Job Discussion Forums

Shonai Ben · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 617

This is kind of a general question,hence I am in the general discussion forum.
Anyway,my question is:

Is teaching efl/esl just a job for you or do you genuinely enjoy it?

Personally I enjoy my job and enjoy teaching.There are however some bad days,what job doesn't have them,but overall I can say that I enjoy what I do.
How about the rest of you?

PanamaTeacher · Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 278 Location: Panama

Hi Shonai--I think it's a good question, but tough. Smile

I like to teach, the interaction with students. It's great work, and it adds value to society. I also like the sense of adventure and freedom in living away from the real world, in my case the U.S. What stresses me out is worrying about money (I have had students I really like that I have to cancel for non-payment), dealing with parents, problems with peers, getting new business, etc.

What is really ironic is that in the US I could not afford to teach cause it paid little relative to other opportunities I had. Here, on the other hand, teaching esl gives you a comfortable living with relative ease that is hard to beat.

Hope I answered your question. Smile

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

EFL is not just a job--it's my life!!!

I guess that means I need to get out more... Embarassed

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

PanamaTeacher · Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 278 Location: Panama

Hola Amigo Ben,

let me clarify

the standard of living for teachers is higher in the US no doubt

what I mean is that at least for me I had other alternatives,

but here esl pays as well as anything
(I mean doctors get $500-$1000)

so yes, I live much lower than in the US but higher than I would in other types of jobs

I hope I'm being clear

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I used to enjoy teaching. Indeed, I was EFLtastic. Then I came to the Gulf and became a TEFL prostitute. Soon I will return to to teaching and I will enjoy again.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

There are two answers to this question - when I work in a kindergarten, a primary school, a college or an university I am a professional teacher and I enjoy my work immensely. The highest reward for me comes from observing how newcomers to English accept it from me and begin using it my way.
But there are other jobs, usually part-time jobs, normally at training centres that are a whole different story. Here, the "student" is king and customer and you have to pander to his every whim, which sometimes I refuse. The students come out of boredom, or because they have the wrong dreams (emigration, marrying a westerner, hopes to get a job with an international business), and they rarely are realistic in judging what it takes for them to move on to a higher level.
Jobs like this pay better, but they are a lot more frustrating. It's like being a physician with a patient who does not accept that the best remedy for his ailment is a radical surgery!