Job Discussion Forums

[denise]

Hey, whatever happened to the original poster? Where'd he go?!?!?

d

[migo]

Maybe he forgot about this forum?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

He went back to Uni.

[TEAM_PAPUA]

I have a BA in Southeast Asian Studies & International Relations. But as i am not allowed to talk about politics in the classroom my major is pretty useless. Nevertheless, I do agree that the experience of University education is important as you may have to teach students studying in/or wishing to study in University. Not to mention the study/debating/research skills picked up along the way.

In addition, the 4 years of having to survive with little or no money, living in sub-standard accomodation & having to deal with being surrounded by twats should set you up nicely for a career in EFL


T_P

[Calliopaeia]

[quote="TEAM_PAPUA"]

In addition, the 4 years of having to survive with little or no money, living in sub-standard accomodation & having to deal with being surrounded by twats should set you up nicely for a career in EFL

You're speaking the truth!!! I'm a 21 year old University Student. I am doing a triple major in Classics, Archaeology and Anthropology... all of which have nothing to do with teaching English in China.

However, I do speak 5 languages (English, German, French, Latin and Ancient Greek), and am 'lingual' in Sign Language so I would like to think I have a firm grasp on the grammatical structure of English... how many people here can tell me the difference between a noun in the nominative case and one in the accusative case?

I too am interested in teaching in China, and I don't mean waiting until after Convocation. I believe my post-secondary experience (as well as my relevant teaching experience which I hesitantly establish here as it apparently has no bearing whatsoever on my worth) will help me in this goal. I would like to also state that although the idea of making a career of teaching English Internationally is very tempting, I really only want an experience.

As I read through the postings I see many different 'types' of people. Those who believe that this priviledge should be exclusive, those who provide realistic reminders so that one is fully aware of the possibilities while teaching overseas, and those who are in the same position as myself and the original Poster (his name was Geoff in case you forgot).

I would like to thank those who provided me with words of wisdom and reminders about what it is like to live in another country... because I have never lived outside of Canada. For those who prefer to keep the profession to those who are qualified... well.. I'm inclined to agree with you. Geoff and I and others like us are not looking to make this a career. We are by NO MEANS qualified enough to make that step and I am not referring to the presence or absence of a $50,000 piece of paper from a University.

Geoff is my partner and we are looking for information on how we can go to China to teach English and experience another country and appreciate their culture. We do not have complete Bachelor's Degrees, however we do have 2 years of post - secondary experience and are currently living barely-above-the-poverty-line type of conditions together co-dependently. We don't intend on making the big bucks, we'd like to leave that to those who deserve such a salary.

So on behalf of Geoff and myself I would like to re-state the question: How can we teach in China without a degree and what should we be weary of when embarking on such a journey?

Thank you for your posts and I look forward to your responses.

~Sheena

[lajzar]

Hi,

I'd like to have a go at being a catwalk model. Of course, I've never actually done it before, and being a) a guy, and b) a total lard-arrse I'd probably make the clothes look bad. But since I don't actually want to make a career of it, that shouldn't matter.

Can someone tell me how to make it as a catwalk model without sexual reassignment surgery and a tummy tuck please?

btw, is there any danger that I might reduce the wages of real catwalk models by increasing the number of people working in the field? And is there any danger that this might lead to a creeping drop of standards in what employers expect?

[Calliopaeia]

Honestly,

The sarcastic responses are not helpful. The topic at hand is regarding Teaching English in China, NOT wanting to be a Model. They are in no way shape or form related nor do they suffice as a metaphor.

[lajzar]

Au contraire, it is a very relevant analogy. People with no relevant experience or training or in some cases, no real life experience at all, are constantly trying to get into EFL. Every one of them has their own personal reasons that always make perfect sense to them, and if only the eployers would give them a chance they could show just how good they are.

But since you insist, let's analyse this...

[justcolleen]

[spiral78]

Uhhh...I'd like to think that MOST OF US WOULD!!! Pretty basic stuff, after all.....

[Ben Round de Bloc]

OK, Colleen, I'll stick my neck out here.

I'm not a grammarian, just a plain old EFL teacher. I'll venture to say there is no difference between noun forms in nominative case and accusative case in modern English. Old English used different forms for different noun cases, but modern English doesn't. A noun used in the nominative case (subject) has the same form as a noun in the accusative case (object.) In modern English some pronouns change form according to case, but nouns don't.

As an example, if the noun boy appears in nominative case position as in The boy hit the girl. or in accusative case position as in The girl hit the boy., the form of the noun stays the same, although obviously the different structure (word order) changes the meaning of the sentence.

[denise]

As this topic (or one related to it) came up in a recent conversation, I'll jump in.

My school requires MAs. Some of us have TESOL MAs, some have MAs in other fields. Are those of us with TESOL MAs better teachers than the folks with other degrees? Not necessarily. By extension, are those of us with MAs better teachers than folks with BAs/no degree/etc.? No, not necessarily.

If I were in a position to hire teachers and other factors were equal (teaching experience/life experience/outgoing, teacher-esque personality, etc.), I would definitely choose a BA over someone without, an MA over a BA, a TESOL MA over another MA, etc. Why? Because holders of those qualifications would seem to me to want the job more. Somebody who takes the time to get a BA, even if it is in a completely unrelated field, has at least shown an understanding of the "rules" of the system. Most jobs these days require BAs. Heck, even my stint as an office worker in my pre-EFL days probably would not have happened if I had not finished college.

Similarly, I would feel that someone who had studied TESOL wanted to be a teacher more than someone who had studied something else. Even though I know that many people get into this only for the short-term, and I myself was not set on becoming a life-long EFLer in the beginning, I personally would rather hire someone who was truly interested in teaching, and was not doing it to experience a new culture, learn a new language, grow personally, etc. (Yeah, all of those things are bonuses, but how do they help the students?) If someone spent the time and money on getting trained and qualified in TESOL, as opposed to other fields, I would feel fairly confident that he/she would take the job seriously. I do NOT mean to say that other people would not take the job seriously; this isn't an either/or situation. The candidate without the TESOL background would have to work harder to prove his or her dedication in the interview, though.

I am really struggling not to sound elitist, and I hope that is not how this has come across. I am a very academically-oriented teacher--I prefer academic settings to conversation schools, so the requirements that I had to have, and would ask of other teachers, are a bit different.

d

[mesmerod]

i certainly hope this forum is not a true indication of what the EFL world is like...because i would hate to encounter a work environment where 50% of my coworkers are pompous, inconsiderate, uptight cynics.

in a world where so many people want to learn english and desperately need native speakers to teach, how can anyone expect the highest of "formal" qualifications from each individual? the fact that people WANT TO TRY this, for whatever personal reasons, is in itself encouraging for folks who have not wanted to be teachers their entire life.

and how can anyone say that learning foreign languages is not helpful when teaching? are you serious?? this helps enormously! you have insight into what your students are thinking and experiencing because you have already been in that situation! if i were teaching EFL courses i can not imagine that my own experiences learning a foreign language have absolutely no value.

[lajzar]

[mesmerod]

it's not the language itself that should be considered relavent or irrelevant....it's understanding how one's mind works when LEARNING the new language. it's recalling your own thoughts/concerns/fears when you ,yourself, were learning a new language just as your current students are. ...being able to easily put yourself in their place because you have actual experience as a student of a foreign language.

of course i wouldnt suggest any employer hire someone just for showing up on the doorstep. but to say it is IMPOSSIBLE is entirely false as i'm sure you all know someone or at least know OF someone who got employment this way. you might as well be truthful and admit the chances are quite high in the right country.

personally, i would like to get a certification because when i do something i want to do it right. but does this also mean i need an MA? my opinion is that the EFL industry is generally more abstract .....an MA would be good for something more structured and detail-oriented.