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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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 Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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Gordon wrote:
Home schooling is certainly possible in Japan or anywhere else.
Woo hoo! That gives me joy. |
Stop. Think about what I wrote earlier.
1. You will only be qualified to work in eikaiwas. This means being gone from noon to 10pm 5 days a week.
2. Your weekends may be Sat/Sun or they may be split into such days as Sun and Tues.
3. You will be learning how to teach while you are teaching. Pretty stressful in itself, even if you get a TEFL certificate and some (meager) on the job training), because this will be your first job.
4. Do you have any experience home schooling? If not, you will be learning how to do that as well.
5. How are you going to support your family (as mentioned before) on an eikaiwa teacher's salary? It can be done if you supplement that with PT work or private lessons, but you will lose any time at home if you do that. Goodbye home schooling.
6. How are your kids going to learn Japanese (for daily survival)? Since you can't teach them, and they (presumably) will be in home schooling, they will have very little opportunity to interact with Japanese kids, so they will have to pick it up on their own. Not very efficient, and for kids in a foreign land, it can be quite frustrating if not downright scary.
7.What are your kids going to do while you are at work?
Sorry if this sounds like total doom and gloom, but I think the "woohoo joy" comment was terribly premature, and I think Gordon was also fairly presumptuous to have mentioned home schooling in your situation. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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Let me just add a few more points.
4. Finding home schooling materials in English is a difficult enough choice in your home country. Finding them in Japan is even tougher.
6. Of course, you can hire tutors for your kids to learn Japanese, but there's another expense that you will find hard to afford. |
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nolefan
Joined: 14 Jan 2004
Posts: 1458
Location: on the run
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 1:35 am Post subject: china |
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China all the way!
I agree that China might be the ideal place for you and your kids! 5000 RMB goes a long way here and you will be comfortable , to say the least.
If you can get Homeschooling for the kids, this could work out great for them. you biggest problem would be to try and fend off all the teaching offers THEY will get over here.
This type of experience would also go a long way in helping them get into the University of their choice whenever it is time to go to college for them! |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 4:34 am Post subject: |
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The Middle East can be ruled out I fear, since most decent employers here want two years experience. the same goes for international schools in most countries.
I think it might be China as one of the earlier posts says, but how will your teenage children take to it ? |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 4:35 am Post subject: |
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International Scools ? They might prefer someone with 2 or more years experience.
Last edited by scot47 on Sat Apr 24, 2004 4:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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Don't forget that a school has to pay money for work visas, plane tickets, housing, and miscellaneous overhead.
- ls650 |
This is not true for most of Latin America, which would make it very difficult for someone without a decent nest egg to cover initial expenses: plane fare, visas for 3 people, renting a place that's safe and big enough for 3, etc. It would take a very good TEFL job in most Latin American locations in order to support oneself + 2 teenagers. If you were teaching enough hours to come close to making ends meet, you simply wouldn't have much time to devote to your children.
You mentioned that you and your children are willing to live with only the basic needs. Keep in mind that living with only the basic needs in most Latin American countries is a far cry from living with only the basic needs in Iowa. With the types of jobs you'd most likely get, you probably wouldn't be able to provide your children with good medical and dental care, an adequate formal education, the opportunity to frequent places that would help them further develop well rounded social skills . . . lots of things that people living with only the basic needs in Iowa take for granted.
Additionally, if by some chance you should get delayed in your plans, I'd suggest that you might try to get a job as a teacher's assistant in an ESL program there in Iowa. It would give you lots of insight and valuable experience. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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I'd have a question, were I in your situation.
Obviously, you must have a strong sense of the value of education.
Probably, you would encourage
your children to get that important university degree ASAP - if you're planning just one year away from formal schooling for your kids, the benefits of travel and experience probably outweigh the downsides.....but if you're thinking longer-term, couldn't you be setting up a handicap for their further education? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Don't forget that a school has to pay money for work visas, plane tickets, housing, and miscellaneous overhead. |
Don't know where you are, but in Japan, this is not true.
Employers don't pay for work visas. They sponsor the people on them.
No employer has to pay for plane tickets. In fact, darned few actually do.
No employer has to pay for a teacher's housing. Again, darned few do.
Overhead? Yeah, ok, office overhead, but this is a given.
And, in Japan, having a FT job means a little different thing. It usually entails being in the classroom 25-30 hours a week, but this is all some employers report to the government as your work hours. They do not include your prep time. As a result, you may still put in a total of 40 hours a week (what is considered FT in my home country), but the government only hears about the 25-30, so the employer is not obligated to pay for our health insurance or pension. Legal loophole. |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 3:51 am Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| but if you're thinking longer-term, couldn't you be setting up a handicap for their further education? |
I appreciate your concern, and I understand where you're coming from. I investigated that to no end, because I don't want do derail their university education -- and they are both college bound.
Lo and behold, when you live in a community which embraces diversity, they're willing to work with you to promote inter-cultural exchange. Since the law doesn't mandate where the home schooling takes place, it can indeed happen out of the country. They will both be able to complete high school. In fact, they may be able to do that earlier than their peers.
The school has already agreed to let me tutor my children in maths (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry) over the summer, so they can give testing out a try before the next school year begins.
In a nutshell, both of my children can complete their secondary education from out of the country. I have it covered.
Colleen |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 3:54 am Post subject: |
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Glenski, you have successfully argued that I/we should not plan to teach in Japan for multiple reasons.
Consider it done. We won't be going there, unless it's for a vacation.
Colleen |
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khmerhit
Joined: 31 May 2003
Posts: 1874
Location: Reverse Culture Shock Unit
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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Why not Cambodia?
It would be tight, but do-able.
At ACE, you can make a fairly good income.
Rent is about 200 a month.
Daily expenses are low.
It's a graqt place for young people, and there are lots of NGOs established there, ie lots of foreigners.
Who knows what might open up? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 2:05 am Post subject: |
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| By the way, I wanted to note that it's refreshing to see that justcolleen's stayed in the discussion. It happens so often that newbies pose questions, then never respond to the answers (particularly if the answers aren't always positive). So, jc - thanks for remaining involved. and best wishes. |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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Mwa! Mwa! Mwa!
This is how I see it: There's them that know and there's them that don't. I would be one of the latter.
I certainly want to hear the facts and the truths and the opinions, good or bad, until people are tired of talking to me. Education of any kind, to me, is a big deal. This is the stuff they don't teach in school. Instead, it's people who have very real experiences. I would rather learn from someone else's mishaps (and mistakes) than do it myself and bump my head until I finally get it.
Additionally, I happen to believe teaching is serious business. Not to mention walking the world has been my dream since, well, forever ago.
By the way, this morning my daughter (the hesitant child) told me she's thought about it, and she'll be happy to give it a go for a year. I hope she loves it.
Who knows, maybe in a few years, when I have the credentials and experience, we'll be hanging out in Japan and loving it. 
Colleen |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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I do have a question for this fine group of folks: What the heck is a "visa run"? I can figure out that it's crossing the border and returing, and it certainly has something to do with a visa (  ). But where and why would a teacher have to do such a thing? Hmmmmm?
Colleen |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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I used to have to do this occasionally in Europe. It happens when your work papers have been applied for, but not yet received and your legal stay time in that country will expire. eg: a few years ago, I could legally stay in that country for 90 days, but work permits took longer than that to process. Hence, the border run for a stamp - allows an additional 90 days legally in the country.
Maybe there are other situations that require the run also? |
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