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eddy-cool
Joined: 06 Jul 2008
Posts: 1008
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 Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:07 am Post subject: |
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| glimmer wrote: |
Thanks for all the information folks.
I'm not a complete beginner as I've had some experience teaching adults and young adults from China and other Asian countries.
Not interested in teaching young schoolchildren as I have no background or experience in child education and am not prepared to learn.  |
Well, then you might be prepared to deal with them in masses...
Generally, 'adult classes' here are a silver lining on the teaching horizon as you are - sometimes, ONLY SOMTIMES - dealing with self-paying learners.
Keep this in mind - if you have to pay with your own money for classes then you will want to learn a maximum.
Unfortunately, most training centres loan their FTs out to companies for in-house 'training'. The students there get a freebie and are seldom motivated to actually improve their English. It's for promotion and for face, or sometimes, out of boredom.
Another downside to this job is - you will have long journeys to cover by car, bus or underground railway and on foot. At your expense (timewise).
I am none too impressed by Chinese adult learners. The best I had were students coming to my home when it suited both of us. |
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brsmith15
Joined: 12 May 2003
Posts: 1142
Location: New Hampshire USA
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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The best gig for teaching adults is for those whose employer has recommnded they do this to help their careers. I've had a few classes of this nature here and they've been fine...except for the constant use of those &*!^$@ cell phones! The Chinese are addicted to them like no other people on earth.
A former colleague of mine told his class there would be no more use of these idiot boxes in his class. He even drew a picture on the board of a mobile phone in a circle with a diagonal line thru it. Not 30 seconds went by and some clueless gal began yapping on hers. He threw the phone out the window. Later he said he wished he'd thrown her out after it.
Itzak Perlman once stopped a concert mid-stride at Shanghai Grand Theater because a guy had turned his on in violation of the many signs to the contrary. I heard the government had to line the place with copper to prevent further use. |
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Teatime of Soul
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 905
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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Anda:
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| I've taught in South Korea for over eight years and now here for a year and a half. If you are going to teach young adults here in China then you will find little difference from teaching children except that they have less interest in study. |
Truer words never written.
As described to me by a college instructor seeking a job teaching children:
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Forget all about Malcolm Knowles, self directed learning, the eight assumptions about adult learners, etc.
Imagine ten year olds, minus enthusiasm, curiosity or respect, who are addicted to text messaging between narcoleptic fits. That's your "adult students". |
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englishgibson
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 4345
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| Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:02 am Post subject: |
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At one language center somewhere in China, they make fts share classes big time. About 5 weeks ago, I had an IELTS class there and at the end of it I said; SEE YOU NEXT TIME. One fine looking female student told me that she would not come (anymore to that class). She said; I AM LOOKING FOR A FOREIGN BOYFRIEND. Well, i introduced myself on the beginning of the class (I am married with a child).
On the topic, this below as someone has written is a sad truth
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Teaching adults in china is generally not for beginners. Most of the time you will be trying to overcome years of ingrained bad habits, study skills and vocabulary, or lack thereof, mis-pronunciation etc caused by inept teaching in Chinese middle and high schools. No matter what qualifications they claim to have in English you can't assume that the students know anything, not even the difference between he and she or how to use and in a sentence. It is not easy having to fill in the gaps in students' knowledge which your textbooks assume they already know.
What makes it worse is that everyone, schools, Chinese teachers, students themselves and the parents of university students have been ldeluding themselves for years about students real ability.
Most schools wildly overrate their students' abilities. On average a Chinese high school graduate needs at least 3 years to rise to IELTS 6.0 standard or TOFEL equivalent. But the average school promises to do it in 12 weeks and blames the foreign teacher when reality comes calling.
Inappropriate teaching material is almost universal. I say inappropriate not just in the sense of being at the wrong level linguistically but also because most textbooks, or at least those written in proper English, are imports which assume a reasonable, adult level of general knowledge. This does not exist in China where the averahge university student has the general knowledge of a typical British 10 year old and often the personal maturity and study skills to match. The result is that you will often be faced with teaching topics in English of which the student has no knowledge even in Chinese. It can be done with patience, and quadruple the normal teaching time, but schools are unaware of the problem and you never have enough time.
This problem also applies to business English in China. Competent textbooks are almost impossible to find outside of Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou. What is more few schools have any CALL facilities or resources library and those that do often have no idea how to use them. In addition the students are usually rich kids whose parents are in business but who think daddy's money grows on trees. They generally have no knowledge of or aptitude for business but are studying it because they have been told to.
You will also generally have to spend at least your first year in any adult school or university in China trying to educate the clowns who run the place about the ABC of running a school. This can be dispiriting especially for novices. |
Furthermore, there's a tendancy of chinese employers enforcing shared classes where chinese teachers and fts carry out a course of one class in private language centers. Two different teaching techniques collide in such classrooms and students end up benefiting little out of it. Worse than that fts end up being clowns in since the Chinese teachers have their clear roles to lead those classes. They also administer end of the course exams. 
A couple of weeks ago, I had a class in a private language training center. On my break, I noticed a Chinese English teacher "chit-chatting" with my students. I couldn't help overhearing the conversation. It was all about STUDENTS FEEDBACK ON THE FOREIGN TEACHER. The teacher's really not to be blamed, but her employer surely is. 
Cheers and beers to all chinese english language training centers with their shrinking fts' staff as well as cheers and beers to all chinese that choose to learn English with us privately  |
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englishgibson
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 4345
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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i thought this was a great thread but it looks like many of you guys are in kids biz
cheers and beers to the lovely kids that can take the last bit of energy away from us |
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