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mister tom

Joined: 20 May 2009
Posts: 49
Location: ireland

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:11 pm Post subject:

me too - i turn fifty this year and i'm heading to asia for the first time, to teach efl i'm really looking forward to it, and enjoying the research tom

wintermute2

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 42
Location: US, soon to be in the UAE

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:14 pm Post subject:

...good liuck to all of us "newbies", and look out, world, here we come!

wintermute2

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 42
Location: US, soon to be in the UAE

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject:

..."luck" of course...nice!...first grade teacher can't spell!

joesunsangnim

Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 5

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:21 pm Post subject:

KwikSilva wrote:

Hello again,

1. I have been reading some horror stories about teaching in private language institutes as opposed to the public schools. According to these reports, many of the language establishments view English teaching strictly as a business and are in it solely for the money. Thus they will work you to death, fail to honor contracts, use substandard books and equipment in their classrooms, and will even force you to give students a respectable grade whether they have earned it or not. Should I consider these stories gross exaggerations of someone's unpleasant experience, or take them at face value?

2. For those of you who had little or no knowledge of the local language, how difficult was it to teach students who, if they were confused or had questions, could not even vocalize their concerns to you?

3. Have any of you ever done any private tutoring "on the side"? Do the contracts you sign with the schools prohibit this? As I am most interested in teaching more advanced students who intend to take exams such as the TOEFL and the ILETS, I would hope to be able to supplement my income by taking on students for one on one tutoring.

4. Have any of you found transportation to be an issue?

5. Finally, what do you miss most about your home country? Do you get homesick often, or does that feeling tend to fade with time? Do you find yourself spending most of your time with other ex-pats? Have any of you ever regretted your choice to work overseas, or at least to work in any particular country?
Smile

I know that these were responded to already but...eh...I'm bored.

1. when I first came to Korea four years ago I worked at a business that taught english. in our weekly meetings they would tell us how many students were enrolled each week. They didn't listen to any of the foreign staff in regards to teaching materials, class organization, or student discipline. ha! student discipline! That meant that if their mom's check cleared, they were a good student.

So it's for these reasons that if you care about what your doing and want to actually teach, many people will come to their country of choice (already having the necessary documents and qualifications) to hand pick their job after seeing the school, students, and director. thus having the ability to make an informed decision about the next year of their life. it's the only way to go for me from here on out. I've been very happy since that first year because I have made the informed decisions for myself and haven't just let recruiters or school owners tell me how great their school is.

And, many places that offer flight incentives to bring you to the country will reimburse you if you paid your way to the country to find the job yourself.

2. language barriers aren't as bad as they're made out to be (in my opinion). I always tell people to really think about how much they actually talk to others while doing their daily deeds in public. when you go shopping, get gas, or go to a restaurant there isn't much verbal communication going on aside from the polite pleasantries we're used to.
yeah, you'll have difficult times. I've repeated taxi directions a dozen times before but have always gotten were I needed to go.

as far as the students are concerned, its true that it seems to be easier with the kids than the adults, but in most cases you're not the only native speaker in a building all by your lonesome. you will have a basis of support within your teaching facility whether it be a private or public school or academy. if you really hit a wall trying to understand or explain something, and there are no dictionaries for a hundred miles then there's never any shame in asking your co-teacher or boss to help translate the situation.

and to be honest, I've become an expert at understanding bad english. Wink

3. yeah, like another post said many places prohibit working outside of your school because your school is the name on your work visa and that's the only place you're legally allowed to work (I think for tax reasons). some places will allow another job to be added to your work visa but that is on a school by school basis here in korea.

however, the extra work is where the money is. keep a low profile, dont flaunt what your doing and (at least here in korea) you wont have too many problems. I never have, and I make the same as my regular salary working half of the hours doing privates. ( so much for not flaunting)

4. I've found that in all of the major Asian cities I've been to, the subway systems were bilingual. taxis can usually deduce what you trying to say. for me it took a while to get comfortable with the bus system here, and I have only once or twice tried the buses in japan. the buses, while being bilingual at the bus stop, didn't help me when i didn't know where to get off!

Also, a confused looking foreigner will often times get some friendly help along the way.

5. Reese Peanut Butter Cups.

wow, longest post ever for me. basically I just always try to get the idea across that people make a big deal of these things (as I did when I first made the jump across the pacific) out of fear of the unknown. but in reality I think a lot of people conjure up these ideas to scare themselves out of making a big decision or a big change. the best way to answer your questions is to get out there and do it. and bring peanut butter cups when you come.[/i]

Last edited by joesunsangnim on Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:38 pm; edited 3 times in total

justcolleen

Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:06 pm Post subject:

joesunsangnim wrote:

but in reality I think a lot of people conjure up these ideas to scare themselves out of making a big decision or a big change.

JZer

Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:17 pm Post subject:

Quote:

and to be honest, I've become an expert at understanding bad english. Wink

Yes, I often wonder why I can understand broken English but some people have a hard time understanding my grammatically correct though accented Chinese.

JZer

Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject:

Quote:

If you want to do work at other places it is best to consider Japan. In Japan it is actually legal.

In Taiwan you don't need your boss's permission to add a second employer.

aeb123$

Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Indiana

Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:10 pm Post subject:

i, too, am older (late 50's) and looking forward to a career change and to experience living in another country. i'm almost done with my TESOL certificate and am planning on leaving the US in 2010. i've been reading posts on dave's for several months and am amazed at all the info available.......korea doesn't seem to be the place for me after reading lots of negative posts there, so i've started looking at japan, taiwan and china. i think i'll focus on looking in that area for a while, unless one of you have found somewhere else interesting to check out........any ideas?

Prof.Gringo

Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!

Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:05 pm Post subject:

naturegirl321 wrote:

1. Probably the majority of them consider it a business. Not all will work you to death. When people get fired, they tend to exaggerate.

2. Pretty easy if it's kids, though you have to change activities often. With adults it can be harder. Some places have native teachers to help out, others don't. Play games.

3. Some contracts prohibit it, some countries, like Korea prohibit it. But it's still done. If you want to do TOEFL stuff, or IELTS; make sure you know about the exams and grammar.

4. God yes, Peru is horrible. But in most civilised countries you should be fine, Peru's not really civisilsed.

5. Respect and consideration. HOmesickness can fade, other times no. Depends on the type of person you are. I spend my little free time with other expats, but have married a local. But really, I'd rather sit at home and crochet or read. I organise monthly women's coffees and mothly book/DVD swaps, which is a nice way to meet other expats and locals. I've regretted Peru, but not teaching.

If you hate Peru so much, why do you continue to stay?

Really, I thought Peru was a great country. The food, people, climate. The only drawback is the economy and payscales.

It seems that you hate everyplace you've been to. You hate the US, hate Peru, hate Korea...

JZer

Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh

Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 10:47 pm Post subject:

Quote:

She is married to a Peruvian. I believe that is why she has not left.

Prof.Gringo

Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:05 pm Post subject:

JZer wrote:

Quote:

She is married to a Peruvian. I believe that is why she has not left.

Yes, I know she is. I am married to a Peruvian as well. But we don't live in Peru. I don't hate Peru, I loved it. So, if somebody hates where they live, why do they stay? I see the ups and downs of where I live and accept them for what they are. No place is perfect in this world.

Many countries are pretty easy to immigrate to: Canada, Australia, Peru, Mexico, Belize, Panama all seem to be some of the easier places to migrate to. The US isn't that easy, but it's possible.

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