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| What is your motivation for teaching English? |
| I'm a serious career teacher. |
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48% |
[ 17 ] |
| I'm a student of language and culture, teach to extend my stay abroad. |
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25% |
[ 9 ] |
| I'm a long-term traveller, teaching to fund my travels. |
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11% |
[ 4 ] |
| I'm a philanthropic or religious person sponsored by an aid organization, charity, or mission society. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Other ??? |
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14% |
[ 5 ] |
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| Total Votes : 35 |
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| Author |
Message |
DosEquisX
Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361
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 Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 2:16 am Post subject: |
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| When I first started, I was the third option. After a couple of years, I was the second option. A couple of years after that, I became the first option. |
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santi84
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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My first thought to the title was "... not money, that's for sure...".
I am still in North America though. Masochism and a love for discounted boxes of macaroni & cheese is the main reason for those of us who try to start out here. |
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Jason1209
Joined: 30 Sep 2014
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2015 8:05 am Post subject: |
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Good poll. I'm not yet a teacher--plan to begin training this spring--but I'm in the 2nd category. I can't call myself a career teacher because I haven't done it yet. But if I enjoy it, in a year's time, I perhaps will call myself that.
I've always liked the idea of teaching though. And since I was an English major, I obviously can't teach math since I suck at it. And as long as I'll teach English (I could also teach history or social studies if I got a teacher certification in my home state), might as well take advantage of the opportunities to live and work abroad. |
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natsume
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 409
Location: Chongqing, China
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2015 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome Jason -
Keep in mind, the "idea" of teaching and the "reality" of teaching are two very, very different things. I really liked the "idea" of teaching American high school students...until I did it. |
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JN
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 214
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2015 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| I guess I'd have to call myself a serious career teacher. I actually started teaching because I had asked for German classes. They didn't have my level, but asked if I'd teach a couple of English classes. Later I did the volunteer thing for a year. |
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jm2505
Joined: 20 Jun 2009
Posts: 35
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 5:55 pm Post subject: Paid to travel |
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Someone has paid me to travel and see aspects of the world that no tourist will (living and working on a Vietnamese Military Training base has to top that list).
Now I am nearing retirement, I look forward to my final case unpack and putting my feet up.
PS. I can safely say that in the 10 years I have done this job I have intensely disliked 95% of organisations I have worked for (only the British Council is exempt) followed by 75% of the teachers I have met.
On the up side, 95% of the students have been wonderful. |
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water rat
Joined: 30 Aug 2014
Posts: 1098
Location: North Antarctica
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 4:56 am Post subject: Re: Paid to travel |
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| jm2505 wrote: |
Someone has paid me to travel and see aspects of the world that no tourist will (living and working on a Vietnamese Military Training base has to top that list).
Now I am nearing retirement, I look forward to my final case unpack and putting my feet up.
PS. I can safely say that in the 10 years I have done this job I have intensely disliked 95% of organisations I have worked for (only the British Council is exempt) followed by 75% of the teachers I have met.
On the up side, 95% of the students have been wonderful. |
Just so! My one brother has been on an 'If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium' type tour for ten-days of his miserable life, and the other pays through the nose to visit tame tourist enclaves in the Virgin Islands, Holland or Spain for a few days once a year maybe, when he can afford it. I, on the other hand, have lived for months or years among the people in such places as Tunisia, Thailand and Tokyo (just to name places beginning with a 'T') and got paid for it!
As Chrissie Hynde sings, "Trapped in a world that they never made, not me baby, I'm too precious - F**k off!"
I like how you include your percentages, JM. I would say 99% of the school administrations in my three decades of working abroad have been worthless and incompetent greed monkeys, while 99% of my students have been boffo.
One should always be ready to understand and forgive naughty children (even the ones in their thirties). I once had a boy who set off firecrackers behind my back when I turned to write on the board. I left the room, refusing to continue when no one would tell me who had done it (three times!) It turned out, the poor 11-year old boy had been in this boarding Central Java boarding school for 11 months without ever being visited or picked up by his goddam parents and was trying to get expelled. Tsk tsk.  |
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3701 W.119th
Joined: 26 Feb 2014
Posts: 386
Location: Central China
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:06 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I have intensely disliked... 75% of the teachers I have met. |
Seems a little low to me. |
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