotte?
Does anyone have anything to say about teaching there and getting an alternate license?
Thanks.

[ttxor1]

Hi all,

[rtm]

ttxor1, nice post, and thanks for sharing your experiences.

[johnslat]

Dear ttxor1,

"Uh huh, I think your chances of getting a full time uni/college/community college position in the Southwestern US are really good and benefits are decent. This is what I have learned from a friend doing her Phd in Linguistics in Arizona. Again, though, my sense from the networking and internet research I've done leads me to believe that these jobs are very competitive. "

Here I am in Santa Fe, NM, and while I can't speak for the whole Southwest, I can definitely tell you that this is NOT the case in New Mexico. Part-time, adjunct (i.e. serf) jobs can be found, but don't plan of making a living unless you somehow manage to paste two or even three such together.

Regards,
John

P.S. I have an MA in English Ed, 22 years experience in EFL and over ten in ESL. Oh, and if you're bilingual (English/Spanish), that can help



[/u]

[mitsui]

I would move to Arizona. My problem is that I am not certified to teach at public schools.
There is a job fair in early May in Phoenix and I wonder if it is worth it to go.
I have seen jobs in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico where knowledge of Spanish is required, but
I don`t speak it.

[nomad soul]

[nomad soul]

[Xie Lin]

[revilo]

"At least where I am, age is not a factor in hiring decisions."
and where are you, presently?

Contrary to what Scot 47 says, working in KSA or Middle East is not the kiss of death. I tried to find work as ESL instructor in California and then the rest of the U.S. Believe me, there is nothing there except work in the "adjunct pool" where teachers are pitted against one another and drive wages down.

I would rather have a full-time job in KSA, save my money, take an occasional trip to Europe, and have medical coverage than work part-time, lose money, and have no medical coverage. I heard that CCs in Cali got snubbed by their top candidates. It serves them right. Administrators in Cali think people will put up with low wages in exchange for great weather. It has been that way for a loooooong time. Now administrators refuse to pay air fare for interviews. They ask, "how bad do you want this job?"

I extend my middle finger to them and say, "about this much."

[fat_chris]

[nomad soul]

[revilo]

You know, your answer is the best reason why baby boomers are the worst generation in the history of mankind. You live by the philosophy of “Do as I say, not as I do.” Do you want an example of this? Let’s take the issue of full-time vs. part-time employment.
In the 20th Century, California decreed that a minimum no. of community college teaching jobs had to be full-time. The percentage was over 50 percent. Then, as baby boomers moved into the workforce, they decided that more and more CC teaching jobs could be part-time. We are now at the point where 70 percent of all teaching loads are taught by part-timers. The fat, corrupt CC administrators were aided and abetted by tenured faculty who got a free ride complete with medical care and the best pension plans in the U.S. Administration all over the country gave themselves pay raises and hired their friends to be administrators. The growth of administrative staff outpaced the growth of full-time tenured faculty during the 2000s. Administrators still fail to defend the increase in staffing despite the fact that it is the teachers who have direct contact with students. However, the reputation of higher education in the U.S. is going through the toilet due to the malignant neglect of this work-force who handles 70 percent of the classes.
And you have the gall to say that I have a sense of “entitlement”? You owe an apology to the Gen X and Gen Y instructors who bought into the lie that “there is room at the top” for the best and brightest and “only the best” get hired for the positions you have. You are a hack who defends a corrupt system. What will happen when those Gen X and Gen Y instructors default on their student loans? It is so easy for them to do this and go abroad to find new opportunities throughout the world. The demand for English is worldwide. What can the IRS do to them? Nothing! But what will the banks do to you when enough students default on their loans? There is plenty they can do. They can hit you with extra fees, but I prefer the concept of “bail in” which occurred to bank depositors in Cyprus. Your bank accounts and pensions are hit with a one-time tax which leaves you with a lot less money and happy bankers go on vacation. But don’t think it will stop there, because it will only get worse.
Yeah, I'm reinventing myself. I'm doing unto others.

[peripatetic_soul]

Hi, Revilo, et al.
Have you read this article by Noam Chomsky about the university as a "business model" which you alluded to in a previous email? He describes two groups in American society - plutonomy (investors) vs. precariats (the adjuncts and workers in a precarious state). I welcome your thoughts on this article (overlook some of the small typos no doubt occurred in the typesetting phase).
Excuse this non sequitur. Ah, please don't knock ALL baby boomers. I became a parent later in life and adopted a strict, authoritative child rearing approach. I do share your concerns, however, but it extends beyond baby boomers, based on years of teaching in public school. You show me a child who exhibits inappropriate behavior and I'll show you absent, neglectful or uncooperative parents (some in denial). And I'm not talking about baby boomers. Anyway, back to the main idea of this posting -- I'm interested to hear what others here think of Chomsky's analysis of the American educational model and how it relates to applying for teaching jobs in the U.S. today. Best wishes.

Cheers

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/03/the-death-of-american-universities/