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Most Rewarding Experiences in This Field? Money, Experiences

 
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bj80



Joined: 31 Mar 2017
Posts: 63

PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:02 am    Post subject: Most Rewarding Experiences in This Field? Money, Experiences Reply with quote

Hi Everyone,

My pet theory is that a good life comes from finding tasks you are good at, and finding social environments that reward such task proficiency. Rewards are typically in the form of money and social status.

With English teaching, we can see what tasks are rewarded. CELTA teaches us this well. Certainly, we can compare pay, etc. to see what is rewarded. With experience, my guess is it is more subjective.

Just to gain some brainstorming out there, I would be curious about what are our most rewarding experiences?

Financially, I would say Saudi Arabia was the most. A good salary for less than forty hours a week. I saved at least 3000 USD a month when I was there.

Experience, I liked Libya, because the people were nice and genuine to me. Turkey was beautiful, too, even if the people were aggressive.

What do you guys think were your most rewarding experiences in this field? Anything nostalgic someone wants to share?
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Vince



Joined: 05 May 2003
Posts: 559
Location: U.S.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got into TEFL because for me it was the most expeditious way to get to Japan. I enjoyed it for the first couple of years, then started to burn out on the typical language school routine. It became obvious that in order to reach the rewarding experience you describe in TEFL, I'd need to get a relevant masters, become fluent in Japanese, and work my way into a tenured position. Had I followed up on my hunch to go straight from my BA to an MA before going to Japan, I might have ticked those fulfillment boxes. I might still be in Japan. But a long-distance relationship with a Japanese woman was part of the mix, so I went back to Japan after I finished the BA and planned to get the MA in Japan. Once there and situated, I didn't see a feasible way to get a quality MA that wasn't prohibitively expensive (online degrees had a much shakier reputation back then).

I have lots of pleasant memories throughout my stay, but my most nostalgic period was the first couple of years after my first major jump from full-time language school work. I was teaching year-long classes at a vocational college and had a few other part-time assignments that I patched together for a full schedule that paid well. The pay was good, it was nice to say I worked at a college, and some of the part-time assignments were with prestigious organizations. I was becoming a Tokyoite and loving life. But I didn't have the kind of long-term security I wanted, and that's what eventually led me to leave. I miss it (hence my posting here all these years after I left) and would consider returning if I felt like I had a good chance of fulfilling those three areas of a rewarding experience.
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