Job Discussion Forums

[sheeba]

I'm thinking about this whole China Uni teaching experience as I close in on the 4th consecutive year in a Uni and I'm thinking to myself what will the next teaching institution I go to think of what I have done.

I'm starting to take control of my whole syllabus and testing in my classes(something I would guess that private school gigs don't give you such opportunities)

And I'm thinking what if I joined someone like The British Council and got work experience with a professional organisation that give you experience using interactive whitebaords,CALL, testing amongst many skills that employers look for.

I'm thinking well what if I just implement all these features into my course myself. I could turn to my next employer and say ' I created this syllabus, this testing system, this reserach that shows x,y and z and so on'
All done on my own.

In your opinions what do you think that a person like me who wishes to continue in EFL/ESL should do in terms of positions?

Are the ones where you have freedom to research and make your own courses (such as a Chinese Uni gig) better than the institutions that give you experience in an exising system.

I'm a tad confused on which way to veer.

Cheers

[naturegirl321]

Look for senior teacher, or cordinator positions. Maybe chain schools, they're easy to move up in.

[Shan-Shan]

I was under the impression that every Chinese university position comes with an immense amount of freedom in terms of curriculum creation and testing. As for hiring, whoever demands the least tends to be the most favoured. Most places in China are probably not interested in the research an FT has conducted. Keep the masses amused seems to be about the only demand.

The real test is to teach at a university outside of China -- Korea, Japan, North America, Europe, the Middle East. Higher expectations, better facilities and greater benefits.

[william wallace]

I'd say go back to school, after deciding on a specialization/career path...and get out of China. Small off the beaten track countries, like Mongolia or the Stans, where you might get a real DOS position.
Cheers
P.S. I'd stay away from the chains, unless you want to maybe move up in to management, but any McDonald's, Wendy's ...can give you that.

[naturegirl321]

[MELEE]

[sheeba]

Hey MEELE. You sound like you are on my wavelength. Thanks for that post.


MELEE WROTEIt sounds like now might be a good time for you to do some sort of distance course, whether an MA or a Dip.


I've just finished the Dip and await the results. Man that was hard and I just hope that I pass so I can then go on with the MA.

Like you say I should look for an employer who is interested in Professional development. That is why I have been looking at British Council opportunities but I also agree with what you say MELEE in that you can create these experiences yourself. For example I can join the British Council examinations team part time in Beijing, I can develop my own syllabus, I can create my own classes that deal specifically with drilling(as generally in China the classes are too big), I can do my own reserach(and already have in the Dip)

I'm thinking of going to Korea and the Middle East in the future to teach at Universities. Maybe I should just stay in my China Uni job and create my own opportunities but I wonder whether making a move to BC or somewhere lets say with more professional, experienced guides would be wise. 5 years China Uni vs 3 years China Un+i 2 Years British Council on my CV might not look so good.

[tedkarma]

I found teacher training to be a great next step. I enjoyed it immensely, it was great fun - and I met loads of people.

Probably the most enjoyable thing was helping newbies get their start. If you have a fair amount of experience to offer, you really can help them with much more than just teaching methods and grammar. You can help them understand how life overseas works (and often doesn't work!) and how to live with and understand cultural differences. There are even a select few who might need pointing in a better direction than the one they are heading down (people with exceptional skills and qualifications).

Teacher training came to me by accident though - so I am not quite sure how to initiate the occupation except to get the required training (which I already had) and make yourself available to schools.

[sheeba]

Hey Ted

If I pass the Dip I had thought of going back to a summer school next year in the UK and rather than just being a teacher try a DOS or the position(not sure what they call it) where you just supervise teachers and help them with their planning. I guess this could help with teacher training.

[naturegirl321]

[tedkarma]

[dmb]

Naturegirl, I think most people get into teacher training by accident. In most cases it starts with in house workshops then it depends on who you know. Knowing the people at your local Cambridge centre and letting them you know you want to be trained up for CELTA/ DELTA tutoring is the way I got a foot in the door.

[ddeubel]

I got into teacher training the same way - by accident.

The school where I taught (a mix of private and public, I taught new immigrants to Canada but they also had a private part of mostly asians coming to Canada to learn for 3-6 mo. blocks) decided to offer a TEFL course. So I got a certificate (now no longer offered unfortunately) and helped design the curriculum and teach the course.

Then more regular teaching, ESL in the p.S. system and now in Korea teacher training.

So keep your eyes and ears open. You'd be surprised how life happens if we keep a goal encrusted in our brain. It generally will point us there, us so unaware. ....

As an aside, if anyone just wants to do the right thing and take care of their professional development in a "self-study" fashion, I have lots of material on my prof. development site. Watch or download, keep up to date!

http://www.esnips.com//web/ProfessionalDevelopment-Teaching/

DD

[Sgt Killjoy]

I've done teacher training as well. It is a good step up both the value chain and gives you a sense that your career is going somewhere. It's much more than a thankless DOS job.

[Justin Trullinger]