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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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 Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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| kurtz wrote: |
| I might even give it a crack myself when this contract is over; if I fail, well, that will be quite a kick in the pants....... |
Like the old saying goes, if at first you don't succeed then you should hide any evidence that you ever tried  . Seriously, there's no shame in missing out on a RMIT gig. I haven't experienced it myself, but, from what I hear, the interview process isn't exactly a cake-walk. However, it's not impossible either. If you want to work there, I'd recommend just giving it a go and, who knows, maybe you'll get it. But, if you don't make the cut, well, you can always apply again at a later date. The fact that you applied previously demonstrates that you are enthusiastic about working there plus you would have been through the process before and hopefully won't be making the same mistakes again.
| kutz wrote: |
| Not too keen on ACET from what I've heard; 4 hour teen classes?! |
Only if you want to teach the 'young-learners' classes, which is a fairly new development at ACET. The kids are aged ten and up. The classes are for four hours, but you get two breaks during that time. The adult classes are still ACET's bread-and-butter and, if you are an 'adult teacher', you don't have to teach the kids unless you want to. |
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Mattingly
Joined: 03 Jul 2008
Posts: 249
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| kurtz wrote: |
| Not too keen on ACET from what I've heard; 4 hour teen classes?! |
And to make things more difficult, they are wealthy teens. Wealthy teens studying pre-ielts. Sent to study pre-ielts by their parents.
I have friends that do the Hanoi ACET 4-hour M-F schedule with these students. Some positives, but there are constant complaints by these teens that the class is "boring."
So, the DOS has to do his job and pass the information along to the teacher and discuss ways to "make it more interesting."
No thanks, I'll pass. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Mattingly wrote: |
I have friends that do the Hanoi ACET 4-hour M-F schedule with these students. Some positives, but there are constant complaints by these teens that the class is "boring."
So, the DOS has to do his job and pass the information along to the teacher and discuss ways to "make it more interesting." |
Well, like I said before, the solution is really pretty simple. If you don't want to teach young learners then don't apply for a position as a young learners teacher. At least at ACET you have the option on whether or not you are going to teach kids (unlike a lot of schools out there).
In regards to DOSs instructing teachers on how to make classes "more interesting", I've never heard of that happening at ACET Saigon, or even when I was up at Hanoi. But, even if I had, I wouldn't necessarily have had a problem with it. It is generally the case that the kids who attend ACET are well-off and I'm sure quite a few of them are spoilt brats. However, you would find that at any language school. Besides, there is nothing wrong with management being interested in quality control or wanting teachers to teach interesting lessons and, if they receive numerous complaints about the same thing happening with the same teacher, it is entirely appropriate that they follow it up. |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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| kurtz wrote: |
| The Muppets will continue to scrape by and spend their down time drinking and smoking themselves to death at a bia hoi. |
I can see that. Why do you think that is? The ones with no degrees aren't really professional? Seems like Vietnam is like other countries when it comes to TEFLers.
You have the professional ones who have the credentials, stay out of trouble, don't drink nor smoke anything or do any other types of drugs, but then you have those who have no degrees or just a bachelor degree that is 25 years old, try to have a fake degree and drink and smoke like there's no tomorrow.
What is it about TEFLing that draws people like that? |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| EFLeducator wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| The Muppets will continue to scrape by and spend their down time drinking and smoking themselves to death at a bia hoi. |
I can see that. Why do you think that is? The ones with no degrees aren't really professional? Seems like Vietnam is like other countries when it comes to TEFLers.
You have the professional ones who have the credentials, stay out of trouble, don't drink nor smoke anything or do any other types of drugs, but then you have those who have no degrees or just a bachelor degree that is 25 years old, try to have a fake degree and drink and smoke like there's no tomorrow.
What is it about TEFLing that draws people like that? |
Can't offer you a definitive answer of course, but I can lend you my random thoughts.
My travels in SE Asia have shown that there are a lot of people who just love the cheap lifestyle, cheap beer, cheap(ish) lodgings, cheap women, cheap food etc. These people need to make a crust to get by and so there's the good ol' teaching English thang.
The people who fall into it in SE Asia are generally;
1) College grads who want to party it up for a year
2) Losers/economic migrants with no other options (often seen bleary eyed and chain smoking at a bia hoi near you)
3) Crusty old dudes who are trapped and sadly think $15 an hour is good and who've spent too much time in Thailand
4) Various misfits who work part-time and are working on some kind of novel that will save them from their poverty
5) Your general run-of-the-mill TEFELer who doesn't realize time is ticking and is making the wages of a first year bricklayer's apprentice
6) The wannabe artist who's just doing it because they failed miserably at trying to be an artist in their home country (sorry, you just can't sing, or play the guitar well and your paintings look like a 5-year old did it with their eyes closed) who jump out of it as soon as they get their feel good job at the local orphanage
It's sad to say sometimes I'm a teacher in SE Asia as generally the bar is set so very low. I thought things were bad in my last port of call; at least you had to be a college grad there. Here, it's a case of "I wanna get trashed nightly, I speak English therefore I'm gonna teach English"
There are in fact some very good teachers without a degree and good luck to them. However, there are a hell of a lot more people without a degree or some kind of teaching qualification who are working in some dodgy school, usually working 2-3 different jobs as they can't get enough hours and who spend what little money they have on cheap beer and smokes. They'll also smoke some weed but then again, smoking weed seems to be the norm here. I'd like to see what would happen if everyone had to do a pee test; the ESL industry in Vietnam would be killed instantly.
Of course I'm just poking a little fun, but I've met many people of the above types so unless you're at least working for a place that pays at least $20, offers 80 plus hours and gives a WP and visa, I wouldn't be telling too many people what you do.
You have a Masters right? Well, good for you. I've just started one for the Master Plan of getting out of Asia where Muppets roam free and the chanting of their "mot bia" sends a shiver down my spine. The horror. |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| kurtz wrote: |
The people who fall into it in SE Asia are generally;
1) College grads who want to party it up for a year
2) Losers/economic migrants with no other options (often seen bleary eyed and chain smoking at a bia hoi near you)
3) Crusty old dudes who are trapped and sadly think $15 an hour is good and who've spent too much time in Thailand
4) Various misfits who work part-time and are working on some kind of novel that will save them from their poverty
5) Your general run-of-the-mill TEFELer who doesn't realize time is ticking and is making the wages of a first year bricklayer's apprentice
6) The wannabe artist who's just doing it because they failed miserably at trying to be an artist in their home country (sorry, you just can't sing, or play the guitar well and your paintings look like a 5-year old did it with their eyes closed) who jump out of it as soon as they get their feel good job at the local orphanage
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Sounds about right. I knew some teachers like that while I was in Mexico City.
| kurtz wrote: |
| You have a Masters right? Well, good for you. I've just started one for the Master Plan of getting out of Asia where Muppets roam free and the chanting of their "mot bia" sends a shiver down my spine. The horror. |
I do have a Masters. It has done absolutely NOTHING for me here in the U.S. which is one reason I am heading to Vietnam. I'm over 40 so I could care less about any type of party scene, drinking , or drugs. I live a clean lifestyle and have no problems being a hermit if I have to in order to stay away from alcoholics and potheads.
I feel like I'm more professional than that. Thanks for the input, Kurtz. |
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DNK
Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 236
Location: the South
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 5:37 am Post subject: |
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As someone who doesn't drink much or do drugs, I still find this conversational turn a bit ridiculous.
If people back home only worked 20-30 hours a week without any morning hours or drug testing, got a decent amount of expendable income from that, booze was like $0.75 for a beer and $3-4 for a mixed drink at bars downtown (compared to like $5 and $20), and pot was whatever it is here (I'm guessing dirt cheap as well), how much would 20-somethings be partying?
Seems to me they were partying quite a lot quite regularly without all of that stuff. Seems to me like that's just what the typical 20-something does given the chance.
Pot usage is like 15% among 20-somethings back home, so yeah, you're likely to find quite a few teachers here at that age doing it too. I'm sure they stick out quite a lot more than the 85% of the teachers that don't go out all the time and don't do it. Same for binge drinking. It's psychology or something. Things that leave a strong impression seem to be more common than things that don't leave any impression at all. You see "a lot" of teachers at bars, and that must make for a large percentage, right? But how many bars are there and how many teachers?
Even if the degree qual isn't enforced strictly, the overall education of people in the EFL scene here is going to be vastly higher than the average population back home. Even if only half the people here have a Bachelor's, that's still double the amount back home, and even if a quarter of the people here are "serious" educators, that still leaves a much, much larger percentage interested in education than back home. I'd guess higher quals are also a lot more common here - Master's and the like. |
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Tigerstyleone
Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 181
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:11 am Post subject: |
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| EFLeducator wrote: |
| What's the starting pay rate in Ho Chi Minh City |
You're not going to HCMC for the money are you? There must be other motives. I'd like to know.
Why is your avatar so big? I'm surprised the admins allow it. |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Tigerstyleone wrote: |
| You're not going to HCMC for the money are you? There must be other motives. I'd like to know. |
Sure, for the money. 18 to 20 bucks an hour sounds pretty sweet to me. See, I was teaching in Mexico City and the TEFLing salaries there are VERY low so Vietnam sounds pretty good.
No other motives amigo. I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't take any drugs. I'm 44 so I could care less about the party scene.
| Tigerstyleone wrote: |
| Why is your avatar so big? I'm surprised the admins allow it. |
I don't think my avatar is big. The admins have not mentioned it to me but if they do, I will remove it for a smaller one. It's Brandon Lee from the movie...The Crow.  |
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Tigerstyleone
Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 181
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| EFLeducator wrote: |
the money. 18 to 20 bucks an hour sounds pretty sweet to me.
No other motives amigo. |
So can I ask why not teach in South Korea or Taiwan where you can earn $30-$40 an hour?
Why choose a developing country that pays less, over a well developed country that pays more? A better salary, better infrastructure, better living conditions all around, not to mention employee benefits of free housing, pension, medical and airfare.
So why Vietnam ? |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:30 am Post subject: |
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| ^ What is this, 20 questions? I know what you're thinking BTW. |
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Tigerstyleone
Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 181
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:57 am Post subject: |
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I think men over 40 are attracted to teach in Vietnam for the girls to be honest, and if you can rake in $20 an hour too then all the better.
Me, personally, I want to go there for the girls, I admit it, AND because I hear Vietnamese students have respect for their teachers. I know there's always going to be a naughty student or two, but in general, I hear they're much different than say, Koreans. |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:08 am Post subject: |
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| Tigerstyleone wrote: |
I think men over 40 are attracted to teach in Vietnam for the girls to be honest, and if you can rake in $20 an hour too then all the better.
Me, personally, I want to go there for the girls, I admit it, AND because I hear Vietnamese students have respect for their teachers. I know there's always going to be a naughty student or two, but in general, I hear they're much different than say, Koreans. |
That's what I thought you were thinking. Not every guy is a sexpat like yourself.
Wanting to teach in a developing country just to play with the local girls is rather base, but at least you're honest. The Viets have a saying here, "no money, no honey" so I hope you're willing to pay or you might find young Phuong is with another man, if she isn't already. Just remember, I often see average looking men 10-20 years older than their usually attractive Vietnamese girlfriend, so it's hardly anything to be proud of. |
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Tigerstyleone
Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 181
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:20 am Post subject: |
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| kurtz wrote: |
That's what I thought you were thinking. Not every guy is a sexpat like yourself.
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Now you're just being rude and calling me names, saying I'm a sexpat.
If I could get a university job in Korea, I would take it in a heartbeat even if it means I won't have a date or get laid for an entire year.
No way am I going to move to vietnam just for the girls. If that was the case then I would choose Thailand or Philippines, but I heard that Vietnamese students are decent and it is possible to earn $2000 a month because I need to save money, not just get laid a lot.
You're rude. And a bully. God I hate these freaking forums with people like you calling out names like sexpat. The admins should really do something about you're ID. |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| Tigerstyleone wrote: |
| EFLeducator wrote: |
the money. 18 to 20 bucks an hour sounds pretty sweet to me.
No other motives amigo. |
So can I ask why not teach in South Korea or Taiwan where you can earn $30-$40 an hour?
Why choose a developing country that pays less, over a well developed country that pays more? A better salary, better infrastructure, better living conditions all around, not to mention employee benefits of free housing, pension, medical and airfare.
So why Vietnam ? |
Great questions. I don't have answers for them all. I may go elsewhere. My friend who just arrived in Vietnam and told me it may be too fast paced for me. He is always going he said and he also said that he is like a God there.
Sounds like Korea pays a lot more than Vietnam but my friend is happy with the women who worship him. I'll do some research on SK. Thanks for the info. |
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