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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 967 Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 7:07 am Post subject: |
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I'm not offended by what I termed goading; Provocation on this board is practically flattery.
When I entered the term, the system returned *beep*. Rather than leetspeak, depletives, grawlixe, or some other maledicta, I restated. Scot47's molestation, on the other hand, has me curious about what stash Scot47 might have.
Retirees, they do what they please. |
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scot47

Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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"Stash" ? In my youth I had a weakness for Ardent Spirits but did not indulge in the Holy Herb. Now I limit myself to copious infusions of "Camellia Sinensis". In that, I follow that great Englishman, Samuel Johnson. |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 967 Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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Curiosity sated. |
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scot47

Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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Being an EFL teacher is a lot better than being a patient in the County Lunatic Asylum. I tried that and did not like it.
If you are crazy in the Middle East or the Balkans, the locals do not notice. They think all foreigners are like that.
Last edited by scot47 on Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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snowboard
Joined: 13 Oct 2014 Posts: 24
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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Is ESL a good career path for only living somewhere a few months at a time?
edit: or rather, is it possible to make esl a career and only live places a few months at a time |
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nomad soul

Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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snowboard wrote: |
Is ESL a good career path for only living somewhere a few months at a time?
edit: or rather, is it possible to make esl a career and only live places a few months at a time |
That's generally referred to as being on holiday/vacation but without the job, unless you have a steady, sustainable income via online work or from some other source. The reality is that employers don't want to invest in teachers who are short termers. In other words, the era of the backpacker teacher is gone. |
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snowboard
Joined: 13 Oct 2014 Posts: 24
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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nomad soul wrote: |
snowboard wrote: |
Is ESL a good career path for only living somewhere a few months at a time?
edit: or rather, is it possible to make esl a career and only live places a few months at a time |
That's generally referred to as being on holiday/vacation but without the job, unless you have a steady, sustainable income via online work or from some other source. The reality is that employers don't want to invest in teachers who are short termers. In other words, the era of the backpacker teacher is gone. |
gotcha. thanks.
i've been ski/snowboard instructing seasonally for 9 winters and i'm looking to find more ways to travel. i enjoy teaching, travel, culture, language and teaching english keeps coming back as something i think i'd like.
i think i'll do a celta abroad next spring and see where it takes me. i just haven't found anywhere (in the states) i want to stay for an extended period of time, i always want to move somewhere new after a few months. nz though - wish i would have stayed there for my full year.
anyway, thanks. i think you've replied to a few of my posts. |
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spiral78

Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Is ESL a good career path for only living somewhere a few months at a time?
edit: or rather, is it possible to make esl a career and only live places a few months at a time |
Ditto what nomadsoul said. There are considerable hassles involved with visas, getting set up in accommodation, and getting oriented to a school and its students, and very few reputable employers will bother for someone who's going to be around less than a full contract period (usually 10-12 months).
Not anymore. |
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In the heat of the moment

Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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nomad soul wrote: |
snowboard wrote: |
Is ESL a good career path for only living somewhere a few months at a time?
edit: or rather, is it possible to make esl a career and only live places a few months at a time |
That's generally referred to as being on holiday/vacation but without the job, unless you have a steady, sustainable income via online work or from some other source. The reality is that employers don't want to invest in teachers who are short termers. In other words, the era of the backpacker teacher is gone. |
What surprises me is that there is very little demand for short-term teachers. Many countries will only have a small number of available staff - compared to the total population - and most will already be in full-time employment.
What happens if a teacher does a midnight run, is sick, takes maternity/paternity leave, can't get through the visa process quickly, or the school has an unforeseen uptake in students?
Generally it's up to the rest of the staff to make up the hours, in class, whereas back home we have a whole industry for short-term contract work. I've not seen any educational institution overseas have any process for short-term requirements except to ask the existing staff to do overtime. This sometimes is welcomed as some teachers seem to be able to thrive off of doing more hours, but it's just as likely to burn out a few. I appreciate the fractured nature of teaching overseas, unlike in more developed countries where the national systems are in place to train and employ teachers on a short-term basis; I wonder if they are in place overseas, but not for TEFL teachers? |
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nomad soul

Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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In the heat of the moment wrote: |
What happens if a teacher does a midnight run, is sick, takes maternity/paternity leave, can't get through the visa process quickly, or the school has an unforeseen uptake in students?
....
Generally it's up to the rest of the staff to make up the hours, in class, whereas back home we have a whole industry for short-term contract work. I've not seen any educational institution overseas have any process for short-term requirements except to ask the existing staff to do overtime. |
I never worked overtime hours as a teacher in order to fill in for a colleague. Some employers tend to fill temporary spots with qualified nationals and/or expats already in country and eligible to work. Universities in the UAE, for example, usually post openings for adjuncts (part time) or short-term instructors, which are filled locally. |
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In the heat of the moment

Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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nomad soul wrote: |
I never worked overtime hours as a teacher in order to fill in for a colleague. Some employers tend to fill temporary spots with either nationals or qualified expats already in country and eligible to work. Universities in the UAE, for example, usually post openings for adjuncts (part time) or short-term instructors, which are filled locally. |
My experience differs from yours; often I have or have had colleagues doing o/t when there's a shortage. There hasn't been any default process of recruiting local teachers, as far as I'm aware, in the places where I've worked previously. I've also known many other teachers who've had the same experience, where they are asked to work extra hours or shuffle classes to make up for an absent teacher - I think this is an actual need which is not being addressed, which is why I replied as I did.
I feel, quite strongly, that a sub-set of teachers able to enter countries to 'cover' for a few months or the rest of the year is something TEFL needs. We are in an industry which is still growing, unlike many others, and can be vastly improved upon in many areas. A unified, qualified and satisfactory to all concerned step in the right direction, I see, would be a bank of teachers able to, at a moment's notice, hop on a plane and cover a short-term contract and possibly then go to another, similar posting. |
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spiral78

Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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I feel, quite strongly, that a sub-set of teachers able to enter countries to 'cover' for a few months or the rest of the year is something TEFL needs. |
As I noted above, the problem is logistics. Visa issues, setting people up with accommodation, orienting them to students/school and etc. takes time. Many countries' visa regulations simply wouldn't allow for this, and few schools would be able to keep a set of accommodation and deal with the daily-living logistics of short-termers on a regular basis.
It might be feasible some places, but not many.
It's usually best to be careful when making blanket statements about the 'TEFL world...' |
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In the heat of the moment

Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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spiral78 wrote: |
Quote: |
I feel, quite strongly, that a sub-set of teachers able to enter countries to 'cover' for a few months or the rest of the year is something TEFL needs. |
As I noted above, the problem is logistics. Visa issues, setting people up with accommodation, orienting them to students/school and etc. takes time. Many countries' visa regulations simply wouldn't allow for this, and few schools would be able to keep a set of accommodation and deal with the daily-living logistics of short-termers on a regular basis.
It might be feasible some places, but not many.
It's usually best to be careful when making blanket statements about the 'TEFL world...' |
I appreciate that, the hoops we've all had to jump through are cumbersome and take a lot of time. I guess I'm actually aiming at "It might be feasible some places, but not many." There doesn't seem to be any place where it's feasible and is actually taking place? Surely our job requirements mean we will be working in different places, sometimes under unusual circumstances, and so there should be some 'network' or 'protocol' where unusual needs are met?
To use another industry as an example, oil engineering fire fighters will sometimes need to go to an offshore post, construction engineers will do short-term contracts, engineers in many fields spend a few weeks in foreign countries where they educate the local engineers on new equipment. Those industries are much older than TEFL, and so have established protocols in place. Why doesn't our industry do the same? |
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spiral78

Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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Large engineering companies, like aviation and other fields, have extensive inter/national contracts and agreements that cover large numbers of employees. Even chain schools or universities can't swing such blanket agreements with national governments. |
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In the heat of the moment

Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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spiral78 wrote: |
Large engineering companies, like aviation and other fields, have extensive inter/national contracts and agreements that cover large numbers of employees. Even chain schools or universities can't swing such blanket agreements with national governments. |
That makes sense, thanks...
Any way we can persuade governments to give us some of those? I'm willing to lobby, argue, and generally cause a stink. I'm at stage nought so it'll be a learning process. |
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