Job Discussion Forums

[Chris_Crossley]

[Gregor]

Prue Jarvis,
Yeah, I guess it sounds a little harsh. But remember, I'm refering to NEWBIES. An experienced teacher, with TEFL experience and living abroad experience, would be no problem at all. It's just the motivation that people need to think about.

The mid-life thing for me hasn't taken shape yet. It's just doubts and kinda-sorta regrets. Stupid stuff. I may not actually DO anything about it. It feels too much like my memory of culture shock.
Then again, my getting married a couple years ago might have been a symptom of the mid-life thing! I was married for the first time at the age of 38, so maybe that was the crazy thing???
Working out OK, though, thanks.

[P-T]

[P-T]

[Gregor]

Crazy that I ever got married at all, to answer the question.
I left Jakarta, Indonesia for China to A) Get a couple years' experience as a DoS (having recently decided that this is what I do when I grow up, after having taught ESL for 7 years) and B) To get my diploma (in exchange for two years' committment, the employer paid for the Trinity College, London TESOL diploma course).
After finishing the course and job contract, I 100% intended and expected to return to Jakarta. I didn't though, because by then I had a wife with whom I am still very much in love.

That said, we may still go to Jakarta. I don't know if I want to take a Chinese wife to Indonesia, but she's well into it. She DID want to go to the U.S. but I don't want to live there for more or less the same reasons that she doesn't want to live in China. So I'm thinking it's SE Asia for us, as soon as we can get out of some of our committments and get out of here - Viet Nam, Malaysia, maybe even Indo - SHE doesn't care. Just so long as we can get out of HERE. And I can dig that.
But the marriage thing pretty much was - by definition, HAD TO BE - pretty impulsive. I mean, I go away for two years, with a definite plan, and before ONE of those years is out, I'm married to a woman I previously had never heard of before. Doesn't that sort of smack of mid-life crisis to you? I mean, we're HAPPY, but looking at it objectively, that's what it looks like to ME. :)

As for the "too late" thing, no, I quite agree. Notice that I said that it wasn't that 40 is too old. Retirement age is a great age and I have never had problems with those teachers who start out well after the danger of a mid-life crisis had passed. It's just that in-between age that makes me want to be careful.

I wonder what the original poster thinks of all this.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[P-T]

[P-T]

[/quote]Why don't people in other occupations get fired or have their contract renewals denied when they hit the late 30's or 40's mark as a sort of pre-emptive strike against them quitting due to a mid-life crisis? Maybe because that would seem like discrimination, and would be ridiculous.[/quote]

Ah, but they do!It's called 'Redundancy'!

As for everything else you said, I find it depressingly believeable! Still, it seems there are a few of us in our middle years..maybe we're trend setters.

[joesnoopy16]

Don't worry about your age. As long as you have the desire and commitment, go after whatever you want to do. While you may run into those who will discourage you, and into schools that will prefer younger teachers, I'm sure there are plenty of schools that recognize the value of maturity and experience (although they may not pay you any more for it). Don't sell yourself short. You have maturity and life experience that will help you in the classroom. The younger "kids" have the book smarts, but life gives you a wealth of examples and experiences you can use to help convey your lessons, and also for just dealing with people. Go for it!

[Sweetsee]

Hi Jonnyo,


Life begins at 40, pack your bags!



Good luck to you,
s

[carnac]

Dear jonnyo (op):
When you sit on a fence, you have three choices: jump over here, or jump over there, or stay sitting and go nowhere.
You already know the right choice for yourself. You are only asking to see if anyone validates what you already decided for yourself. Do it, or not do it. You already know what you will do.
You either have guts, or not. Either to say yes, or no.
I'm 60, started at 57, doing fine. Made a difficult choice. Ok, now.
Believe in yourself. You'll be fine.
Let us know, ok?

[Cdaniels]

[orangiey]

I say go!!
Don't dream your life but live your dreams!
I am in Wuhan with my hubbie, we sold up in the UK and are having a great time (and we avoid the expats places as we are too old for all that (late 30s) and enjoy the local places)

[thelmadatter]

Nice to read posts from a bunch of folks my age. I got to admit mid-life crisis is part of why I am where I am. I put off doing for me (for the sake of the kid and the marriage, of course) until finally I just couldnt do it anymore! OK - that is simplifying things quite a bit but I wont go into the gory details.

Lucky for everyone concerned, the gods intervened and things have worked out well, esp. for my son (now 17 ). I gotta agree with Ben that it is more difficult to do this at 40ish (dont know about older but I do think it would have been easier if I were younger) - probably because I have been dealing with culture shock and mid-life at the same time... both cause you to question your identity. But Im stubborn, and Ill make it through.

For the OP, I say "go for it" as well. Mid-life is tough but sometimes its what we need to get off our a$$ and do what we really need to for ourselves.

[orangiey]

Good for you!
The world is there to be discovered by you!