Job Discussion Forums

[High Plains Drifter]

It�s all relative. Yes, there is the occasional hard working student, but they�re few and far between, and even the hard-working ones generally can be called �hard-working� only because they�re not total zombies like the rest. At the tertiary level, you�re more likely to find these elusive hard-working students, but veiledsentiments, have you taught military personnel? You�d know the meaning of �brain-dead� then.

And shadowfax, I don�t see what capitalism has to do with it. I think it�s partly cultural and partly circumstantial. This is a culture where laziness is not a sin or a moral failing�no protestant work ethic here, for some reason. Nevertheless, if there were any real prospect of going hungry or being out on the street, they�d have the same motivation that people all over the world have to work hard, but they have nothing to worry about. Whether they�re employed or not, they�ll never go hungry, be homeless or lack for medical care. There�s no incentive to work hard and no shame in not working hard.

It�s the same syndrome you see among the children of rich people. Having too much money and no worries turns people into useless idiots.

In fairness, I have had a few serious, mature, curious students, but there�$ only one rea$on to teach in the Middle Ea$t, and it certainly i$n�t job $ati$faction.

[veiledsentiments]

I still think you should restrict these criticisms to Saudi students, and not paint the "Middle East" with this broad brush.

Mainly because it is wrong... It covers a lot of geography. Much of it is NOT rich and the students do NOT match your description at all.

Like I said... you can get the $$ without putting up with this kind of student. Even in Kuwait my students were highly motivated and hard working... so much for stereotypes...

VS

[High Plains Drifter]

There you go again--spoiling my fun. OK, I was indeed painting with a broad brush. I have experience in Saudi Arabia and the UAE only, so what I said applies to these countries only. But I stand by my comments. Now can I go out and play?

[Stephen Jones]

[veiledsentiments]

[scot47]

I teach academic students in KSA, aged 18-20.

They are generally pleasant, polite and well-motivated. Much nicer than their equivalents in the Yookay ! A minority are not focussed but most of them drop out or change their ways.

I have also taught on company training programmes. In one I taught on, the company could not sack nationals, but they could send tham on an English course. I will leave you to imagine the sort of trainees we had there !

[running dog]

Face it; you guys are in the wrong job. What you want to be is Eng.lit teachers. Nothing wrong with that, but face facts. A Tefl teacher is basically a car mechanic or piano instructor. You teach the nuts and bolts of the language so people can communicate/get promotion in the global marketplace. Sure, 1 or 2 of them might go on to become Formula 1 drivers or Mozarts but that's not the aim. English is the new version of Greek/Latin. It belongs to all cultures that need to interact today. As for upping the standards of the job: 30 years ago it was a life support system for hippies on their way to Nepal or would-be writers. Every english-speaking bum, nut, alcoholic, misfit under the sun tried their hand at it and that, believe it or not, was what made it so delightful. Some of these were good TEFL teachers, some weren't but that was hardly the point. It just made for a very un-dull mix of people. Which can hardly be said for the recent intake of po-faced wretches who stay up to 3a.m discussing the finer points of off-shore investment or Noam Chomsky's achievements.

[scot47]

The younger ones in this game are different. I am of that generation who served their apprentcieship in newly-independent post-colonial Africa. For me it is still a slight surprise when I turn on the weater and it flows - EVERY TIME !

The younger ones with their MA's in Teflology or Wafflolgy are different. Their idea of a year teaching somewhere exotic is a language school in Barcelona !

From what I can see here the ones who have done 2 years with VSO or peace Corps in Kazakhstan or Burkina Faso are the ones likely to stay the course. The ones who have taught onlky in Europe often cannot handle it.

[Hector_Lector]

I remember when Barcelona was exotic.

As for weater, I remember my days in Africa... the only water flowing was the bitter trace of tears or something... weater? Well, we called it weater, but it was more of a science experiment.

[High Plains Drifter]

[shadowfax]

Before I take leave of running dog and his idyllic nostalgia for "Every english-speaking bum, nut, alcoholic, misfit under the sun", let me share with any fellow po-faced wretches out there (though I be not of the Chomsky tribe myself) a poem which I felt a propos by way of retort upon the philistian backpacker:


"The Last Word"

Creep into thy narrow bed,
Creep, and let no more be said!
Vain thy onset! all stands fast;
Thou thyself must break at last.

Let the long contention cease!
Geese are swans, and swans are geese,
Let them have it how they will!
Thou art tired; best be still!

They out-talk'd thee, hiss'd thee, tore thee.
Better men fared thus before thee;
Fired their ringing shot and pass'd,
Hotly charged-and broke at last.

Charge once more, then, and be dumb!
Let the victors, when they come,
When the forts of folly fall,
Find thy body by the wall.

(Matthew Arnold)

[Hector_Lector]

"All ye Poets of the Age!
All ye Witlings of the Stage!
Learn your Jingles to reform!
Crop your Numbers and Conform:
Let your little Verses flow
Gently, Sweetly, Row by Row:
Let the Verse the Subject fit;
Little Subject, Little Wit.
Namby-Pamby is your Guide;
Albion's Joy, Hibernia's Pride.

[Stephen Jones]

[veiledsentiments]

Very funny SJ, but won't the whiskey kill the bugs in the water?

[scot47]

Stephen Jones -

In the first half of my career I had more than my fair share of C2HO5H in many different forms. Now I do not use it - except as aftershave !