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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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 Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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| chickyabroad wrote: |
| @Glenski, thanks for the extra info on Westgate. Yes, I'm aware that they are a dispatch agency, but the actual teaching would be to university students, correct? |
Correct. But what are you trying to make of that? There are some posters here and elsewhere who brag about being a "university professor" when they are just a Westgate dispatched instructor. Perhaps you are just trying to say that any form of teaching to uni students is acceptable to you.
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| It would just be to fill the time before doing the grad program in the summer and to get some exposure to teaching uni level. |
This tends to support my statement above. No problem, but realize the differences between a FT (or even PT) uni teacher who is hired directly, vs a Westgate (or other) dispatched instructor. Yes, the level of students is the same, and the classes one teaches can be the same (typically, oral communication), but FT and PT teachers also teach other uni classes (reading, writing, TOEIC prep, listening, etc.) and have other responsibilities (including giving tests).
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| As for stress free, I think that's a matter of opinion. Yes, the number of classes is a lot, but teaching the same lesson over and over again is less stressful to me than teaching a completely new lesson each time. |
I hear you! But, would teaching the same lesson 7-8 times in a day be all that stress-reduced? I know when I did 3 or 4 of them a day in HS, it got mind-numbingly boring, even if the lesson got better polished. One down side to that is that the earlier lesson students didn't get as much out of the lesson.
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| And the conflicting reports on the salary are from a thread on the Japan board about teaching at Westgate - some said it was difficult to save much, others said they were able to save quite a bit. |
How much you make vs. save are totally different.
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| I would imagine it depends on exactly where the person was placed and what kind of lifestyle they lead. |
Yup, as I have been saying for over a decade here. Depending on the employer, it may also depend on location (where there is a significant enough difference in cost of living to warrant offering a lower salary). |
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mindweave
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
Posts: 11
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 3:05 am Post subject: Uni job without MA |
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For a native speaker wanting to get a university based English teaching job- try IH-Malaysia (International House franchise located at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology).
Current ADOS is wonderful but Senior Management of the uni are a psychotic bunch of meglomaniacs. Thus, always pepetual job openings, because it is a revolving door of teachers coming and going. I managed to last 1.5 years, and got another university job based on that experience. |
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chickyabroad
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Location: Turkey
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Correct. But what are you trying to make of that? There are some posters here and elsewhere who brag about being a "university professor" when they are just a Westgate dispatched instructor. Perhaps you are just trying to say that any form of teaching to uni students is acceptable to you.
This tends to support my statement above. No problem, but realize the differences between a FT (or even PT) uni teacher who is hired directly, vs a Westgate (or other) dispatched instructor. Yes, the level of students is the same, and the classes one teaches can be the same (typically, oral communication), but FT and PT teachers also teach other uni classes (reading, writing, TOEIC prep, listening, etc.) and have other responsibilities (including giving tests). |
Not trying to make anything of it... just trying to get some experience teaching uni level students as a lot of the really good uni jobs that I've seen require at least a year or two teaching uni level. So even though I wouldn't be doing all the work that a real uni teacher would be doing, one that was hired directly by the uni, it would at least be more relevant than teaching kindergarten, for example. Right now I'm just trying to build up my experience for the kind of jobs that I ultimately want in the future, any way I can.
As for the rest, I think the teaching the same class 7 times a day wouldn't be that bad, though it does depend on the material. I've done the same class multiple times before and if there's a lot of interation in the lesson, it's not so bad since each group of students brings something different to it. On the other hand, in my first job we had "reading" classes during the school vacation intensive sessions... 3-4 classes back to back of students reading the same exact very short passage - and they were all supposed to read it out loud to "practice" speaking. Listening to the same passage 20-30 times in a row, now that was mind numbingly boring!
@mindweave - thanks for the tip on IH Malaysia. Is it in KL? I really liked that city when I was there... though I think maybe it will go to the bottom of my list, due to the psychotic meglomaniacs. That doesn't really sound like a good situation! |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| chickyabroad wrote: |
| Not trying to make anything of it... just trying to get some experience teaching uni level students as a lot of the really good uni jobs that I've seen require at least a year or two teaching uni level. |
Not really. That is, not just the "good" uni jobs require that. Most uni jobs do.
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| So even though I wouldn't be doing all the work that a real uni teacher would be doing, one that was hired directly by the uni, it would at least be more relevant than teaching kindergarten, for example. |
In that lone aspect, you are correct.
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| As for the rest, I think the teaching the same class 7 times a day wouldn't be that bad, though it does depend on the material. I've done the same class multiple times before |
So, have I, but no more than 3 times. Seven times in a single day? No thanks. And I work at a uni now!
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| and if there's a lot of interation in the lesson, it's not so bad |
Don't count on much interaction at all.
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| since each group of students brings something different to it. |
Most uni students have either slept through their HS classes or were totally bored with them because they were not communicative lessons. Instead, they were insipid grammar translation courses taught by Japanese teachers who likely have such weak English abilities themselves that they can't speak decent English. I've taught HS here, too. The students break their humps to get into a college by passing an entrance exam that is totally worthless with regard to communicative English, then try to fill their first year with English courses just to get credits out of the way, not learn more. They really don't usually bring anything to the class.
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| On the other hand, in my first job we had "reading" classes during the school vacation intensive sessions... 3-4 classes back to back of students reading the same exact very short passage - and they were all supposed to read it out loud to "practice" speaking. Listening to the same passage 20-30 times in a row, now that was mind numbingly boring! |
I believe Westgate offers only speaking classes. If you get the chance to do any reading, forget it. Their level is that of a first grade elementary student from the USA. Yes, I teach reading courses to uni students now and am in charge of selecting graded readers for them. What you described above might work in a tiny class but only to a small degree (as you pointed out). You're likely going to get classes of 40-60 students. Shudder.
PM me for more info on teaching in Japan, if you like, or visit the Japan forum. |
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chickyabroad
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Location: Turkey
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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@Glenski- not quite sure how this whole Westgate thing turned into such a debate, since, as I said, it would have just been a back up plan to have something to do until the summer. But it's all moot anyway as I just got a uni job in Turkey! Very excited about the new challenge and seeing something outside of Istanbul.
Thanks to all for the suggestions! |
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