Job Discussion Forums

[Glenski]

This is a short article based on interviews in Hungary and China, but I think it may apply to practically every country.

I suggest that anyone who is thinking about working in EFL should read this, copy it, and read it monthly (or whenever you feel you are having problems adjusting).

http://www.joyjobs.com/center/esl.htm

[Henry_Cowell]

If all those thinking of becoming English teachers abroad were to read this article first and then follow its advice, Dave's ESL Cafe would likely have only 10% of its current readership.

[wildchild]

Well, Henry, I guess you can stop reading Dave's now.

[fluffyhamster]

So you're saying that everyone should go "native", Glenski?

Seriously, though, not a bad article, but the other extreme is the total "Yes" teacher (who can be a bit too hesitant to suggest alternatives when the locally-concocted EFL stuff isn't quite working).

[wildchild]

go native/conform/don't rock the boat vs. interact/contribute/participate

[coffeedrinker]

I think there's a lot of good advice there, but in many ways it is simplistic.

Lots of students do expect very traditional teaching, even if the teacher is supposed to be communicative. Does this mean we should give them lists of vocab to memorize? I'd say not.

I absolutely agree that the efl teacher needs to not come and change the system - but efl teachers are often chosen in order to be different from traditional local teachers and it's important not to confuse that with trying to change the system.

I also think the difference between British and American English are exagerrated by almost everyone. In all levels, there are maybe 40 common words that are different, and what, more present perfect? In three years, mainly in Europe teaching mainly "British English" this is what I've noticed as an American who didn't read up on British English.

Finally, yes, people need to get trained and be committed to teaching, but there are plenty of good teachers who are not career efl teachers, and I include myself in this. People have different motives and yes, I agree that it's a bad idea to teach if what you really want is to surf or something, but at the other end, I don't think that "to spread the English language" or something is necessarily a better reason to teach than "to live in that country and experience life there", given that both take their job seriously.

[denise]

Well said, coffeedrinker.

There are schools out there who seek out native teachers because they usually teach some form of communicative classes, and the schools want to move away from rote memorization. So, while teachers shouldn't just go in and attempt single-handedly to change an education system, they also shouldn't have to abandon their own methods and turn to rote memorization if they've been hired to teach communicatively. And as to teachers being untrained... well, unfortunately, as long as there are schools out there who will hire people simply for being native speakers, that aspect is unlikely to change. And honestly, I really can't fault young Americans, Brits, Canadians, Australians, etc., who want to give this lifestyle a try and see that they can do it with few or no qualifications. Although I personally take the teaching aspect of the life very seriously, I also fully acknowledge and appreciate that it really is an adventurous and challenging lifestyle that appeals to people for those reasons.

The British/American English issue works both ways, too. I usually end up working with British texts and having to, in some cases, defend myself for saying or spelling things differently.

d

[sheeba]

Sorry Glenski but I wouldn't advise a Newbie to read that . I thought it was badly written, hard to comprehend and contained a lot of information that was too subjective to generalise or presupposes that the average teacher coming to China (or wherever) is clueless and insensitive. I agree some are but...

I actually found some of it offending. This comment on being a 'human' is just ridiculous and contradictory.


In your own culture, you're an adult, generally a responsible one. Overseas, you are a young child with less of a knowledge about how to be a responsible adult than a six-year old.

Your assumptions about what a responsible adult is are all wrong, and you have to get used to that and start learning how to grow up in that culture.

In the end, you will profit by expanding your ideas of what it means not only to be an adult, but to be human.

I also agree with the comments on American English and the fact that we don't all come here to surf .
Maybe it's me but surely there's something better to read.[/quote]

[Justin Trullinger]

Stolen from EnglishteacherX. (Who has apparently been promoted to DOS!)

ARe YoU SuiTEd To BE An EFL TeACHer?


Indeed, the first question to ask yourself is not, "Which country would I enjoy most" or "Which certificate course would allow me maximum job prospects" but "Am I suited to being an EFL teacher?"

Here is an aptitude test to judge your potential suitability.

Please answer yes, no or sometimes.

1) Are you outgoing and enthusiastic?

2) Do you enjoy being the center of attention?

3) Do you like meeting people. . . and then saying goodbye to them forever soon after?

4) Do you enjoy being stared at?

5) Are the ideas of stability, financial reward and long-term relationships repugnant to you?

6) Do you know what "repugnant" means?

7) Do you enjoy washing your clothes in the bathtub?

Does the idea of going out with women or men who like you only because of your passport's color appeal to you?

9) Do you like strange foods cooked in less than sanitary conditions?

10) Are you fond of trying to defend American and British military policies?

11) Do you thrive on loneliness and uncertainty?

12) Do you like cutting up paper into small pieces?

13) Do you enjoy making yourself vulnerable to the whims of rich foreigners?

14) Is the smell of whiteboard markers much like a rare and sensual perfume to you?

15) Is the thought of owning more than one bag of possessions repellant to you?

16) Do you enjoy trying to converse with people who you have nothing at all in common with?

17) Could you easily dispense with such luxuries as a pension or Social Security?

1 Do you drink heavily?

19) Is hot water a luxury you can easily do without?

20) Does the idea of waking up early on a Saturday to try to entertain a room full of hostile nine-year-olds appeal to you?

21) Do you give a crap about the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?

22) Does the idea of paying $1500 to learn how to do something that you can't save money at sound perfectly logical to you?

KEY: For questions 1 through 21, give yourself:

2 points for each "yes" answer

1 point for each "sometimes" answer

0 points for each "no" answer

For question 22, give yourself:

1000 points for a "yes" answer

0 points for a "maybe" or "no" answer

0 - 20 points == It would seem that your are far too sane to enjoy the EFL lifestyle. I'm sure that your local Kinko's Copy Shop or Starbucks would be happy to have you, however.

21 - 44 points == You show some signs of being able to adapt well to the EFL lifestyle. If you were to say, increase your daily alcohol intake and perhaps cut yourself off from your friends and family for a while, you might begin to fit the profile.

1000 or more points == Congratulations pal. You're a natural.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

[Glenski]

[sheeba]

[Glenski]

[sheeba]

[coffeedrinker]

I think there are people who could benefit from the perspective in this article, just to be aware of its existence, and even if I don't agree that it is totally accurate...but those people will probably not have any interest in reading it so will scroll right down past it. Maybe a misleading title would help

If a person feels it applies to the country they're in, that's one thing, but suggesting that newbies everywhere is different.

I have actually worked in Hungary, and I think it is an overgeneralization. There are so many different contexts to teach in, and sorry, but students in general are often not aware of the constraints teachers work in. Sure, doing written exercise after written exercise will help people pass exams, and this is what many people feel they want or need, but teachers (in many countries, I think) are encouraged not to do this, and for good reason, I think. But does that mean the teacher is a bad one? Does that mean the school's methodology is bad? I don't think so, I think it means the system and people's expectation have a ways to go before things work out perfectly.

I also think much of the efl industry is based on getting native speakers from a variety of educational backgrounds to take and do jobs for a few years - in jobs and work environments that are not really designed for longevity. This doesn't mean it's okay to turn up unprepared and blow off your job...but it does mean that if people without a background in teaching are hired, there is more to it than "bad newbies".