Job Discussion Forums

[darkside1]

Yes, but I would do two things differently:

1) spend a few years in a high earning region (especially, but not exclusively the Gulf) by my early 30s in order to build up some savings and so expand my choices regarding type of school, country and so on;

2) get an M. Ed. or equivalent under my belt a bit earlier too, which would again open up greater possibilities of working in higher earning/ less stressful teaching environments.

There is no 'one size fits all' in education and the type of students, curriculum, resources, school management and your teaching peers can all play a positive or negative role in whether you are succesful or not. I have had some excellent experiences and one extremely negative experience, from which I would have walked much earlier if I had the back up I mentioned above.

[zaneth]

I certainly think of leaving it from time to time, but all in all I think I'd choose it again.

If I had it do over again I would have waited a bit before getting married (yeah, easy to say). Perhaps until after I was past the first phase of culture shock, so I wasn't dealing with relationship adjustment at the same time, and after I'd gotten settled in the job and gained some confidence. The new relationship, new culture, and new job was just too much at once and I'm lucky to be (slowly) recovering from it.

I also sometimes wish I'd had more of a nest egg and could have bought a flat when I was first here. Prices have gone up a lot in the last few years and will likely rise further before I have enough saved for a flat. Of course, there are a lot of factors in home ownership.

The long term financial prospects are a bit of a worry. And getting further education is not so easy from where I am.

But I'm able to have a materially simple and intellectually interesting life, with a modicum of respect and quite a lot of autonomy. And my daughter is a really beautiful being.

[denise]

Yes, I most certainly would do it again. I'm a bit stressed right now about my long-term prospects (don't care for the job scene in the US, don't necessarily want to be a traveling foreigner, especially a single one, for the rest of my life, and am constantly worrying about having to balance living in a place that appeals to me vs. living in a place that will pay enough for my substantial debts), but underneath all the worry I know that there are always good jobs and experiences out there. I've had quite a few already. I love this job!

d

[valley_girl]

I like to say that I didn't choose teaching, it chose me. I pretty much fell into ELT like many other restless people and found my 'niche'. I couldn't imagine doing anything else (including public school teaching - no thanks!). I hope to continue to learn and grow as an ELT as the years pass by. It's a challenging career choice but short of starting my own language school (one thing at a time ), there is no other "choice" for me.

Great question.

[expatben]

Despite my bad experience in China, I am actually on my way to an ESL in Spain and then Poland. I stuck with teaching-why? Because I still remember that feeling you get when you have a great class and everything works out, I like that feeling-I like it a lot.
Expat

[anonymous_alaska]

I'm currently working in a U.S. public school. I'm teaching special ed students. It's tough. I like the students, but they say stuff like F. U. Mr. Blankety! All the students swear out loud everywhere, the hallways, lunchroom, in class. They even jump on chairs and scowl at teachers. I worked ESL abroad 6 years but thought I should teach back in the States to gain a good retirement.

One thing about public education in the U.S. is you have to be careful about anything you say. Tort insurance is recommended.(I don't even know what a tort is!) The sad thing is students know they have you pinned against the wall, so you have to use these behaviorist management techniques to persuade, cajole, and exhort the student into doing what you want them to do. In a pamphlet given to us by masterteachers.com, they call these leadership techniques.


But there's a bright side. I think U.S. education is becoming better, especially because of the internet. The students don't have to be mired in boring, watered-down textbooks. I'm learning from my studies that the initial goal of U.S. education(and I'm sure in a lot of countries)
was to control the immigrant population streaming in and to support industry. A good read on this is The "Business" of Reforming American Schools by Denise Gelberg on netlibrary.com if you have access. She's out of Cornell and documents well. The question it raises for me is was social control necessary in order to become a strong country? I get kind of peeved when I realize I was socially controlled rather than given intellecual freedom.

[rosie1973]

Having just found this profession and loving it emmensely I can say....WHERE HAVE I BEEN FOR 10 YEARS?

But ask me in another 10 and we'll see what I say.

I am a bit discouraged, however with the things I'm hearing about teaching in the US. I'm American and teaching in Spain and I imagine I won't want to live abroad forever....but what are my options if teaching in the States is so horrific? Anyway, this isn't a thread about teaching in America so I'll close with.............yes.love teaching.hope to do it forever.

[ls650]

[riverman]

I don't know if I'd do it all again. I taught in a US public school for 4 years, and now I've been international for 10 years, and I'm just far enough into it (and old enough) that the doors on other options are closing fast. Can't realistically expect to go back to the US for a retirement...that would mean another 25 years in one district, and teaching until I was 70 for a minimum retirement package. But managing a realistic retirement portfolio while working overseas is much harder than people let on. The tax break isn't such a big deal, the US stock market is certainly not a safe place to put retirement savings, property ownership pays high dividends but management is a whole other issue; and cash loses value FAST!

Also, its bittersweet to see the colleagues I began teaching with 14 years ago nearing their pension qualifications. In another 6-8 years, many of them will be able to quit teaching, and have a guaranteed pension for life. They've finished working on their homes, and their kids are finsishing college in our hometown university. If I had never gone overseas, I'd be without a lot of interesting vacations and stories, but I'd be more secure in my old age. And when you're old and grey, you can't feed yourself on interesting vacations and stories.

Yes, stateside public schools certainly have their downsides, but the International market is not all as rosy as newbies believe. There is a lot of professional paranoia that keeps teachers from expressing concerns in their schools and profession. As a teacher, you are exposed to the whims and irrationalities of local school boards or erratic directors. In many schools, you are unprotected by local legal systems, there aren't any effective teacher's unions, and you are perennially the 'new kid in town', starting all over from the bottom of the heap. While a regular fresh start may sound attractive in your younger years, there rapidly comes a time when you want to enjoy the perks of seniority and to be a member of a community of friends that you grew up and grew old with. That just won't happen in the international market. In fact, the pain of leaving new friends after a handful of years becomes more poignant over time.

I think if I had known the pros and cons 10 years ago, I might not have gone overseas. But I can't guarantee that I wouldn't be saying the exact same thing if I were a doctor right now and someone asked me if I would do THAT all over again, either.

[The_Hanged_Man]

Hey Jseens,

You mentioned another forum with mainly North American teachers. Would you mind posting a link to the thread?

Anyway, right now I'm teaching in the US now, after two years teaching in the Peace Corps and another year in Japan, and I can't wait to get back overseas. Granted I am teaching in a teacher shortage area as part of my alternative certification program and I expected things to be difficult, but I can't see why anyone in their right mind would want to go through 25-30 years of this just to get a mediocre pension. In Texas, where I teach, the retirement benefits have been steadily eroding over time while the age and experience requirements have been increasing. The combination of student apathy and lack of respect, escalating testing requirements and restrictions, and general vulnerability to student and parent accusations make for a rather unpleasant work environment. I know those problems also exist overseas as well, but the generally improved quality of the students and lifestyle more than make up for it. Despite all this I love teaching. I just have no intention of doing anymore in the US public school system after this upcoming academic year. Anyone out there looking for a secondary math teacher in 06?

[dmb]

After 14 years I still enjoy it. How many people back home can say that? Whenever I go back home for a visit all my friends say they are jealous. I tell them it is never too late.

[Gordon]

[dmb]

[Gordon]

[dmb]