Job Discussion Forums

[double agent]

time for a poll

after reading a recent post on Turkey by an unhappy teacher,
and on the ME boards, and the Japan boards and the...

I thought I would pose the following question.

Pleae free free to add comments... on the whys and how not to...

[veiledsentiments]

What burn out? I had one career for 15 years and decided that EFL would be an interesting change allowing some travel. Got an MA and it was fun. I spent 16 years and would have continued except I had to go home to care for elderly family. But, retirement is nice too. Life is what you make it.

Thus, I can't vote because all your choices are negative.

VS

[double agent]

Thanks VS.

Glad to hear we are not ALL doomed to burn-out.
Your right, I shoud have included another option for the survivors

I have met a few over 49's on the way to the loonely bin and wandered...
is life on the road too hard once you reach a certian point.


Also met a few 20 somehtings who are serious alcoholics on the way to living on the street broke and impoverished. Only, they won't believe you. It is tragic. And I think more prelevant in our business.


Of course I want to hear all stories. Have the longtermers stayed in one place longer thus building solid relationships and families thus avoiding
burnout ?

We live a strange life, and being away from your home country isn't always easy, especially when you have lizards crawling up your walls, the morning paper impossible to read (due to language), etc etc....

I miss the superficial things at times. But going home for a quick fix usually cures me as my wander lust is strong.

[Shonai Ben]

No burn out here.Six years and still going even stronger.

[denise]

No burnout here either, so I couldn't answer your poll.

I haven't been around for all that long yet--five years (three of teaching and two getting that MA that makes me, uh, god according to your poll), so maybe it's too soon to say that this is my life. But that's the plan.

I'm a bit frazzled at the moment, but the stress is related only to my current school situation (it's closing), not to the profession itself.

I don't plan on staying away from the States forever, but when I return I will continue teaching. I just love this job so darn much!

d

[veiledsentiments]

It is a good question how one avoids burn out in this field. Just speculating, but I think that one way is to have the best possible credentials. I started my career while getting my MA. Although I hadn't planned it that way, I stayed within the same culture and language group. I did some travel to check things out in other parts of the world, but decided that the better you understood student needs, the easier it was to meet them.

So, I spent the whole time in Middle East, but my MA allowed me to get positions with the best employers. Through the years I lived in four countries and taught at 5 different universities / colleges. If the foibles of a particular management started to grate, I sent out some applications and moved on before the symptoms of burn-out would hit.

I was and am single, but in the Middle East, most of the teachers are married and that certainly does help to bring stability to a life that can be difficult for some.

And yes, I often missed things from home. Especially during my first years in the field and there was no internet (for the first 10 years) - and often no English television (except for a rare repeat of something like Dallas -- ugh -- satellite TV arrived in my 7th year). But, the long summer holidays with a nice prepaid ticket in your hand allowed going to somewhere to recharge the batteries.

VS
(give the lizards names and make them part of the family )

[double agent]

must say hearing POSITIVE feed back is more essential
than I personally could have imagined.

Denise, for me a little burn out started with no not the job but yes
troubles with the school itself! I think burn out can be more subversive in
this profession than we realise.

Not being paid on time repeatedly, bad management, dodgy living quaters, we aren't jivin' with a culture with thought we would love,
no lovers from our own background,...etc..

VS.. you are incredible.
Thank you for bringing light into my life.
I think you have addressed a vital point. NOT changing countries every
year and getting our higher qualifications early...like Ben. This may
also aid to a more secure and emotionally stable life.

I had never thought about that but I think those two things alone may
help us with job security right from the GET GO..and to have better offers
on the table when things do go bad as with Denise, and myself previously.

If I had had a Masters when my first school F-d me over i would have
known that I had more options and a bright future in front of me.

I hope this forum helps others out there and I hope you contribute.
I practically have tears in my eyes, seriously! I feel like this can help newbies and oldbies.

Group hug everyone...

[moonraven]

I can't even imagine burn out--teaching is an energizing activity. I have been teaching off and on since 1968--and solidly for the past 10 years.

[Roger]

This is my tenth year in Cathay. Starting on my eleventh...
So, when and where did I experience my burn-out?
Strangely enough - in the first couple of years I had some really nerve-racking and jolting experiences - being fired at the end of a term because I talked back to a boss, and again losing my job because my boss had to pay a heavy fine for a serious mistake he had committed... anyone would normally have packed up and left.
But my life changed for the better.
Still,I am not sure whether the burn-out syndrome has hit me right now. I don't feel enthusiastic about going back to school this year. I feel this job is stagnant like some puddle on the ground, attracting mosquitoes.
I feel it's the realisation that no matter what you do here the impact is so...forget it! Treating adults like toddlers, taking them by their hands and leading them on... and them never learning to tread on their own!
No, unlike some of you I don't believe in transplantation. Just moving on to another location won't take cae of this anguish.
Also I want to stay put here, not just export my own problems. I think if you only teach your way around the world you are but an amateur in the true sense of the word -someone who only does what they like. Not what their conscience dictates them to do. A teacher should integrate into an education system and work from within it to improve it. Now that's the challenge...

[leeroy]

[double agent]

Great. I wonder if the people burning out recognize it.

It doesn't mean you are a bad teacher, it just means our lifestyle
is different and most of us are not living in the STANDARDS we grew up with. Although some may be living better, like many in the Middle East.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[moonraven]

I have never experienced burnout--either as a teacher, or in the several other professions I have exercised. And maybe that last phrase is the key to avoiding burnout.

Burnout is your emotional (and sometimes physical) body telling you that it's way past time to move on--that you're stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues (again), in the words of B. Dylan.

Burnout comes when the person feels powerless to change the place he/she is in, but doesn't have the courage to get out. If the Universe had wanted us to live in the world of attachments, we would still be wearing our umbilical cords.

Burnout stinks of fear.

[double agent]

BURNOUT PREVENTION AND RECOVERY
1. STOP DENYING. Listen to the wisdom of your body. Begin to freely admit the stresses and pressures which have manifested physically, mentally, or emotionally.

MICROSOFT VIEW: Work until the physical pain forces you into
unconsciousness.


2. AVOID ISOLATION. Don't do everything alone! Develop or renew intimacies with friends and loved ones. Closeness not only brings new insights, but also is anathema to agitation and depression.

MICROSOFT VIEW: Shut your office door and lock it from the inside
so no-one will distract you. They're just trying to hurt your
productivity.

3. CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. If your job, your relationships, a situation, or a person is dragging you under, try to alter your circumstances, or if necessary, leave.

MICROSOFT VIEW: If you feel something is dragging you down,supress these thoughts. This is a weakness.
Drink more coffee. ( It's free.)

4. DIMINISH INTENSITY IN YOUR LIFE. Pinpoint those areas or aspects which summon up the most concentrated intensity and work toward alleviating that pressure.

MICROSOFT VIEW: Increase intensity. Maximum intensity = maximum productivity. If you find yourself relaxed and with your mind
wandering, you are probably having a detrimental effect on the
stock price.

5. STOP OVERNURTURING. If you routinely take on other people's problems and responsibilities, learn to gracefully disengage. Try to get some nurturing for yourself.

MICROSOFT VIEW: Always attempt to do everything. You ARE
responsible for it all. Perhaps you haven't thoroughly read your job
description.

6. LEARN TO SAY "NO". You'll help diminish intensity by speaking up for yourself. This means refusing additional requests or demands on your time or emotions.

MICROSOFT VIEW: Never say no to anything. It shows weakness,
and lowers the stock price. Never put off until tomorrow what you can
do at midnight.

7. BEGIN TO BACK OFF AND DETACH. Learn to delegate, not only at work, but also at home and with friends. In this case, detachment means rescuing yourself for yourself.

MICROSOFT VIEW: Delegating is a sign of weakness. Let someone
else do it (See # 5).

8. REASSESS YOUR VALUES. Try to sort out the meaningful values from the temporary and fleeting, the essential from the nonessential. You'll conserve energy and time, and begin to feel more centered.


MICROSOFT VIEW: Stop thinking about your own problems. This is selfish. If your values change, we will make an announcement at the
company meeting. Until then, if someone calls you and questions your
priorities, tell them that you are unable to comment on this
and give them the number for Microsoft Marketing. It will be
taken care of.

9. LEARN TO PACE YOURSELF. Try to take life in moderation. You only have so much energy available. Ascertain what is wanted and needed in your life, then begin to balance work with love, pleasure, and relaxation.

MICROSOFT VIEW: A balanced life is a myth perpetuated by the Borland Marketing Team. Don't be a fool: the only thing that matters
is work and productivity.

10. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Don't skip meals, abuse yourself with rigid diets, disregard your need for sleep, or break the doctor appointments. Take care of yourself nutritionally.


MICROSOFT VIEW: Your body serves your mind, your mind serves the
company. Push the mind and the body will follow. Drink Mountain Dew.
(it's free.)

11. DIMINISH WORRY AND ANXIETY. Try to keep superstitious worrying to a minimum -- it changes nothing. You'll have a better grip on your situation if you spend less time worrying and more time taking care of your real needs.

MICROSOFT VIEW: If you're not worrying about work, you must not be very committed to it. We'll find someone who is.

12. KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. Begin to bring joy and happy moments into your life. Very few people suffer burnout when they're having fun.

MICROSOFT VIEW: So, you think your work is funny?
We'll discuss this with your manager on Friday. At 7:00 pm.

[moonraven]

So: Alfred E. Newman never experienced burnout, right?