Job Discussion Forums

Sleepwalker · Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 454 Location: Reading the screen

I was reading a thread and noticed that one poster had nearly 10000 posts. Another had around 6500.

Most posters seem to come and go so I'd like to ask the veterans why they joined the site and why have they stayed with it?

Any veterans welcome in terms of numbers of posts and/or length of membership.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I joined back in 1998 to get info...and I still get info here:)
The only difference after 12 years is that now (sometimes) I also have some info to offer. Cool

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

I posted a response, but then noticed that although I've been here for years, I have less than 2000 posts and deleted it. Maybe I'm not good enough to count in this thread. Maybe the fact that I haven't posted says I'm don't express myself enough. Or maybe I somehow don't surf ESOL discussion boards enough... not sure. The self-doubt is now truly crushing. Shocked

Anyway. I started here because I was involved in teaching ESL (taking a university program). Actually I may have already completed it. I may not have joined until I'd left Canada and was living in Japan. I honestly can't remember. I'm still here because I'm involved in teaching EFL.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

GBBB: you may not post prolifically, but you are definitely one of 'our' veterans. The boards wouldn't be the same without you, really.

johnslat · Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:42 pm Post subject:

Dear Sleepwalker,
I started posting sometime back in the 90s (can't recall exactly when or even why) when I was still in Saudi Arabia.
After I left Saudi in 2003, I absented myself for a year (or two) since I was back in the States. But after awhile, I found I missed the friends I'd made on here, and I thought I might be able to offer some advice, especially to those thinking of going to the Kingdom.
So I came back. It beats the heck out of facebook (for me.)

Regards,
John

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

I post to offer advice and information that I've gleaned over the past 12-13 years, and to correct misinformation. There is a lot of secondhand, outdated information floating around that misleads people, and there are a lot of people who just have no clue what it takes to come here and teach. Very little of this was available when I was job hunting, so this is my contribution to provide the assistance I myself had hoped existed in 1997.

When I first joined the ESL Cafe, the format was totally different. It was just one long string of threads with sub threads indented off them. When the changeover took place, the number of posts and the join date were reset.

tttompatz · Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 12:49 am Post subject:

johnslat · Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:12 am Post subject:

I think many of us are here because we ARE teachers. And a lot of what we can do here (in addition to the witty repartee and dry humor) is really teaching - which is basically what Glenski wrote:

"I post to offer advice and information that I've gleaned over the past 12-13 years, and to correct misinformation. . . . so this is my contribution to provide the assistance I myself had hoped existed in 1997."

Regards,
John

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

I don't think I have enough posts in my 2.5 years to really consider myself a veteran, but I think I'm one of the few people on here that are currently teaching ESL in Canada, so I try to help out with what I can. I also have a bit of life experience in the ME (not teaching EFL), so I can also occasionally contribute to that as well.

fayefidalgo · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 16

A BIG THANK YOU to all you veterans...your time, patience and expertise is very much appreciated.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

I find that there are two reasons that I post on this website. One is to provide information to others. Furthermore, I often like to discuss certain topics on here that cannot be easily discussed with other people(teaching, language learning, living abroad, etc.).

One might say that this website is a good way to meet like minded people. I plan to leave Taiwan next year and am interested in finding out how often I will frequent this website in the future.

I will attempt to get a government job. We will see what happens.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I joined before they redid the forums in 2003, or 2004 I believe. I enjoy helping newbies, simple as that.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I started posting when I was working in the airline. I had to spend 8 hours a day on site although I was only teaching 3 or 4 hours (if at all)

And I got hooked. That is the way it was judge. I plead guilty and ask for 7261 similar offences to be included in the charge. Please exercise leniency. I have a wife, children and grandchildren to support.

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

I'm not as prolific as some of the posters here, but I like stopping by here every so often. There are lots of interesting conversations, and people here are generally kind, thoughtful and motivated to do a good job.

I wish there were more of us posting from Italy - tons of teachers in Italy, but not many that come here and share experience / offer advice.

natsume · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 409 Location: Chongqing, China

Not a veteran, but I would say one of the reasons I have stuck around is the generally high quality and helpfulness of the vets who are here, and very often of new posters who pop up. TESOL is my future plan B, it is what I am doing now, and it will most likely be a component of my future teaching, so that accounts for why I take a read here almost daily. (I feel like I am just getting to the point where I have some things of value to add, as well.)

Another reason is that as well as being informative, these boards, for a number of reasons, are also fairly (occasionally extremely) entertaining!