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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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 Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:11 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, I paid my dues and got lucky on top of it! |
In what way did you pay your dues? Grunt status as some schock efl teacher in some even schlockier school? What luck?
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| You'll get there too, no worries. |
It'd be nice to think but evidence to suggest this; I am 31 and still far away from anything even remotely like that.
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Czech's closer to my heart  |
You wife is Czech and it is easier to practise, meh, Dutch is still incredibly easy. Why haven't you learnt it by now? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:50 am Post subject: |
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An Historical Context & Tale of Work & Luck:
I got a BEd. a million years ago and quickly realised that teaching in the US public system wasn't for me. Followed that by a decade + of working in the corporate sector, before becoming totally fed up with the entire scene.
Well, I started ESL as a newbie with a CELTA equivalent in Prague 12 years ago when I was 38. I taught a year at that level, and then I got a marketing position in the new training centre of that school. Then we relocated to Luxembourg for spouse's job and I did a contract period teaching English in the financial sector Then we relocated here, again for spouse's job, and I served an apprenticeship here and then worked as a freelancer for 3 years at this uni.
Spouse transferred to Canada 4 years ago, and I went. Landed a uni job that gave me curriculum development and international project experience. Got the MA TESL/TEFL from recognised British uni. Hated living in that bit of Canada (don't want to slam the whole country - just Calgary's not for me) and when this uni invited me to return a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance.
So, hard work + luck - the uni needed a couple of full time staff, remembered me favorably, and were willing to do the Visa Dance on my behalf.
Dutch, well, I'm about B1 - I understand most of what I hear, but my accent when speaking is dreadful and people don't understand me....so I get discouraged quickly. Also, I have a relatively high pressure job (my choice - I could just sit back and coast as a teacher) just now developing a series of new courses. I have little spare time - am at the office at the moment, in fact (Sunday afternoon). Dave's is a nice little distraction when I need a concentration break 
Really, man, you're ahead of me at 31! Part of your problem is the economy - you may have to drag along a couple more years, but it will improve, really. |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
An Historical Context & Tale of Work & Luck:
I got a BEd. a million years ago and quickly realised that teaching in the US public system wasn't for me. Followed that by a decade + of working in the corporate sector, before becoming totally fed up with the entire scene.
Well, I started ESL as a newbie with a CELTA equivalent in Prague 12 years ago when I was 38. I taught a year at that level, and then I got a marketing position in the new training centre of that school. Then we relocated to Luxembourg for spouse's job and I did a contract period teaching English in the financial sector Then we relocated here, again for spouse's job, and I served an apprenticeship here and then worked as a freelancer for 3 years at this uni.
Spouse transferred to Canada 4 years ago, and I went. Landed a uni job that gave me curriculum development and international project experience. Got the MA TESL/TEFL from recognised British uni. Hated living in that bit of Canada (don't want to slam the whole country - just Calgary's not for me) and when this uni invited me to return a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance.
So, hard work + luck - the uni needed a couple of full time staff, remembered me favorably, and were willing to do the Visa Dance on my behalf.
Dutch, well, I'm about B1 - I understand most of what I hear, but my accent when speaking is dreadful and people don't understand me....so I get discouraged quickly. Also, I have a relatively high pressure job (my choice - I could just sit back and coast as a teacher) just now developing a series of new courses. I have little spare time - am at the office at the moment, in fact (Sunday afternoon). Dave's is a nice little distraction when I need a concentration break
Really, man, you're ahead of me at 31! Part of your problem is the economy - you may have to drag along a couple more years, but it will improve, really. |
That story is reasonably encouraging. Sometimes I think that people are unwilling to look at me because despite having lived abroad my grammar and pronunciation remain distinctly, though neutrally American (I have over the years though adopted British spelling) so even though I have an EU passport some may think me odd and adding to that it is a small, Eastern European country (Hungary). It does take care of all the technical stuff but then again I think employers and others still think 'American' When I was filling in this online application the other day for the Brussels proofreading gig I am sure it seemed odd that I filled in 'Hungarian' under citizenship but English as main language. Oh well. Beyond the technicalities which no longer affect me (well, technically) I am realising that the American thing is a real burden in some respects.
You know, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't mind taking on a language like Polish or Czech but I tend to be a perfectionist with regards to language learning don't like going half way. Can you say that you have mastered Czech grammar? I suspect the phonology is such that no native speaker of English will likely apprehend it but how about the syntax and morphology? Everything hokiedoky? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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Phonology's the easy part - pronunciation is regular - if you see the word in print, you can pronounce it properly. However, the 49 different noun forms....that's more challenging.
Fortunately, my focus is on effective communication, which I have achieved, so I am not feeling perfectionistic just now about the details. When we eventually move permanently back to the CR, I'll have time and energy to perfect the details. I do look forward to this!
I'm the only American in this uni language centre. They still like me Like you, I've adopted British spelling and the British wording that's different (trousers, not pants, for example) simply because it's what people understand in my living/working context. It's all ok. |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Phonology's the easy part - pronunciation is regular - if you see the word in print, you can pronounce it properly. However, the 49 different noun forms....that's more challenging.
Fortunately, my focus is on effective communication, which I have achieved, so I am not feeling perfectionistic just now about the details. When we eventually move permanently back to the CR, I'll have time and energy to perfect the details. I do look forward to this!
I'm the only American in this uni language centre. They still like me Like you, I've adopted British spelling and the British wording that's different (trousers, not pants, for example) simply because it's what people understand in my living/working context. It's all ok. |
You are going to move back to the CR? Why? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| 'Cause we love living there above all other places It's the only place I've ever been homesick for in my life. I've had about 40 addresses so far (had to total them up for a security clearance a couple of years ago). The Czech Rep is the only place I really want to live. Strange to find a 'home' so late in life. |
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Deicide
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| 'Cause we love living there above all other places It's the only place I've ever been homesick for in my life. I've had about 40 addresses so far (had to total them up for a security clearance a couple of years ago). The Czech Rep is the only place I really want to live. Strange to find a 'home' so late in life. |
Maybe I'll turn out the same way. Never been homesick anywhere. Prague IS an insanely beautiful city, no doubt about it. Why are you even in Holland then? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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Economics. I make vastly more money here -enough to save  |
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