Job Discussion Forums

[johncanada24]

[dmb]

John, you'll never know until you try. Go for it.
Best of luck.

[enigma]

I suffer from anxiety in typical social situations, but I have found that I am very comfortable in a classroom, as long as I am very familiar with the material. I get a jolt of confidence from being the "authority" on a particular subject (English, Music), and am able to switch to a sort of "performance" personality that people perceive as relaxed, extroverted and confident. Just as long as they don't try to engage me in small-talk outside of class... because that's when I start to feel like a fool.

Think about seeing a doctor and a counsellor anyway; I've heard from lots of people whose social anxiety has been greatly alleviated by the combination of SSRI's and CBT.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

[Aramas]

Have you considered travelling for a while first? It's a good way of encouraging people out of their shells without placing them in social situations where panic attacks can have serious repercussions. If you do go a bit gaga on occasion it will just be attributed to 'crazy gringo/farang/gaijin/whatever syndrome'. Even a brief sojourn on the Backpacker Trail provides irrefutable evidence that being barking mad is no obstacle to international travel. Some say the same of TEFL, but perhaps it's better to ease yourself into it rather than dive in head first.

If, however, you sometimes believe that you're the Queen of Spain, or perhaps a teapot, then staying at home and seeking professional guidance might be more to your advantage

[sallycat]

pfffffffftttttttt!!!!!!!!

[GWUstudent]

I agree with the above poster. There is no reason not to come to Japan to teach, however, I think it could be helpful to speak with a professional.....a therapist and perhaps a doctor to discuss the possibility of taking meds.

An anxiety disorder is nothing to be ashamed of and its more common than you might think. Quite a few of my friends have taken meds at different points in their lives. They can come in handy for anxiety and panic attacks.

There is no reason not to live life to its fullest. I say, try your best to deal with it, and dont let it control your life and stop you from exploring the possibilities. You might even find that accomplishing your goals will help to reduce your anxiety and build confidence.

[hlamb]

[Aesthete]

mmm I have social anxiety in situations of conflict - I turn into a weeping mess! I have sought help for this, but thus far all I have managed to get is medication for when things go wrong. I've tried to face my fears in situations of conflict but thus far I can't control my emotions very well - after a few breakthroughs I still have even more times where I fail utterly. Although I don't think this will hinder me as a teacher as I'm not afraid of social situations, and my personality is so passive that I'm able to avoid many confrontational situations.

If you just keep working at it you should be able to break a few barriers, and although I don't think the answer to peoples problems is to just medicate them, It can always be used as a learning tool, or a crutch in bad situations.

Don't let your fears stop you in any case!

[Ariadne]

Just a few 'what ifs' to add to the pot.

What if some students decide that they hate you? It's not unusual for high school or university age kids to take offense or to develop an intense dislike for a person. What if they just have a really bad attitude?

What if a student chooses to be passive resistant? Most everyone who has taught ESL/EFL has encountered this one. What if he goes a step further and is actively resistant to your instruction?

What if the students get carried away with an activity and pandemonium ensues?

All within the realm of possibility in any classroom, so it's good to have some ideas how you will deal with them.. ahead of time.

.

[johncanada24]

[okyokotokyo]

I think you will be fine because you are showing a very strong desire to do this and are obviously willing to change. The tutoring you have been doing and putting yourself in social situations seem to be good ideas to get over this. I am a senior in university and was diagnosed with social phobia a couple years ago. During my time here, I couldn't imagine being a teacher, as I rarely left my house and often missed classes. I have been in therapy for about a year now and it's helped immensely. I also wouldn't rule out medication; while I was against it at first, it's also helped greatly and it's such an amazing feeling of relief to be among a group of people and realize that I'm not nervous at all. I know you said that you don't currently have the money to seek treatment, but I would strongly advise you to do so as soon as possible. After receiving treatment, I'm now looking forward to being a teacher, something that (as I said) I thought was undoubtedly impossible before.

So it sounds like you're going through the right steps and because you have such a strong will to change, it seems like you will. However, being able to teach and being a good teacher are two different things. I would suggest preparing yourself to teach as much as possible. Ask other teachers, on the board and in real life, what they do in certain situations you think you might face and ask for advice. It seems helpful to address such questions about unruly classrooms that someone else posted in this thread.

Good luck recovering & teaching!

PS - to the poster who said that people telling you that you are quiet is like a slap in the face--no kidding! I hate that!

[lozwich]

This is a completely free website that has lots of Cognitive Behaviour Therapies exercises on it. http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/elearning/

I've tried it for a different type of anxiety problem, and it has really helped.

[shuize]

Q: Hi, I'm a complete social outcast. I don't really like talking to people and can hardly even venture out of the house. People make me nervous and I avoid eye contact whenever possible. What are my chances of finding work as an English teacher?

A: I'd say just about average. It is EFL we're talking about here after all.

[madison01]

I have had experience of working with two teachers who suffered from severe anxiety, one couldn't function in social circumstances, was extremely timid and mumbled his way through conversations. In the classroom he was better, however, if he was thrown of track or put on the spot he reverted to his 'outside' class demeanour and found it very difficult to get back on track. After a while these episodes became more frequent and eventually he couldn't cope.

The second had no issues with small social groups but with public speaking. Before each class he became so anxious he threw up. In the classroom he was excellent, for a newly qualified teacher and the students loved his classes. We tried various ways of dealing with it but none of them worked. He went home for christmas and on the day he was due to return his father called me from the airport to say his son had had a panic attack about coming back and had decided to stay in the UK.

Th main thing that both of these teachers had in common was they had been on medication before they began teaching, then feeling better had taken their certificates moved to a new country and stopped their medication thinking they didn't need it any more.

The second teacher was actually the brother of a friend from Uni, he started his medication again and a couple of months later was givena job teaching in the UK. He's doing very well and has none of the issues he had whilst working for me.

The thing I think you need to look at is your health, mental and physical, both these teachers lost a lot of weight and needed a few months off work to get back to a fit state to go to work. It may be expensive but if there is a medication that can help with anxiety I would seriously look at it as an option. Teaching can be stressful, especially for newly trained teachers in a new environment, it's stressful enough when you don't have anxiety issues.

[Malsol]

Can Someone with Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Really Teach?

It is done all the time in China!