Job Discussion Forums

[thefuzz]

It seems to me that this profession, the whole teaching thing, is not what it used to be. I've been at it for over seven years now and I've experienced my share of "bad" schools and even "worse" students, but I always wanted to be a teacher and really put the time and effort to become better at my chosen profession. I'm still learning and growing each and every day, but I never quit because I wasn't "happy" doing what I do.

Basically if you're not happy my advice is: pack up and go home. It ain't gonna get better. Some people are just not cut out to be teachers. Not everyone can become a film director or a novelist either. Find something you're good at and stick to it. Problem is that many a young person sit back home in their comfy rooms reading about teaching jobs abroad and think to themselves: sound like an easy gig! Well, it ain't easy. Teaching a classroom full of middle school students in China who don't seem to care ain't easy. The job is not for everyone and I hope that people are going to realize it soon. It ain't a way to make a quick buck or two. Once you've done a real weeks of teaching you're drained, both physically and mentally. The job takes a lot out of a person and you really have to enjoy it in order to stick to it.

So, finally, if you're not happy quit. I would do it if I were you. And book yourself on the next flight home. Or do a runner. Your choice.

[happigur1]

[Bendex]

I've been following this topic for a few days now. What has astonished me is that not one of the contributors has mentioned class size and school rules for students/teachers. The kind of students being taught hasn't been discussed either. That can vary from rich, spoiled little emperors to poor farmers' offspring. The kind of school is another important factor that has been ignored. In China, private middle schools are generally bad ones, whereas on the whole, key public middle schools are good ones.
What's good for a foreign teacher teaching at a public middle school is that he (or she) just delivers the same 45-minute lesson around 20 times a week. Then, new week, new lesson. That's much better than teaching in the West in terms of preparation time, though the repetition in the classroom is a boring exercise for the FT. Being employed as a teacher of oral English has another advantage - no homework to be marked, and no end-of-term exams to confirm students' progress (or lack of it) in spoken English.
Where I'm teaching at the moment, my foreign colleague puts discipline first. He says that once his students know how to behave in his classes, he can concentrate on teaching them what he thinks is important for them rather than what they would like to learn. I'm now following in his footsteps. That said, things are changing for the worse these days here in many senior middle schools. Too much importance is attached to the information on the forms given to students to complete re their teachers' strong points and shortcomings.
My advice is to start off just a little strict, but not too strict. Make sure you're semi-popular. Wear a smile at times. Then wait for 30 days till the forms have been completed, and you'll be in with the bricks. Then you can tighten up as it's too late for retribution from your students in terms of a derogatory assessment via the forms.
Best to find a key public senior middle school in a third-tier city to teach at - it would be hard for the headmaster/headmistress to find a replacement were he intent on dismissing you.
Always bear in mind one can live well off one's earnings here as an FT while only having to work around 15 clock hours/week.

[Dan The Chainsawman]

More details needed from the OP...

How big are your classes?
What are your hours?
Do you like your apartment/city?
Does your CT support you in class?

When it comes to kids talking in class I generally just glare at them till they stop. However, this works pretty well when for me as I'm classes of 12 to 18 students. I tried this at a public school where I was farmed out for a few weeks and it was a disaster.

Don't be a Chinese teacher, be a foreign teacher and use foreign methods to reach them and you'll get the kids interested in class. Those who can't be forced to keep quiet you can have sit outside of the classroom. Believe me, if it gets cold in the winter they'll straighten out fairly quickly.

[ttorriel]

[Dan The Chainsawman]

If I just couldn't stand it any longer I'd give them the amount of time stated in my contract as notice. If they ask for a month of notice I'd give them a month of notice.

However, I'd time it so that the end of the month falls between two paydays. That way I'd get paid in the middle of those 30 days and then 2 weeks of pay at the end. If they tried dicking me in the midlle of the month I'd fight them tooth, claws, nails, and whatnot till I got my money and then I'd leave.

[calgrl471]

Okay... thank you all again for all your advise. I have decided it is best for me to leave. The school actually had a teacher come in with his wife yesterday and she would like to also teach so I am not screwing my school.
I have come to the decision that this job is not for me. I have taught for 2 years in Korea so I do understand that not everyone can teach abroad but I am going to be human enough to admit that it would be better for me to leave. The great part is that I will not lose anything I will finish the week and recieve my pay check and be out of here in the next week.

Also I was teaching at a private school and I saw my classes 7 times a week. Twice on two days so it is tough when you see them so often and you can not control the class. I had 25-30 students in my class.

[lerenah]

Do you mind telling what school you worked for?

[LoPresto]

I think the problem with most people who frequent this website lies with the last word of this quote -

"Problem is that many a young person sit back home in their comfy rooms reading about teaching jobs abroad and think to themselves: sound like an easy gig! "

Gig.

Is that all most of the people in the the EFL "teaching" profession think of their "jobs"?

According to my dictionary, "gig" has several meanings - an unusual hairstyle, something to do with a boat and a 2-wheeled carriage as well as a "short term" musical engagement.

Perhaps most of us are "Dancing Monkeys". Ideally, though, we provide the "music" and the students dance = Oral English Facilitator.

In my opinion, if "teachers" in any country continue to refer to their "jobs" as "gigs" there is no hope. I just might decide to wear a tie, get married and raise 2.2 kids in the suburbs.

How do you tie a tie?

[TexasHighway]

LoPresto wrote:

[LoPresto]

I hear you man. I think you'll be waiting a long time for that to happen.

I guess, now, that it is not us but them.

Reverse psychology probably won't work, so, therefore - when is payday?

[GypsyKingAdventures]

I have been teaching at the #1 Sr. High School in my city, about 1,000 students per week, for almost a year.
The first semester I started out wanting to be their friend, played music to relax them, gave them candy as reinforcement for volunteering, etc. They enjoyed my classes, didn't push me too far, too often, and I think I had a good semester.
The second semester I went in strong, no-nonsense, lots of rules, anything as a reward was earned and understood as such. The result; they enjoyed my classes, didn't push me too far, too often, and I had a great semester and got promoted and a raise because I was very popular at the school and am very 'approachable'.
The bottom line - your enjoyment in the classroom will be directly proportional to how well you manage your students and with 50 - 60 students per class the Chinese will respect, will listen, will enjoy and appreciate you as their teacher if you are strict, no-nonsense, do not let yourself get pushed around - and they know you are their friend when you are OUTSIDE the classroom, not inside.

I got this advice from another Chinese teacher and it has helped me with even the most difficult classes.

Good luck!

[jeahbaby]

5 minutes.................a Nanning primary school. Just couldn't handle it.

[motown]

[quote="GypsyKingAdventures"]I have been teaching at the #1 Sr. High School in my city, about 1,000 students per week, for almost a year.
The first semester I started out wanting to be their friend, played music to relax them, gave them candy as reinforcement for volunteering, etc. They enjoyed my classes, didn't push me too far, too often, and I think I had a good semester.
The second semester I went in strong, no-nonsense, lots of rules, anything as a reward was earned and understood as such. The result; they enjoyed my classes, didn't push me too far, too often, and I had a great semester and got promoted and a raise because I was very popular at the school and am very 'approachable'.
The bottom line - your enjoyment in the classroom will be directly proportional to how well you manage your students and with 50 - 60 students per class the Chinese will respect, will listen, will enjoy and appreciate you as their teacher if you are strict, no-nonsense, do not let yourself get pushed around - and they know you are their friend when you are OUTSIDE the classroom, not inside.

I got this advice from another Chinese teacher and it has helped me with even the most difficult classes.
====================================
Wow....you got good advice from a Chinese teacher!! That's the first time I've read anything like this on ESL cafe.

[HaveAGoodRest]

Don't stand for bad schools/bad teachers/bad students.

Personally when I was in China, I experienced two schools as a teacher that were polar opposites.

One was Heaven, one was Hell.

I'm glad I transferred.