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Life after teaching abroad
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entice



Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chancellor wrote:
Do you at least acknowledge that your initial statement "I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither" might be offensive or, at the very least, of a tone that doesn't exactly endear you to your intended audience? Then there's the attitude toward your prospective students expressed in your statement "I just won't put any extra effort say I was working back at home."

TEFL isn't the fly-by-night, get-paid-while-you-backpack-around-the-world field that it was in past decades. So, excuse the possibility that we might be a bit taken aback when someone not interested in teaching asks about his prospects of being able to teach for a year.

Since you really have no interest in teaching, why not look into doing something overseas in your chosen occupation? Maybe do an internship in a company that has branches overseas. Or maybe something like this: http://www.opic.gov/about/jobs/internship/inern_descriptions.asp or this: http://www.intraxinternabroad.com/request-info?gclid=CLWQubb9wJkCFZtM5QodEylguA. Here's something that might be right up your alley: http://jobs.efinancialcareers.com/Graduates_Internships/Overseas.htm.

If you think teaching what for your students will be a foreign language is something just to entertain you for a year before you settle down to do what you obviously consider real work, fine. I challenge you to go take a basic certification course (there are plenty of them advertised here) and get a job with some language mill like English First; or go thrust yourself upon some unsuspecting third world country where you could likely get hired just on the basis of being a native-Anglophone. Or go check out jobs like this one: http://www.esljobsworld.com/esl-jobs/latin-america/we-make-it-easy-to-move-abroad-and-teach-17991.html or this one: http://www.esljobsworld.com/esl-jobs/latin-america/esl-teacher-15072.html.


Yes I do admit my opening post might've been offensive to some, maybe I should've sugar coated it better. I guess being real and honest don't work too well. Something like the following might've sounded better...

"I am very interested in teaching abroad but I don't have a background in teaching/education. I have a degree in business management and economics, and pre-undergraduate work experience in the finance industry. I feel like teaching abroad would be a great alternative career. So I am deciding to teach abroad for a year, but lets say after this one year of teaching abroad, would this experience have a negative impact say if I decided to go back to the finance industry back at home?

I think that would've been much less offensive, so yeah I learned something new today! If you want some relevant and constructive posts, make sure you sugar coat your wording.

denise wrote:
I am fully capable of reading and comprehending messages. You came onto a teaching board and said that you had no interest in teaching. That's a bit rude. I stand by my post.

Regarding the relevance of my post: I am perfectly happy to help people interested in teaching--for people who are clearly uninterested, and who say that as clearly as you did, my advice is this: don't do it. Leave it to those of us who enjoy it, because odds are we'll put more effort into it. If you want to see the world, then by all means see the world. But find some other way to do it.

There. That's my advice. You came here seeking advice, and you got it. Ergo, my post was relevant.

d


As stated above, I do admit it that my first post could've been a little offensive. I guess some people just can't be objective. Bringing your emotions and subjectivity does not help. I hope your being sarcastic that your post was relevant. Please check http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relevant ...I asked if 1 year of teaching abroad would affect my real career goals back home. You gave me so-called advice that I shouldn't do it (did I ask if I should do it?), that because I am basically using teaching abroad to travel and fund my activities traveling (sorry I do hope you realize not everyone in the world might be an angel who goes teaching abroad with "good" intentions of helping kids, teach, etc. so you gotta wake up!) I shouldn't do it. So yeah I do hope that was just all sarcasm.

johnslat wrote:
I have no background in finance or in money management at all and honestly no interest in them either. I am in the ESL/EFL industry with a degree in TESOL and Applied Linguistics . I've always wanted to invest other people's money and being paid for doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers overseas because you went into finance for a while, which has nothing to do with your career industry.


Hahaha, wow...I am just sorta speechless. I am guessing your trying to mock me with some sort of analogy? Hope you realize you failed and make absolutely no sense. Can someone reword his post to at least make sense?


Anyways, I want to thank those of you that were being objective and actually gave me relevant helpful responses. The rest were just amusing. So yeah I think I got what I was looking for and made my decisions.

DAMN I am going to feel sorry for the kids that I am going to end up teaching. LOL /joke


Last edited by entice on Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

johnslat wrote:
I have no background in finance or in money management at all and honestly no interest in them either. I am in the ESL/EFL industry with a degree in TESOL and Applied Linguistics . I've always wanted to invest other people's money and being paid for doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers overseas because you went into finance for a while, which has nothing to do with your career industry.


Entice replied:
Hahaha, wow...I am just sorta speechless. I am guessing your trying to mock me with some sort of analogy? Hope you realize you failed and make absolutely no sense. Can someone reword his post to at least make sense?


Are you implying that finance and money managment require dedication, actual qualifications, and some genuine interest n the job, and teaching does not?
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entice



Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
johnslat wrote:
I have no background in finance or in money management at all and honestly no interest in them either. I am in the ESL/EFL industry with a degree in TESOL and Applied Linguistics . I've always wanted to invest other people's money and being paid for doing so sounds very enticing. I was wondering if any of you had any problems with employers overseas because you went into finance for a while, which has nothing to do with your career industry.


Entice replied:
Hahaha, wow...I am just sorta speechless. I am guessing your trying to mock me with some sort of analogy? Hope you realize you failed and make absolutely no sense. Can someone reword his post to at least make sense?


Are you implying that finance and money managment require dedication, actual qualifications, and some genuine interest n the job, and teaching does not?


HUH!? Where the hell did you get that thought from? (Talk about self esteem and confidence) I was not implying that, I was simply saying his attempt at mocking me makes no sense what so ever. No need to be so defensive if you believe in what you do.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DAMN I am going to feel sorry for the kids that you are going to end up teaching. LOL /NO joke
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sheikh radlinrol



Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Spain

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear Entice.
Before you embark on your teaching career (however short it may be), you would do well to acquire some tact and courtesy. It will stand you in good stead in the classroom.
Regards
SR
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Justin Trullinger



Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear Entice,

I'm sorry that your first experience with this board was to get flamed. It's a shame, because a lot of the regular posters here are generally extremely helpful to potential newbies. I know them to be kind, thoughtful, dedicated professionals who have been there, done that, and would like to make it easier for others to do likewise. I'm proud to count myself amongst them.

The fact that you have no interest in teaching, as you stated in your first post, sort of set a lot of us off. Again, sorry if I was rude- but let me put it this way- I don't mind if you want to teach for only a year or two, as a way to travel, then get out of it. A lot of people do that, and do a fine job.

It was your stated lack of interest that was a turnoff. And when called on it, you responded that "I just won't put any extra effort say I was working back at home."

Pardon me, but advertising that you won't make the same effort as in a job back home sort of makes us not want to help you. Because we've all had colleagues who put in no extra effort, and we've had to clean up the messes they made and put out the fires they started. Teaching takes an extra effort to do it right, and if you don't wanna...please, stay home.

About JohnSlat's "incoherent" post. He was implying that YOU wouldn't like it if he tried to get into your career field without interest in it, and that HE feels the same way about your aspiration to move into teaching without interest in it. Was this so hard to read?

Get it straight; I'm not saying you should "sugar coat the truth." (Meaning "lie," I think, based on your use of it.) I appreciate your honesty. I just think that, given your honest feelings about teaching, you won't enjoy it, and your students are unlikely to enjoy or learn from you. So to avoid a difficult year or two for yourself which might be damaging or at best time-wasting for others, I recommend that you consider carefully before embarking on a teaching adventure.


Best of luck in your future endeavours,

Justin
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well said, Justin!
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johnson430



Joined: 17 Mar 2009
Posts: 33
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teach because you want to change other people's lives, not your own.
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Chancellor



Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

entice wrote:
Chancellor wrote:
Do you at least acknowledge that your initial statement "I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither" might be offensive or, at the very least, of a tone that doesn't exactly endear you to your intended audience? Then there's the attitude toward your prospective students expressed in your statement "I just won't put any extra effort say I was working back at home."

TEFL isn't the fly-by-night, get-paid-while-you-backpack-around-the-world field that it was in past decades. So, excuse the possibility that we might be a bit taken aback when someone not interested in teaching asks about his prospects of being able to teach for a year.

Since you really have no interest in teaching, why not look into doing something overseas in your chosen occupation? Maybe do an internship in a company that has branches overseas. Or maybe something like this: http://www.opic.gov/about/jobs/internship/inern_descriptions.asp or this: http://www.intraxinternabroad.com/request-info?gclid=CLWQubb9wJkCFZtM5QodEylguA. Here's something that might be right up your alley: http://jobs.efinancialcareers.com/Graduates_Internships/Overseas.htm.

If you think teaching what for your students will be a foreign language is something just to entertain you for a year before you settle down to do what you obviously consider real work, fine. I challenge you to go take a basic certification course (there are plenty of them advertised here) and get a job with some language mill like English First; or go thrust yourself upon some unsuspecting third world country where you could likely get hired just on the basis of being a native-Anglophone. Or go check out jobs like this one: http://www.esljobsworld.com/esl-jobs/latin-america/we-make-it-easy-to-move-abroad-and-teach-17991.html or this one: http://www.esljobsworld.com/esl-jobs/latin-america/esl-teacher-15072.html.


Yes I do admit my opening post might've been offensive to some, maybe I should've sugar coated it better. I guess being real and honest don't work too well. Something like the following might've sounded better...

"I am very interested in teaching abroad but I don't have a background in teaching/education. I have a degree in business management and economics, and pre-undergraduate work experience in the finance industry. I feel like teaching abroad would be a great alternative career. So I am deciding to teach abroad for a year, but lets say after this one year of teaching abroad, would this experience have a negative impact say if I decided to go back to the finance industry back at home?

I think that would've been much less offensive, so yeah I learned something new today! If you want some relevant and constructive posts, make sure you sugar coat your wording.
Or maybe instead of saying you have no interest in teaching and won't put into it the kind of effort you would in what you apparently think is a real job (thereby suggesting that teaching English to foreigners is not a real job), you could have simply said that you were interested in teaching English for a year or so as a means of experiencing life in a foreign country before you embark on your chosen career.


Quote:
As stated above, I do admit it that my first post could've been a little offensive. I guess some people just can't be objective. Bringing your emotions and subjectivity does not help. I hope your being sarcastic that your post was relevant. Please check http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relevant ...I asked if 1 year of teaching abroad would affect my real career goals back home. You gave me so-called advice that I shouldn't do it (did I ask if I should do it?), that because I am basically using teaching abroad to travel and fund my activities traveling (sorry I do hope you realize not everyone in the world might be an angel who goes teaching abroad with "good" intentions of helping kids, teach, etc. so you gotta wake up!) I shouldn't do it. So yeah I do hope that was just all sarcasm.
But you weren't really being objective. You essentially said that teaching English was not a real career. As for whether it would affect the career you plan to enter, I suspect that will depend on the particular employer and how you sell it to that prospective employer (you should know by now that much of getting hired by an employer depends on how well you sell yourself and your experience to that employer). I specifically suggested internships and working overseas in your chosen field because those kinds of things are not only going to give you some relevant experience, they're going to look good to many employers.
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gaijinalways



Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm, yes Entice, I think you have learned a valuable lesson in the use of tact (or not). People were responding to the way you worded your question, and you came off expressing that what most of do is;

1) not a professional career (strangely, I make far more money than I did as a 'professional' in the US)

2) that no work or little effort is required ( I guess you would have to contact me during times when I'm searching for recent and relevant information to update dated text material or to make supplmental material)

3) that we don't know the meaning of 'relevant' (really, was it that difficult to see what Denise and johnslat meant?)

And we wonder why some locals where we live dislike some of the foreigners who come to 'play Rolling Eyes '


Last edited by gaijinalways on Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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Justin Trullinger



Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Teach because you want to change other people's lives, not your own.


I'd say both. I wouldn't teach if I didn't believe it was worth it, but I also love the life it lets me have.


Smile

J
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johnson430



Joined: 17 Mar 2009
Posts: 33
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Justin Trullinger wrote:


I'd say both. I wouldn't teach if I didn't believe it was worth it, but I also love the life it lets me have.


Smile

J


Hello Justin,
I agree completely with your statement.
I should have said it like this:

Teach because you want to change other people's lives, not JUST your own.

Perhaps I am being zealous about the matter but I am very passionate about teaching and wish more of my colleagues felt the same.
I can honestly see the teachers who are passionate about their career opposed to those who "see teaching as just a job."

I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I just wanted to give some clarity.

Have a great day.
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khmerhit



Joined: 31 May 2003
Posts: 1874
Location: Reverse Culture Shock Unit

PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

never mind all this dude--theres a institoot of highr lernin in camboida that needs peeple who cn teech
finanace and stufff its call pannasastra u. also ruusssia thtye need peelple wh can teech capitalism sthre. i think whatever you do you should just go!

good luck!!













Cambodia. try it and see Cool Cool Cool
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Jetgirly



Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Posts: 741

PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I have no background in teaching or in English at all and honestly no interest in it neither.


Quote:
how hard or serious I am going to take the job


Quote:
its definitely not going to be my number one priority if I was teaching abroad.


Quote:
so that would not be an issue for me if I was abroad as long as I have an internet connection


Quote:
I have no (...) dedication in teaching


Quote:
I knew the instance she told me she was going to execute my plan to teach abroad that her number priority was not to teach


Quote:
Anyways I was hoping for some experience teachers who were in similar position or have knowledge about my question.


Quote:
I am guessing your trying to mock me


Yup, sweetie. With writing skills like that, you certainly won't need to put any effort into teaching English! You could probably do it in your sleep. Good luck (but I'm sure you won't need it)!
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gaijinalways



Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279

PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jetgirly,

Prepping for an editing job? Good work Very Happy .

Yes, some posters need to brush up on their grammar. I was critiqued on another forum for my comma usage, though I gave up trying to reason with the crowd after pointing out that my commas were used correctly. What started it all? Someone using bad grammar intentionally to highlight his point, which I felt didn't work (the highlighting, I mean).

I think the OP's attitude would be a bigger stumbling block than his grammar, but what do I know after 17 years of teaching Cool ?
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