Job Discussion Forums

[lulugirl27]

I am a new EFL teacher. Been working about 3 months and thinking about leaving where I'm at. My question is (I'm under a one yr contract) do I even mention this as work experience, or not, since they might call them and I of course may not get a good reference. Can I list them on CV without using them as a reference to call?
I have no other formal teaching experience, but do have my TEFL cert. and a Masters. Thinking of going to another country to teach in.

[jaybet3]

Hi Lulu,

Seems like you've got a lot on your mind. Maybe I can help.

If you break your contract, I wouldn't use that language school as a reference. It is likely nothing good will come from it. Future language school employers will see this as a big negative, even if you feel you are justified.

If you have a KITAS, you need an exit permit to leave the country. You will need a sponsor letter from your employer to get the exit permit. If you never plan to return to Indonesia, maybe you can leave without an exit permit. I don't know how that would work.

But I'm curious why you want to break your contract? What specifically is making the situation so bad? When I first started working at the language school where I am now, I had a lot of reservations about staying but after a while things settled down and now I'm quite happy with my situation.

Maybe if you gave us more insight into the problem you might get some helpful feedback.

[lulugirl27]

[chezal]

I would say try and stick it out if you can. My first job in Indonesia was in Pekanbaru which really was a dead end town. How ever I was quite lucky in the fact that another girl the same age as me started around the same time. We kept each other sane.

Plus points of living in a small town. I learnt Indonesian really quickly. Was either that or have no friends. I made some of my closest Indonesian friends here and I still go back and visit them (or go on holiday with) at least every year or so 7 years later. Oh and I also met my now husband when i was there
You have chosen to live in another country so use this as a chance to make some good friends. I found working in a smaller town the staff socialise together more. This didn't really happen when I moved to Medan.

If you have adult classes they will be more than willing to show you around the town. This is another way to meet people. Also try to join a Hash House Harriers(running/walking club very social). It's an ready made social group and help to keep you sane. An older Indonesian couple more or less adopted me into their family (they missed their daughter of the same age who lived away). They would have me round for tea and made sure I was looked after and made to feel welcome in The Hash.

Try and stick it out. Save your money and go and explore Indonesia in your time off. Use this time to make contacts with people in other schools. You'll be surprised how many other teachers you bump into on holiday here. Networking is the way to get the other jobs away from EF type schools.

[lulugirl27]

[phis]

Lulugirl: I have been reading your posts on both threads really carefully, so what I am about to say isn't a gut reaction, or an attempt to belittle you; and it is not said lightly!

First of all, how old are you and how long have you been working? I ask this because you don't seem to have built up any sort of 'work ethic', or awareness of other people's right to be individuals and live their lives as they see fit. What people do with their lives may not fit into your idea of how people should behave, but that is their decision to make not yours!

Firstly, let's deal with the work situation: You have signed a contract, and even though you are experiencing some initial difficulties (read culture shock) you are still expected to fulfill you obligations. There are people here who have experienced really abusive situations with certain schools, and the majority of those have still managed to carry on till the end of their contracts. They have then gone on to achieve bigger and better things, solely on the basis of what they have learnt.

From what you write, I don't see your situation as abusive... You expected teaching English in a foreign country to be exotic and an easy ride�. it isn�t. However, once you get over the initial difficulties, it will be a really rewarding experience, very often because of the difficulties, not despite them.

Another point: If I were you, I would be very careful about �labelling� fellow teachers as alcoholics, etc. Many expats here drink to a lesser or greater degree. Unless they are doing harm to themselves and other people, and unless they are unable to function consistently in their work to an acceptable level, then they are not alcoholics in the true sense of the word. However, if you are letting your obvious distain show through, they are not likely to want to be friends with you, or help you over your culture shock. I bet they have already got a label for you!! I wonder what it is? Take note: labelling people is bad practice and nothing good ever comes out of it!

Step back... stop blaming other people.... reassess your situation and your own attitude... map out a plan to deal with work situation and social situation... talk to other people and tell them the difficulties you are experiencing... meet people half way, the results will be surprising...

Running away never resolved a problem... unfortunately, if it seemed to have worked the first time, it can establish a pattern for life.

[Durian Tango]

Lulugirl:

Recently a couple of teachers at my school wanted to leave after having been in Jakarta for 3 months. They were unhappy with life here. They didn't have any qualms with the job, but Jakarta was not at all what they expected. They wanted to go back to what they knew. Ultimately I was able to convince them to stay because I asked them exactly what they needed to be happy. They gave me a laundry list of things they felt they were lacking in life and between me and a number of other staff, we were able to give them a load of new options they hadn't realized existed before.

I'm happy to say that 3 months have passed since then and they are quite happy now. They have made a lot more friends (which they just needed time to do and to branch out a bit) and have found the language lessons they were looking for, the places to hang out they were seeking and have gained a new appreciation of their surroundings. They are far from calling Jakarta paradise, but for the year they will be here, they can call it home.

They are greatful for the intervention because otherwise, they would have looked back at their 3-month attempt at Indonesia with regret. Regret that they hadn't tried harder to make it work and perhaps they would have felt remorse at the fact that they threw in the towel so easily.

By the way, Malang and east Java actually have a lot to offer (sometime I wish I lived in Malang!). Head out to the mountains of east Java, go trekking, head to the sea and definitely buy a bicycle and ride for miles and miles and days and days in and around the town. It's a perfect city for getting around on two wheels. I would suggest checking out the universities in and around Malang too as it's and educational hub for east Java with a lot of great local and foreign students. I think you'll find a lot of activities going on at the campuses and through the universities.

You can do it Lulugirl - hang in there! Try to find some other expats in Malang that have been around for awhile that can offer some suggestions for making life more enjoyable.

That's my two cents

[travelNteach]

@phis, i agree with the part about sticking it out for the year. my first job i hated with a passion, but now that i have been in the game for a while, i realize that i manufactured most of my own problems and culture shock played a role in it. i have learned how to be more flexible.

however, i disagree about lable snd alcholics. havent u heard of functioning alcholics? and if they behavior/attitude interfes with her enjoying her homelife, they they are at fault. living with drunkards, not matter how merry, sucks.

@ lulu: from reading the other posts, it sounds like u are in malang. if so, why dont u transfer to surabaya? seems that they usually have openings. if u cant transfer, i think they have a clause saying that u can get your own housing and receive a small amout of cash monthly. u could get a kost, and get to meet lots of young indonesians, maybe college students. perhaps this would help.

if u read you contract, u will have to pay wads of cash to get out of your contrace, and no, they wont let u keep your flight money. u are probably looking at 10 million to get out of your contract. i dont advocate spending a year in misery, but u are a lot better if u can struggle thru it. u will learn alot about yourself and how to focus on solutions, not the problems. and no, dont ever put a job on your resume which shows u not completing your contract. i would even consider someone like that. even if they had legitimate reasons, i would be worried that they would jump ship on me and hiring a teacher takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. i am glad that u are open to the idea of HH, keep trying to do things like that and it might become worithwhile. take the train to surabaya on the weekends and stay at one of the teacher houses there, or get a cheap hotel room and party til the wee hours of the morning. there are a few bars in the area that are patronized by EF staff. see if u can build a relationship with some of the teachers down there.

good luck

[chezal]

@ Lulu. Yes my first job was at EF but I moved on to better jobs after them. Wouldn't go back to them but for all their faults (my school went bankrupt) it's not a bad place to start out. Things can only get better after them.

As others have said I'd be wary about putting your 3 months on your CV. Other employers may think you'll jump ship with them too.

To find a Hash look on here www dot indohash dot com/javaeast dot html
There seem to be quite a few in Malang.

I still say stick it out.

[phis]

@ TnT: my point was about the dangers of 'labelling' people, and not really about whether people are alcoholics or not (and yes, I have heard about functioning alcoholics). It would be equally sad if Lulu's housemates have labelled her a whinger, without considering that she is going through a bad time, and, therefore, without giving her the opportunity to get it together. Unfortunately, once a label is applied it is really difficult to get it to unstick without leaving some harmful residue behind.

I agree with the rest of your post. I hope Lulu will take some of the advice on offer and give herself a chance to enjoy what Indonesia has to offer.

[extradross]

If the original poster is having problems with her accomodation in terms of sharing with 'pissheads'-always uncomfortable for non-pissheads, then this is an issue that I'm sure can be resolved quite simply-by moving. As already pointed out, the school will have paid a considerable amount of money to hire her so if she expresses her unhappiness with her 'housemates' then I'm sure they would assist if the option would be her running away. Just to comment on the comments as it were, I think everybody who's been teaching overseas for a number of years will have 'horror stories' regarding previous jobs be it employer, fellow teacher, students or a generally lousy set-up,-they are often, in hindsight, a good resource for humorous anecdotes to share with other teachers over a pint or two. As for quitting a job-as far as I'm concerned there's only three reasonable grounds for this...1] They don't pay you. 2] They don't supply you with a legal permit/visa. 3] People within the school are seriously abusive to you to the point that it threatens your livelihood/well being.

[jaybet3]

Where has lulugirl gone? All this good advice and no comment from the author?

Maybe she left town already?

[Madame J]

Lulu, I can empathise with a lot of what you're going through. I too lived in a houseshare with one person who I would also describe in the none-too-charitable terms you used to describe one of yours. Like you, I also didn't feel as though I clicked with a great deal of the teachers.

But you know what?

Three months in and it turned into one of the most spellbindingly wonderful years of my life.

So, after two sometimes-exciting-and-interesting, often lonely-and-sad months of going to the same dull bars with teachers I didn't really click with (with a couple of exceptions-hearing about your case makes me thankful for the fact I had at least a couple of other teacher friends) for lack of anything better to do, I managed to spread my wings. I happened across some other expat teachers at other schools who I did click with, and met some English speaking locals through them. Life really began to take off.

Those things are more examples of luck and persistence winning through, which may or may not happen to you. However, one tip I can give you which I only wish I'd been given at the beginning of my stay: Sign up on couchsurfing.org (or is it.com?). If you don't speak Indonesian then it is your very best bet for making friends. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to host anybody at your house and you don't even have to stay in strangers' houses if you don't want. What you can do though is attend local meetings, which are regular in most major cities and happen in some smaller ones too. People join these groups purely to make friends, most members speak English and you're certain to find people willing to help you with your Indonesian. You may also meet some other expats of the less alcoholic variety (not to generalise, but it does tend to attract a slightly better calibre of traveller). If you are indeed in Malang then you have a friendly and active group right there (spent several fun times with these guys earlier this year and am still good friends with some of them).

Oops. Did I get carried away? But really. I'm honestly not paid by this site or owt, but join! I discovered it in my third month in Indo and it completely transformed my life, introducing me to tonnes of friends both in my city (Surabaya) and all over Java.

Oh, and as another poster said, if it's Malang itself you hate then try transferring to Surabaya. But I don't think Surabaya has much that Malang doesn't, apart from better transport connections.

[lulugirl27]

I'm sorry I haven't responded earlier. And yes, I have read and reflected on the responses I've received, so thanks to all.
I have to say, some of the responses have struck me as just a bit harsh....I didn't realize that the mere thought of leaving a position in a completely new country and perhaps not being completely happy with the living situation and options was unprofessional or impulsive.
I'm the one with a lot to lose here......as in money. It's not as if no new teacher or ESL teacher has had misgivings about a position or a situation, or left a job a few months into the contract (or not completed a contract)
Is this an easy dilemma to be faced with? Not at all.
I appreciate those who took the time to write back. Just have a lot to think about.
And i don't necessarily think that If I opt to move to a different city that that won't present it's own problems or challenges.
I do know that I am enjoying teaching very much, and I connect very well with the students.
I'm not completely miserable, nor am I completely happy.
And I am giving it some more time and trying to expand my social network here.
I realize it takes a bit of time to get your footing and to feel settled. But I will add that the teachers here overall have been......well, less than welcoming. And not just toward me; toward other new teachers who have arrived........there's not a lot of support or interest/curiousity in getting to know new folks. And I'm nothing if not curious and interested in new people. That's partly why I decided to live in new country in the first place.
BTW: I'm not in Malang. Would prefer not to divulge exact location!

[phis]

The truth is often harsh, and my post in particular seemed to reflect that. Sorry about that! However, your response has been very mature. Despite the harshness, you seem to be genuinely considering some of the points raised over the spectrum of all the posts, and trying to find solutions, short of breaking your contract.

Believe it or not, I understand what you are saying about unwelcoming schools and teachers. In my first school here, I was picked up by a school driver (who didn't speak English) and was then unceremoniously dumped in the teachers' house. I think the school just assumed that the other teachers would look after me. After an initial interrogation, I was ignored for the rest of the weekend... (I overheard one of them saying "Well I'm not giving up my plans just to babysit her!". I spent the rest of the weekend crying (and, yes, planning my escape!). I was too scared to even go out of the house!

On the Monday, having finally gained access to the bathroom, I found that while I was getting dressed, they had all left for work. Not only did I not know how to get to work, I didn't even know the correct address. A phone call to the school got the response: "Where are you? Why didn't you come with the others? Just get angkot no. .... (what the **** was an angkot?). Get off at Jl ....... (where the **** was that?).

Finally, getting really mad at this inconsiderate treatment, I refused to leave the house until the school driver came to pick me up. On arrival at the school, I threw the biggest temper tantrum you have every seen! Scared the local staff half to death, and left the boss and the foreign teachers struck dumb in astonishment!!

Things did improve somewhat after that, and I did manage to stay on to the end of my contract, but I can't say working in that school was my happiest experience. Later on, when I became a DOS, I made sure that none of my new teachers every experienced the same thing. They were always met at the airport by me or my assistant, and one of the other foreign teachers who had agreed to be a mentor for the first two weeks or so. After that, they basically were not left on their own till they had gained enough confidence to fly solo, as it were.

Unfortunately lots of schools still don't understand the importance of making sure a newcomer is made welcome, and I still hear and see lots of horror stories from newcomers.

Anyway, good luck to you. I hope the rest of your stay in Indonesia is a happy one.