Job Discussion Forums

Spaceghost2 · Joined: 10 Nov 2009 Posts: 5

It seems to be that nearly every country or region's forum I click is full of negativity. Granted I am mostly interested in teaching in Asia but it seems every country has it's problems. The complaints seem to always outweigh the positive comments.

I'm sure this is down to people being more vocal when there is a problem and the ones having a good time have better things to do than post on a forum. I find it quite difficult to decide on a country because of this. Is the state of EFL really not that great around the world or is it limited to certain areas? Sometimes I feel as if I am trying to navigate through a minefield.

I have not been too interested in teaching in Europe as I am from the UK and would ideally like to go somewhere further afield but maybe employment conditions are better there. South America is another possibility but I have many friends from all over the region and most of them don't paint a positive image, which is probably why they are over here.

Every country seems to have it's share of shady schools, trying to sucker naive teachers. I want to stay positive and I know there are good schools out there that treat their staff with respect, but the impression I get from the forum is that these places are rare and the rest are like the Wild West.

Please let me know how you feel about this.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

It's not all doom and gloom. If you're properly qualified and present yourself well in interviews, jobs are easy to come by, and if you do a bit of research (including contacting current teachers), you can sort of weed out the bad ones. And after that, a lot of your experiences, and whether they are positive or negative, will depend on your personality and outlook. I have more or less enjoyed every place that I've been, but I am also realistic and I know that there will be annoyances--it's just a matter of finding things to balance them.

And yes, I do think it's far more common for people to post their complaints than their praise. I think it's part of the human psyche: we feel smarter or more competent or more... whatever... if we can point out flaws.

d

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

You've answered your own questions.

Not every country is perfect.
The complainers write more than people who are satisfied.

I would disagree a bit with denise, though, on what success you might have with good credentials. Even with some good research, you may land in a bad position. It's not always easy to tell.

Best advice is choose a country/region you find most interesting, and post specific questions about contracts or specific employers on this board, and hope that someone knows the answers to help you decide.

Few people IMO find themselves in a great job at the start. Keep that in mind.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 1:44 am Post subject:

Ever been anywhere, foreign or your own country, where people didn't gripe?

I've lived overseas for most of my adult life. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't. But sometimes I, and I think this is typical, need to vent.

A lot of what you see on these boards isn't in response to a generalized negativity- if people felt generally negative about life overseas, they'd go home. But sometimes they need to vent, and it's easiest to that where others can relate. This board is a place where a lot of people can relate to the struggles of life overseas, so people vent here.

Best,
Justin

PS- teaching overseas for a decade,a nd having a terrific time! Smile

scooby doo · Joined: 30 Oct 2009 Posts: 48

Culture shock. It hits almost everybody. This is a real condition and people don't realize how seriously it can affect them. Maybe that's a source of the negativity?

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

It's because the honeymoon phase ends and reality sets it. Speaking the language, blending in, getting accepted into the culture, moving up jobwise, etc, all take its toll.

People go with their rose coloured glasses on, but they come off fast. It can be tough living in a country for years, but never moving up because you were hired in-country, are white and not Asian, have a foreign ID number, so can't do half the stuff the locals can, or because you don't speak a language fluently.

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

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

If you've ever been in the room with someone who is really very, very positive almost all the time, you've seen how a positive outlook on things is contagious. People naturally want to be happy around happy people.

The same is true of negativity. People come here to vent, and that's fine. But sometimes it can begin to get too much. In that case you need a break- a little pause from discussion boards. And this board is generally pretty good. The discussion board for JETs is really, really full of negativity and vitriolic attacks on other posters, their countries, and especially Japan. A