Job Discussion Forums

[RPMcMurphy]

[roadwalker]

[mike w]

For teaching adults, as opposed to university-age students, the corporate world is far better. You will almost certainly be treated better than in many universities, and the salary will be much higher as well. Only drawback is that it could be a full-time (40hrs/wk), but the actual teaching hours will very possibly be much lower. At present, out of my 40 hours, I teach 3 hours a week maximum.

[Denim-Maniac]

[Denim-Maniac]

[7969]

All of us have our preferences, and that's part of what makes this forum interesting (useful).

[doogsville]

I'm curious as to what we all mean by 'adults' here. My experience so far of people who have expressed a preference for teaching adults, is that what they actually mean is they want their job to be easy. Now I'm not implying that's true of anyone here, so let's make that clear. I'm only relaying my own experience. Everyone I have talked to who has expressed a preference for teaching adults has gone on to make it clear they want to teach people who will listen, engage with them, study hard and who's English is good enough for them to have a two hour conversation with and call it 'teaching'.

My own experience of teaching adult classes in private schools in China is that such people are as rare as hens teeth. I've taught those middle aged businessmen, and they were no more willing to learn than my primary school students.

So when you all talk about 'adults', what criteria are you using to define someone as such?

[Denim-Maniac]

They are only as rare as hens teeth because of your own definition doogsville. That is, that they are easier to teach. I would suggest that to actually 'teach' adult students is more demanding in terms of the teaching context, normally less demanding in a communicative context.

My general definition of adult students is based partly on age, but also on context and life experience.

I think its very rare that people would view university students as adult students. Would a biology lecturer at Oxford describe his job as teaching adults? I would guess not .. but that is just a guess. Adult students, I believe, are those who are making a decision to study, funding their course themselves in-between (or at the same time as) working. Someone who has completed their standard education and is returning to education. Certainly not someone who is still in education such as university students. I think there is teaching children / teaching higher education / teaching adults

I always state a desire to teach adults as the teaching context is normally far more conducive to teaching, and I find it more satisfying. I think easier is more likely to be found in teaching younger students actually. But ease fails against job satisfaction for me. I have taught (in China) middle school / college / adult.

Middle school is easiest in terms of what you have to deliver. You could play songs, dance, make them do choral repetition and all the goofy boys will shout 'helloooooooooo' at you from their dorm windows and you'll be fine.

My college aged kids were from 16 - 22 and they were one step above that. Some did challenge teaching content and didnt accept entertainment, but the majority did. You could get away with a lot IMO.

Added to that, both of these contexts entailed minimal contact time and the same lesson being repeated many times per week. That is pretty easy IMO.

My adult students actually demand results. They wont accept lots of teacher talk easily. They wont accept songs and movies easily and will complain if you use them. They do expect me to have knowledge about my subject and often want clarification on the 'why' of something. They often refer to themselves as 'customers' rather than 'students' too.

I have seen a few people come into the training centre from other teaching contexts and struggle simply because many adult students wont accept the winging it that some can do in middle school/college/university. So from that perspective, it can be much harder to teach adults. Added to this is the fact that I may see the same student for 90 minutes every day for 10 weeks. The prep work is much much much higher.

So I believe its much harder to teach adult students (in my teaching contexts) but I choose it as I find it much more rewarding and enjoyable, plus I get to learn more as a teacher.

(edit to add - I do recognise that challenges exist with university / college / middle school / kindy etc. Crowd control isnt easy, teaching students who arent streamed by ability isnt easy / teaching without support / materials isnt easy. However, I dont think learning these skills are very valuable to me personally so dont want that type of work)

[Perilla]