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Favourite Place to Teach...
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majestic58



Joined: 08 Aug 2011
Posts: 19
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 1:22 pm    Post subject: Favourite Place to Teach... Reply with quote

Ok, so there have been a million threads along the lines of "Where can I make the most money"... What I want to know is, of all the place you've taught, which was your favourite? Which was the best experience all round, where you had the most fun and felt the most at home? Details as to why it was the best are greatly appreciated! Smile
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VietCanada



Joined: 30 Nov 2010
Posts: 590

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My best experiences have been tied to a native co-teacher. Across a decade of teaching in two countries I've had the pleasure of working with three exceptional co-teachers.

I've had the displeasure of working for three schools of that I've actually walked away from. One school I actually left during a class. One constantly mistreated my spouse and wouldn't desist, another asked me to procure a western female the third was just plain disrespectful in every point of contact.

I've never worked for a school that in and of itself motivated me to stay. At best they were ok in the sense that they paid in full on time and were respectful.
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guanghoer



Joined: 05 Jan 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Beijing. I wasn't actually teaching- altho did one on ones- but my job was mostly copyediting, writing, proofreading and research. That'd be the sort of job I'd gladly do most anywhere.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Indonesia - fantastic country with wonderful people. Of course, the pay wasn't all that great (especially compared to what I'd been making in Saudi Arabia,)
but what a place!!!! Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Regards,
John
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johntpartee



Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A private language school in Mexico. Not because of Mexico and not because of the school (I usually hate private schools) and certainly not because of the money. I had a great boss; honest, fair, looked out for the teachers.
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Sadebugo



Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definitely, Georgia! I loved the students and the hospitality of the people. Amazing mountains to climb and monasteries to visit on the weekend. A caveat though, I was there as a civil servant so my living conditions and salary were better than what an instructor living on the economy would get.

Sadebugo
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Andrew Jordan



Joined: 25 Sep 2011
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Arequipa Peru is my favorite. The weather was sunny and warm almost all year. The city was just right size, I could get most anything I wanted without feeling overwhelmed. There were always tourist downtown if I wanted to meet new people (and speak my native tounge with them) but the outskirts where I lived hardly anyone spoke English, so I was forced to improve my spanish a lot. The people were great.

I worked at several scools and my last school was amazing. The students were motivated (although still they showed up late) and hardworking. The boss gave us freedom to teach in whatever way we wanted but was always around to help us, not just with teaching but with anything we needed.

I left because the pay was peanuts and after a few years I just got that itch to move on.

AJ
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daniel_hayes



Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 177

PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have only taught in two places -- Manchester and Valencia. Apart from the beach and the sun and the food, they are very similar.

But Valencia wins due to the cheap rent and balanced lifestyle.
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nygma44



Joined: 01 Oct 2012
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Laos!!! I loved my job as Deputy Principal and loved the people. Great memories!
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Denim-Maniac



Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yangshuo in China - Now take one minute and search google image to see the place, tall karst mountains and winding rivers etc.

Why? I dont like big cities, and this place is small, you dont need a bus to get around, you dont need to take taxis, everyone walks or rides a bike. The downside to 99.9% of all the small places in China is they are just too Chinese and most people gravitate towards cities because they can find Western goods and amenities and an ex-pat community.

But Yangshuo is unlike most small Chinese towns or cities, and because it is such a popular tourist destination you find that a higher % of restaurants here have English menus than you would find in BeiJing. There is a wide variety of food and drink available, and its cheap too. Chinese FTs often report needing to take a taxi across town before paying inflated prices in an ex-pat bar for a taste from home. Yangshuo is the opposite as the cost of that 20 minute taxi in ShenZhen is more than the cost of the beer and burger deal in Yangshuo.

And I like the teaching too. Students tend to take a leave of absence and come here to study and so my work is with small classes of adults in training centres. Because the students have quit work to come here, the lessons are Mon - Friday and during the day. We dont have the evening classes and weekends shifts here, which is often the bane of training centres. And due to the transient nature of the place, you can probably find that you can get a contract that is shorter than a year.

Its not a place to come if you have huge debts or a family to support. But if you want a small, interesting and picturesque place with a temperate climate and a comfortable lifestyle and teaching environment, its damn near impossible to beat IMO.
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artemisia



Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 875
Location: the world

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
place with a temperate climate

It seems to me that that's very hard to find! So many places have extremes of temperatures. I'm not fond of very hot, humid places and so much of the world (or so much of the TEFL world?) is all about that. I like mild climates. Someone once recommended Montana to me as a cool and dry location, but....

I loved being based in Europe, but I didn't really like the weather.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Russia! Moscow! Hands down my favourite place. For its total intemperance in nearly every aspect of life. Live life to extremes! Live!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSDQlqhNHrg
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RoscoeTX



Joined: 06 Jul 2012
Posts: 56
Location: Moscow, Russia

PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More like a "Love/Hate" Relationship for me....I love to hate Moscow!! This place wears down my soul...hasn't been all bad I guess, getting a baby out of it afterall!!
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santi84



Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea

PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

French Canadian students tend to value their ESL education (as it is truly necessary for most in the business world) and are very talkative. They don't hesitate to speak, unlike my Korean students. They also won't save face :shock so it works both ways if you do or say something stupid Laughing
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Qaaolchoura



Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border

PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I've only taught in two countries, but still...
Obviously I like teaching Turks, but I'm also teaching mostly educated, professional adults. So they take their English seriously and are very happy to talk, have interesting things to talk about, and will give honest feedback. (If they don't like how I do something, they will tell me.)

I suspect that outside of Korea and Japan (where people are notoriously circumspect), and a handful of authoritarian countries where you really have to watch what you say, most countries are probably like this when you're teaching adults, but then I don't really know that for a fact. Certainly, my Turkish coworkers are much more open, chatty, and honest (when I do something they have a problem with) than my Korean co-workers ever were.

I think that my experience might be more an indictment of the country we shouldn't talk about here than an endorsement of Turkey. But then maybe those who've taught in other parts of Europe or Latin America (Mexico seems similar in many ways to Turkey) can comment on that.

~Q
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