Job Discussion Forums

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I somehow think this is a silly, backwards questions. Shouldn't it be "Why not be an ESL teacher?" (when it really means EFL teacher)? Because basically the question as it stands can be boiled down to one very simple answer: "That's what we want to do (more than anything else that we can get ourselves into and make a living at right now)". Exactly the same as EVERY OTHER PERSON ON THE PLANET! I realize that threads like these are often made by people in a low point on the culture fatigue cycle, and they are looking to reaffirm their decisions, but the best way to do that is to go back to why you went into it in the first place. Not why OTHER people went into it.

If it's only about money, then obviously being an EFL teacher isn't a smart thing to do. But then, neither is going to university if you major in something in the arts (English, history, etc). Because if you look at careers listed for people with English degrees you'll very quickly see that WE'RE DOING ONE RIGHT NOW. You're far, far better off putting those book smarts to use doing a more applied program either in university (business degree, computer programming etc) or college / apprenticeship (master plumber etc).

[BELS]

OK, I'm going to simplify TEFL.

We either did it because we wanted to travel, the first option caused because our Merchant Navy was destroyed, after Merchant Navy it was TEFL. In other words the second option to travel was TEFL, of which they provided less offers than what the now dead Merchant Navy offered.

And then there are people like me, who decided to live and marry a Russian, with a family. And my only option was to teach English, and I learned to enjoy it, and if you do it yourself, it can be financially rewarding.

,But if you work for someone else, you will be ripped off. After all, it's you who is the star, nobody else