Job Discussion Forums

[Taylor]

Dear Readers,

So, little Jonks.... being strict and having high expectations of foreign English teachers is now a form of 'terrible management practises"???

I bet you've never even managed a garage sale!

Taylor
Kaohsiung

[jonks]

[jonks]

[BigWally]

[Pop Fly]

Sorry Big W. Don't want to rein in your enthusiasm. It's good, yeah? But you really need to be here, experiencing it. By and large, most schools are "bums in the seats" and nothing more....I'd wager your school is no different. As I said, I have finally found a school that seems to really care about results. But if I was running a class that was dwindling in numbers, regardless of the few that remained getting good grades, I'd be turfed down to so few hours that I'd start to seek alternatives.

They are businesses, not schools. Try being Black or Asian North American. Those folks know all too well how "business" centered it is. You'd do better to think of yourself as a a care-giver rather than a teacher with kids, or as a coach with adults.

I worked at one school where a father of one kid complained so much that I wasn't teaching his kid (I was assigned to the Da Ban, his Prince was in the Xiao Ban) that the two teachers that were got fired. Two teachers let go based on the complaints of one parent. Actually 4 teachers were lost because of this decision. My then partner and I felt that this decision was abhorrent, so we skedaddled as well, of our own volition.

It's a business. First, last and always. You, Sir Big, are experiencing pre-culture shock (PCS) and it's normal. But give your feet a few days on the ground before ya go off saying stuff that may come back to bite you in the ass.

Just some humble feedback. Don't lose your zeal. Not one iota. I love it.

Cheers.

Pop.

[BigWally]

Pop...seriously...thanks for the candid reply...a lot of the posts that I read from you are less "candy-coated" than many others out there and I do appreciate it...

Again, like in posts before I should clarify (forums are such a hard place to have valid discussions ) my point. I realize that most, if not all, english schools are businesses first, but this doesnt mean that within those groups of businesses there arent 1st class and 2nd class schools. (or lower but just for argument sake we'll use 2 )

The way I relate this in my mind right now is using an analogy of restaurants. Sure you can get food at any place, but there is a difference when going to a fine dining vs mcdonalds. Both places want to take your money, both places want to get you in & out ASAP (fill the seats). The major differences are in the presentation & quality.

If you have directors that care about the students education, the teachers well-being & filling those seats, well I would think that would be better than a school who only cared about the bottom line. I think I would get more satisfaction from working for a school that cared about more than just money.

I'm sure a lot of my, in your words, "pre-culture shock", or as I'll call it, "excitement" is due to the fact that I really want this to be a good experience, and I want to take it all in. If it wasnt for folks like yourself warning of these "dangers" (for lack of a better word) I think I would actually have a less rewarding experience.

My intention is not to sound like I know what I'm talking about , and if thats how if comes across I apologize to whomever is reading. I am clearly not able to give 1st hand experience as I have none, and everything I'm going on is from the word of a friend, personal research & the information garnered from the posters here.

I'm simply trying to join in on some of the conversations that are going on here. Truth be told, what I'm really looking forward to, is being able to add more to the conversation with 1st hand knowledge/experience.

OK, much like Led Zepplin I love to ramble on, so i'll wrap this up.

Cheers

[Serious_Fun]

[jonks]