Job Discussion Forums

[Norby]

This thread was inspired by deepteeth�s thread: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=86693

MOD EDIT Ttompatz encouraged people to focus on the bottom line, rather than absolute pay. My post is written based on this mindset.

Many thanks to all those that take the time to read my post.


I�ve been working in my current job for 2 years. It is my first TEFL job.

Responsibilities:

-An average of about 23 contact teaching hours a week.
-I teach general English to adults, teenagers and young learners (6+), class sizes vary from 4-24, most classes are 8-10 students � CEFR A1-B2
-Days off are a veritable rarity � 2/3 a month.
-Marking responsibilities are minimal to non-existent.
-I (amongst others) assess the oral part of the school�s in-house mid-term and end-of-level examinations.

School information:

-I can print/photocopy to my hearts content � black and white only.
-Computer resources are generally quite poor � they are usually in some kind of state of disrepair.
-We use up-to-date Cambridge textbooks, almost all students buy them, occasionally the odd student will photocopy one.
-I have access to our resource library, which is average.
-Each class is taught 1-2 times a week by a foreign teacher and the remaining 1-2 lessons by a local teacher.
-There are local teaching assistants in beginner/low elementary classes and most young-learner classes.
-Teaching evaluations are rare.
-2 classrooms in my school have computers, one utilising a projector, one a large TV.
-My �commute� to school is 5 minutes.

During this time, using my salary, I have been able to pay for:

-A CELTA course (this includes accommodation and living expenses, in addition to course fee and travel costs.)
-A vehicle, enabling me to travel to and from work and to other cities in the country. Previous to buying it, I rented for several months � this was due to personal choice, not lack of funds.
-Holidays / breaks � Christmas / New Year breaks to tourist destinations within the country and countries in the region (3 abroad 1 in country)
- Frequent �mini-breaks� touring surrounding areas of the city I live in.
- A 2 week holiday travelling around tourist destinations within the country.
- Further weekend breaks travelling to other cities within the country.
-A netbook
-A full business wardrobe (sans suit jackets)
-I haven�t flown back home yet.

Currently I have $5000 in salary-derived savings.

Lifestyle:

-90% of food is eating in restaurants or cafes. The remaining is street food. I never cook my own meals.
-In my city I don�t have access to cuisines outside of local ones, on my trips to other cities I am usually relatively lavish in this respect.
-Over the course of these 2 years my drinking habits have varied greatly. A fair average across the whole time could be heavy drinking once a fortnight and light drinking a further 2 times a fortnight.
-I drink non-alcoholic drinks in cafes 2 or 3 times a day.
-I live in a hotel room which is cleaned daily (I hate chores and fuss, so living in a hotel for such a long period of time is something I�m perfectly comfortable with � I�m sure others wouldn�t be.) The room has satellite TV, a fridge, en-suite bathroom, wireless internet access etc.
-I have all of my laundry cleaned and ironed.
-I�ve had about 10weeks of holiday time in total.


Many thanks again.

[Trebek]

Thailand!

[Norby]

MOD EDIT

This was certainly not the purpose of this thread. I want to know how well I'm doing!

Clearly, after gauging people's responses, I can decide what my next step should be - continue with this job or seek greener pastures. Surely writing a thread in the way I have is a little more interesting and relevant than - "I earn x/month/lesson/hour and I have a, b and c benefits, how does this compare?"

I have attempted to write it in such a way that people could compare my situation to countries they know about, without having to know about every country there is out there.

If this comes across like I'm trying to blow my own trumpet, then I've written it incorrectly, that's not what I'm looking for.

[naturegirl321]

China? Korea? Can you give us a hint?

[Montanaland]

Ok I'll type my guesses......is it Vietnam? or Jakarta, Indonesia?

[Trebek]

Malaysia

[johntpartee]

I figure if I lived like you do, I'd have about the same savings. China.

[simonuk]

I think it's a trick and it's westernised.

Maybe.....England?

I would only leave if I was bored.

[JordanX]

Korea?

It can't be China. While the books may look real, I can guarantee you they're really good fakes. My aunt's a EFL textbook writer, and she's never gotten any royalties from this country.

[johntpartee]

[naturegirl321]

Ok, we give up. Tell us please!

[deepteeth]

I don't know how my post was at all inspiring to me. This sounds REALLY great. I'm not one to give an expert opinion, but I'll trade with you whenever you're ready.

Taiwan?

[Serious_Fun]

You're doing well for someone who didn't even have a CELTA initially, (good work to earn one, by the way!).

You state "Days off are a veritable rarity � 2/3 a month", and then you mention weekend breaks; are the "days off" extra free days?

Western holidays, but no public health insurance or retirement plan? I can't guess the location.

I suggest that you stay there for the moment if the job is stable and you like the work. Your life sounds quite comfortable, and if you can drink a bit less, then you'll save $4000 this year.

[donato]

what a tease and a ripoff. what's the answer? if no answer by tomorrow i petition the mods to delete thread!

[Norby]

sorry sorry sorry for the big wait!

quick reply: Montanaland is the winner!

..................

.............................

..................................................


Vietnam!