Job Discussion Forums

[cmp45]

[Hod]

[johnslat]

Dear Hod,

I don't have three million pounds, and I'll never win the lottery, mainly, I suppose, because I never buy any lottery tickets.
But I don't need to work - I'm financially fine without my paycheck. Yet, I still teach and will continue to do so as long as I can.

Why? Simply because I enjoy doing it so much. So, I greatly doubt that an extra three million pounds would make any difference in that feeling.

Regards,
John

[Hod]

John, you've obviously worked hard and saved hard, and fair play to you. You must admit, though, you're in a minority of one as far as this forum goes. Most TEFLers have no savings or pension plan to speak of. If they did some quick sums, even with today's lower than low interest rates of say 3%, �3 million cash would still generate �247 gross a day in interest. I�m assuming even a TEFLer would take financial advice and wouldn�t leave �3 million in a 3% cash account, so that passive income would be much higher. So with such funds available, I�m not even going to attempt to imagine this multi-millionaire TEFLer teaching the present perfect and being harangued by some DOS for not being entertaining enough.

[spiral78]

[Hod]

"Many" doesn't mean much. There were two threads over a year ago about pensions, and most or should I say many had little idea about pensions.

Also, in my time as a teacher, I met exactly one colleague who had a rich elderly father, i.e. that teacher would retire and not teach when his dad died. Every other one had to teach. Fair play to any eslcafe posters who are financially independent, but you don't speak for the vast majority of your peers.

Also, let's be honest, surgeons, lawyers, pilots, accountants and bus drivers make far more than TEFLers. I rarely hear any of that group claiming financial independence and telling us all that they are doing it just for fun. The more money you have, the more financially astute you hopefully become. With that in mind, the amount of genuinely financially-independent TEFLers could be counted on the toes of one hand.

[johnslat]

Dear Hod,

Well, for some people there's NEVER enough money. But if those people get into teaching, boy, did they ever pick the wrong job.

What you seem to be implying, though, is that no one enjoys teaching enough to do it if he/she didn't have to, if they had "enough" money to live comfortably ever after.

I know at least eight other teachers who would - and, in fact, most of them are in my position - not needing to teach but wanting to.

Regards,
John

[Ariadne]

I really love teaching. I came into it rather late and feel so delighted to have found something that I truly enjoy doing. BUT... if I won a huge amount of money my options would change dramatically. I could travel, well, all the time! See as much of the world as possible... leisurely, comfortably. 5 star hotels and cruise ships, or elephants and camels...with family and friends along for the ride. Yes, I'd stop working in a flash, no doubt about it.

.

[riverboat]

If I won the lottery tomorrow...I definitely wouldn't continue teaching full time, and I would be picky about what type of classes I took on. But I think I would continue teaching a couple of days per week - no evenings, no intensive courses, just a few lessons here and there within the hours of 9am to 6pm.

The good thing about teaching (here at least) is that you can pretty much arrange it around your own time schedule and either accept a lot, or a little work in any given week. I definitely wouldn't want to let myself sit around with no necessity of leaving the house every day - I need some kind of schedule and motivation otherwise I will procrastinate until the cows come home. I don't think I'd find many better options here for flexible, rewarding part-time work than teaching. So yeah, I'd continue.

[BobStrauss]

When it comes down to it, there are very few things people enjoy doing 40 hours a week - even when they are things that people love doing.

I would definitely continue teaching, but I'd do it on my own terms - at a pace, level, and area of my choosing. When I was doing some post-grad studies in Sydney I used to work part time at a school near Darling Harbour, teaching 18-24 year olds from all over the world. The students there had the great custom of taking their teachers out for beers for Friday afternoon conversation classes, many times at pubs overlooking the harbour.

It was a far cry from teaching Saudi brats in an all-male compound.

[sparks]

I think that most people need a purpose in life. Even if you decided to travel constantly and luxuriously, that would most likely get old, "another 5-star hotel?" ... "No, I don't want to go to another indoor water park again in my life." Without the sense of HAVING to do something, why bother to continue breathing?

[Zero]

I don't think spiral was claiming financial independence. She said she didn't have to teach because she has other work to rely on. Not quite the same. Still sounds like working to live, to me.

I am working in another career and hoping to save up enough money eventually, by my early 50s or so, to go into "semi-retirement." By that I mean I'd teach low hours in someplace like Thailand or China I'd only worry about making enough money to meet day-to-day needs, and not save anymore. The money I'm trying to save now would be there earning interest in the background and be there for me upon "real" retirement, along with a social security check.

However, I also don't believe in living a life of deprivation now, in the prime of life, to save for some future that may or may not come, and may or may not include good health. So it's important to find a balance. Not sure I've found it yet.

[Jbhughes]

I'd wager anyone who did continue to teach, or start teaching again, would end up making more money per hour worked compared to before a lottery win. It seems that way in VN at least. If you didn't need the money, you could afford to be picky with employers and be as demanding as you liked.

Myself, it would depend how long it'd take to get bored of the gutter (sure, an expensive gutter) and if I could think of anything else to fill up my time.

I think you'd need something that'd make your life feel like it has some worth. Anyone who has had a period of time where they weren't working or studying would surely understand that feeling. Working is the usual way of either burying that feeling or in better cases, conquering it. Family has been mentioned too, I'm not a parent (yet? ), so can't comment

[Perilla]

[Teacher in Rome]