Job Discussion Forums

[Castro]

Typical EFL/ESL Teacher and his preferences.

I was wondering if you could answer my questions:

There are a lot of places where ESL/EFL teachers are welcome. Africa, Asia, Europe (western as well as eastern one), Latin and North America.

1. What does your choice depend on? I mean if you choose some country to teach in what do you think is more important for you or your friends or average English teacher?

salary
teaching conditions , development or carrier
traveling opportunities
culture & language interests
something else

2. Does your choice depend on your personality? How? Would it be right if I say: tell me what the country you�d like to go and I tell you who you are?

[leeroy]

Hi Castro,

I think it would be fair to say that (generally) teachers who go to China have quite different motivations to those who go to Saudi Arabia, for example. I imagine we could even start to generalise and stereotype, and say "teachers in x place are like this, and ones in y are like that". Given the hostile vibe that has recently descended upon Dave's, I wouldn't like to speculate too much in that direction .

Teachers in London? Mostly they are people who've recently returned from teaching abroad, and are often about to leave again (who wouldn't? The conditions and pay are so awful!) . Not many people come to London specifically to teach English - they do it here as a way of "filling the gaps" between other, more rewarding, work. I sure as hell am...

[denise]

Ideally, I would base my choice of countries on where I wanted to go, which languages I knew/wanted to study, etc. Once in the country, I would choose a job based on working conditions, professionalism, the seriousness of the teaching staff (i.e., are they educators or edutainers?), etc., etc. But, with something like $40,000 in loans to pay off, right now I am, sadly, governed by money, money, money. I really want to choose my next job based on where I want to go, not on where the money is good.

Hmmmm... are you going to analyze us? Yay! OK, I started in the Czech Republic--spent two years in Prague. Then back to the States, where I taught part-time while going to grad school. Then China for a summer program. Now Japan, where I've been for a year and a few odd months. So what can you tell me about my personality? (Ooooooooh, this is fun!!!)

d

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[merlin]

I believe it would only be safe to answer this with I. To say what motivates others, even the man across the hall would be risky.

I do it for the beer.
I do it for the women.
I do it for the money.
I do it for the students.
I do it for the social life.
I do it for the culture.
I do it for the professional development.
I do it for the intellectual development.
I do it for the career development.
I do it for personal growth.

Well, that's today at least.

Ask me again tomorrow and you might get a different answer.

We often create oversimplistic models of the universe to suit our own cognitive limitations.

You see, Nobody does anything for one reason, even in the same day. I've eaten several times today, all for different reasons. Once I was anticipating hunger. Once I wanted a sweet to go with my bitter coffee Once because I had a meal ticket and it was lunchtime.

All too often we seek to bottleneck the messy realities through a modem cable and say things like"This person is like that" or classifications like "Well, there are basically three types of ESL teachers." Then someone outdoes them with four. It's so easy I even did it in a post today.

Now in an hour I'll teach a class because I'm scheduled to do so. But there are other reasons... too many to list them all.

[nomadder]

Good question.

I would say it has to depend on your age and stage in life. Depends on expenses-those with kids or big loans are in a different postion. Some want to make a real career out of it and that would govern choices as opposed to those who want to experience different parts of the world for now.

For me I feel the call of money coming not to mention full time work with a 1 year renewable contract(also internet places that are nonsmoking-heck-my own computer better yet)

If I got a job here in L.Am I would still probably give it up for something with more money and a good teaching situation but maybe come back here later with more money saved and new motivation. On the other hand- here they have the best looking men I've seen in 8 months.

Seems the places with the best money are often lacking exciting culture and v.v. I would prefer a mix if I could do it-a few years here, a few years there.

[Aramas]

It's a bit like asking why you're attracted to a particular person.

The only correct answer is "Because you are." Anything else is just sophistry.

Of course we can override desire and try to be sensible, but then we may as well cut off our metaphorical nuts and call ourself Shirley. No one ever had any fun by being sensible, and isn't having fun number one on everyone's list of things to do?

[merlin]

Exactly!
You're a person with a much wider productive lexicon than I, Aramas.

Let's cut the sophistry and sew the nuts back onto this industry.