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MdSmith
Joined: 15 Nov 2012
Posts: 67
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 Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:55 am Post subject: Considering a return to efl teaching |
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Hello all.
I left a tefl job abroad about 8 years ago and now have a job (not in tefl) that can be considered fairly prestigious by society (fancy title etc.) although I�m busy and exhausted most of the time and feel a relative lack of freedom and social contact. I often long for the more carefree lifestyle that being an efl teacher provides (and I think it�s a great job btw, the interesting lessons, meeting people, minimal admin, anonymity, uncompetitive workplace, flexibility to drift as and when between contracts, etc.), however I�m a bit older now and feel that society might frown upon such a decision (yes I know I shouldn�t care what society thinks but I do at least on a subconscious level).
How do others feel, particularly those at least middle-aged teachers (35+), do you feel any social stigma (perhaps others who might have quit jobs that were more �prestigious�?)? Does it bother you? Or maybe you don�t care and just get on with it? Or do you anyway in the long-run find yourself looking for the more prestigious (although more demanding) jobs in efl (e.g. in universities etc..) and potentially back to square one?
I�m just testing the waters here, I�m considering quitting my �prestigious� (but pain in the butt) job and would like a more balanced lifestyle but social pressures/ego/masculine identity and fancy job title etc. weigh heavily and are factors that are 'clouding' my judgement.
Cheers. |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 9:39 am Post subject: |
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Well, first off, it doesn't have to be a two-choice solution. It isn't just a choice between TEFL and what you're doing now.
Plenty of jobs / working arrangements offer flexibility with prestige on top (see the recent HBR article "The rise of the super temp") for example.
I think a good way to think about your situation is to work out what you want from your life (and you've already made a start in identifying what's important) then work out what you can offer - skills, experience etc. Then you need to do a bit - a lot - of research to find out what's out there, what you'd need to have to be considered. Talk to people in your target jobs, or target companies. Read up on the subject, find out what the job's really like.
A couple of really good books that can help you discover your strengths, interests and values are Richard Bolles (What Color is Your Parachute) and John Lees (How to get a job you'll love). They're both excellent for career changers. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 11:27 am Post subject: Re: Considering a return to efl teaching |
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| MdSmith wrote: |
Hello all.
I left a tefl job abroad about 8 years ago and now have a job (not in tefl) that can be considered fairly prestigious by society (fancy title etc.) although I�m busy and exhausted most of the time and feel a relative lack of freedom and social contact. |
| Quote: |
| How do others feel, particularly those at least middle-aged teachers (35+), do you feel any social stigma (perhaps others who might have quit jobs that were more �prestigious�?)? Does it bother you? Or maybe you don�t care and just get on with it? Or do you anyway in the long-run find yourself looking for the more prestigious (although more demanding) jobs in efl (e.g. in universities etc..) and potentially back to square one? |
These more prestigious positions in EFL do not have "minimal admin", "uncompetitive workplaces", or (if you publish regularly- something that these positions may require) "anonymity". They may or may not have "interesting lessons". I would say that the majority of people in the higher profile positions are in their thirties or above. That doesn't mean that there are none in the language school area (some actually own or manage the language school- not sure if that's a prestigious position in your way of thinking or not). But if someone has decided to stay in a single country for the long haul, then they may end up moving between 'prestigious position' and language school and back depending on the way hiring goes. You have to tell yourself that so long as it's in language teaching, then it will improve you as a teacher.
"Prestigious positions" in EFL is a bit problematic. I think it may vary on where someone is located, but a lot of the time, people in EFL (but not ESL) equate prestige with salary. And at least some of the jobs in EFL with high salaries have high salaries (even compared to other jobs in the same category- comparing different university positions, or comparing different private high school direct hire positions) simply because it would be impossible to keep people without the high salary (often because of workplace culture). For people in ESL, prestige comes from no longer teaching ESL, but rather teaching TESL (being a teacher trainer). That means getting a PhD. Teaching university level ESL is, of course, still more prestigious then teaching in a private language school (but very often not exactly stable for the long-term).
| Quote: |
| I often long for the more carefree lifestyle that being an efl teacher provides |
And if you are unlucky enough to have the kind of position I just described, then you may find yourself longing for the days when you stocked shelves at some big boxstore or grocery store because it didn't feel like you were being harassed from the time you arrived until the time you left, and pressured to come in earlier and stay later each day (meaning that the social contact and freedom that you are longing for may just not be there).
| Quote: |
I�m just testing the waters here, I�m considering quitting my �prestigious� (but pain in the butt) job and would like a more balanced lifestyle but social pressures/ego/masculine identity and fancy job title etc. weigh heavily and are factors that are 'clouding' my judgement. |
A rolling stone gathers no moss. If you want to work in TEFL, then go for it. But don't be surprised when you discover in a year or less that you want to move up the TEFL ladder or go back to something else. If you want to climb the TEFL ladder, then you will need to work at getting higher profile positions (the ones I described earlier) and qualifications (an MA TESOL or Applied Linguistics, and probably publications).
Can you leave your current prestigious position and return to that work area later? If you work outside of education now, can you see yourself teaching in a kindergarten to senior high (k12) system in your home country? If you can, have you thought about doing a teacher qualification certificate and doing that instead of returning overseas? If you can't see yourself doing that, then you may want to ask yourself why you want to get back into TEFL, which is an education area (especially when it is approached as a career instead of a break). If you are more set on teaching university level, then that masters degree will be the minimum, and the way things are going in at least some countries, then a PhD may be something you will want or need. Or else maybe a second masters degree in another area (like an MBA plus an MA TESOL to teach business English at a university, even though you are just going through a "business English" textbook and your MBA wasn't in marketing communications anyway so the only part that is really very useful is the jargon for that area {like if your MBA is in Human Resources instead of marketing / communications}).
If you google "EFL teacher loser" then you can find articles that point out that most EFL teachers who are 35+ are male (an age you referred to as middle aged, although the JET program- a program for youth- has an age cut-off of 40. Either way, I'm older than both of those now). But if you look at ESL teachers, most are female. I started in ESL, and heard more than once that 'all males who want to teach English language are just in it to get an exotic wife'. Not true, but it's a common assumption and it makes it difficult for males to get hired as ESL teachers (although many areas decry the lack of males primary/ junior teachers and even make it easier to get into a B.Ed program for males who want to teach at that level, it's also often extremely difficult for males to get hired full time teaching that level because of the unspoken "there must be something wrong with him"). It isn't uncommon for males who trained as ESL teachers or elementary school teachers to go overseas to teach. And that means more and more who are 35+.
I'm not going to tell you what to do. It isn't uncommon for people to leave a work area and start in TEFL. Or to return to TEFL. You can look at it as a break. You can look at it as starting out in education. You can use it to get into a teacher qualification in your home country and teach there. You can use it to get into a masters in TESOL and then teach it at universities or other higher profile positions. You can use it to get into EFL publishing, but would probably need to get some sort of publishing qualification (and publishing, by and large, doesn't pay as well as TEFL, unless you're one of the head honchos).
I think about the only age-related generalization I could make is that people who are 35+ teaching EFL who have been doing it for a while are going to be career educators or working in a closely related area (management at a dispatch company, or maybe in educational publishing). Maybe they'll go back to the country where they grew up and become k12 teachers. Or maybe they will teach overseas, but probably will have chosen a single country to teach in as opposed to going from country to country starting over each time (and that means normally that they are going for the higher profile positions). People 35+ who begin teaching EFL usually seem to research it more thoroughly beforehand and take it more seriously once they are here (don't forget, though, that if you decide to come back and teach EFL at a language school with a bunch of 24year old recent university grads, that the care-free lifestyle will very likely not include hanging out with those particular co-workers). |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:11 pm Post subject: Re: Considering a return to efl teaching |
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| MdSmith wrote: |
| I�m just testing the waters here, I�m considering quitting my �prestigious� (but pain in the butt) job and would like a more balanced lifestyle but social pressures/ego/masculine identity and fancy job title etc. weigh heavily and are factors that are 'clouding' my judgement. |
In another thread, you mentioned that you prefer to continue teaching environmental science, your PhD focus. It seems like you need a change in scenery. If that's the case, you might consider teaching in the exotic UAE, where your "Dr." will get you a very good salary and benefits as well as prestige. In fact, one of the top unis in Dubai is currently seeking PhD holders in your field.
For academic and non-academic opportunities in the Gulf, try the following links:
Bayt
CareerJet
HigherEdJobs
The Chronicle
GulfTalent
(Oh, by the way, 35 is not even close to being middle aged!  ) |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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Much of Gambatebingbangboom's post seems to me to be geographically specific.
For example:
| Quote: |
| For people in ESL, prestige comes from no longer teaching ESL, but rather teaching TESL (being a teacher trainer). That means getting a PhD. Teaching university level ESL is, of course, still more prestigious then teaching in a private language school (but very often not exactly stable for the long-term). |
Teacher trainer in Europe and North America is often done with a DELTA, which is a more practically-based qualification than some MAs. Have NEVER heard of a PhD being required to train teachers.
| Quote: |
| If you google "EFL teacher loser" then you can find articles that point out that most EFL teachers who are 35+ are male (an age you referred to as middle aged, although the JET program- a program for youth- has an age cut-off of 40. Either way, I'm older than both of those now). But if you look at ESL teachers, most are female. |
What??
I do, however, agree with this bit, and I think it's worth repeating:
| Quote: |
| I think about the only age-related generalization I could make is that people who are 35+ teaching EFL who have been doing it for a while are going to be career educators or working in a closely related area (management at a dispatch company, or maybe in educational publishing). Maybe they'll go back to the country where they grew up and become k12 teachers. Or maybe they will teach overseas, but probably will have chosen a single country to teach in as opposed to going from country to country starting over each time (and that means normally that they are going for the higher profile positions). People 35+ who begin teaching EFL usually seem to research it more thoroughly beforehand and take it more seriously once they are here |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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Dear MdSmith
Come to Russia! Why worry about what so-called society in the decadent West thinks of your decision to be an educator? Let them frown. You have already proven that you can run the rat-race, so why stay in it if you know you are really fulfilled by it? Come to Russia and teach! Live the dream that the frowners back home are too scared to try. You've tefled before, so far less risk for you. Do all the things mentioned in previous posts: find a beautiful wife, travel to weird and wonderful places in the Motherland - be a space tourist! Live life in true freedom!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITZnwwOum1g
Best of luck!
Sasha |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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DebMer
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Posts: 232
Location: Southern California
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| Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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If you can change careers to better enjoy your life, you should do it!
Someone mentioned a possible segue into K12 education. If your idea is to reduce stress, I don't recommend this at all, unless you create a special teaching environment in which you have the freedom to teach in a way that is meaningful to students who are interested in learning. Public schools are a high-pressure rat race. Look up stress-related health problems common to teachers. |
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Hod
Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home
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| Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:07 am Post subject: |
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It all depends what the prestigious job title is.
I did TEFL for five years before returning to engineering albeit in Germany. Seven years later, I returned to the UK to do more engineering, but I really love living here, as does my wife. People who have visited where I live now are all jealous and want to live here too, and that includes my parents.
The above is probably 90% irrelevant to this thread, although I seriously wonder about the people who cannot �adapt� again to their own homelands. If they can�t/couldn�t make a go of it at home, why do they genuinely think they fare any better abroad, and on what criteria is this based? I was much in demand, for example, as a British Council teacher in Malaysia and Morocco, which was partly due to personality and making an effort but mainly due to me being a fair-haired Caucasian.
Basically, I returned to engineering as it gave me the financial freedom to control my life. My profession is a wide field, and I too could have chosen a prestigious and exhausting job. However, that�s not my style, and others can feel free to have the heart attacks; I�m mature and experienced enough to deflect their unrealistic demands and timescales. I�d also like to retire at 60, which despite being twenty years away will be no mean feat in these wayward times. If I returned to TEFL now, retirement at any age wouldn�t even be a realistic option.
I wouldn�t mind a further spell at TEFLing in my fifties or sixties in Spain, and barring a major medical or financial mishap this would easily be an option, but to spend my optimum earning years now earning a pittance will only lead to future hardship.
I don�t know or care about social stigma, but you can change your prestigious job to make it less stressful without returning to TEFL after an eight year break. |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 3:38 am Post subject: Re: Considering a return to efl teaching |
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| MdSmith wrote: |
| I often long for the more carefree lifestyle that being an efl teacher provides (and I think it�s a great job btw, the interesting lessons, meeting people, minimal admin, anonymity, uncompetitive workplace, flexibility to drift as and when between contracts, etc.), however I�m a bit older now and feel that society might frown upon such a decision (yes I know I shouldn�t care what society thinks but I do at least on a subconscious level). |
Personally I couldn't give a monkey's what "society" thinks. And of course, once you're back working for a school in small town Thailand or Korea (or wherever), that society you refer to effectively no longer exists.
I suspect that the real pain may be (as Hod implies) taking a severe financial haircut. Certainly that is one of the main reasons why I can't return to the TEFL fold for a while yet - I need my current salary to pay the bills for a few more years, and although my salary isn't really that big in relative terms, I know I won't be able to make as much doing TEFL.
To my mind though TEFL is not a particularly interesting job (quite the opposite, IMO!) - it's the extras that make it interesting - the people you meet, the places you go and yes, perhaps the anonymity you mention. If the money side of things isn't that important I don't see what's to stop you making a comeback. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Much of Gambatebingbangboom's post seems to me to be geographically specific.
For example:
| Quote: |
| For people in ESL, prestige comes from no longer teaching ESL, but rather teaching TESL (being a teacher trainer). That means getting a PhD. Teaching university level ESL is, of course, still more prestigious then teaching in a private language school (but very often not exactly stable for the long-term). |
Teacher trainer in Europe and North America is often done with a DELTA, which is a more practically-based qualification than some MAs. Have NEVER heard of a PhD being required to train teachers. |
I meant people teaching MA TESOL courses. Never even seen a request for a DELTA in Ontario, Canada. You need a masters to teach ESL in a university. You need a PhD to teach a course in the masters. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: |
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| I meant people teaching MA TESOL courses. Never even seen a request for a DELTA in Ontario, Canada. You need a masters to teach ESL in a university. You need a PhD to teach a course in the masters. |
Ah, I see. The term 'teacher trainer' is most often used to refer to trainers on CELTA and other entry-level courses. These often prefer the DELTA. Also true in Ontario; CELTA trainers in Toronto have a range of quals, including DELTA.
It's not strictly true that one needs a PhD to teach on MA courses, either, though for someone trying to break into the field, it's certainly desirable. I personally know at least 5 or 6 people who teach on MA TESOL programms with decent universities who have only MA + experience + publications. I myself was a tutor on an MA program pre-PhD. |
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MdSmith
Joined: 15 Nov 2012
Posts: 67
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| Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:33 am Post subject: |
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Thank you all for your helpful responses, it helps me to think about things. Yes my apologies perhaps I should have mentioned I already have a doctorate and currently work in a uni. I am aware that I could earn decent money in an oil-rich country (perhaps 35k tax free with housing+flights etc) but I think I will have similar issues: lots of teaching and admin & an expectation to do research on top of that (= burnout).
However, I also gather that there are jobs that offer similar money doing tefl in the Middle East (?) where you just do your teaching hours, minimal admin and no expectations for research. Whilst ideally I would prefer to use my env sci knowledge this would be trumped by fewer working hours and preservation of my sanity. I really like the idea of being a �supertemp� but unfortunately don�t see any opportunities in env sci.
I probably just need a break from it all. Several years back I took a career break after my PhD (and did tefl in Europe) and then did some postdoc project work for a few years. The postdoc project work was pretty good as it was focused but as a lecturer/professor the workload seems infinite.
If I did take an extended break it would be quite hard to get back into academia though. When applying for jobs the applicant's publication record over the past five years is usually the major factor taken into consideration.
I liked the �rolling stone..� proverb btw, very true, I could probably happily change location every 6 months or so  |
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artemisia
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 875
Location: the world
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| Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:37 am Post subject: Re: Considering a return to efl teaching |
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| MdSmith wrote: |
| ..would like a more balanced lifestyle but social pressures/ego/masculine identity and fancy job title etc. weigh heavily and are factors that are 'clouding' my judgement. |
Any possibilities of job sharing? It might end up being more of a pain unless things are clearly divided, plus your uni may be less than keen on paying out for double benefits, etc. I suppose a second position could have different work conditions attached to it (fixed-term perhaps). As a part-time lecturer/prof, would the demands of researching and publishing be the same? Even if that's possible, in the long term, the issue would be whether you�d be able to stay in your position permanently because a lack of research publications would presumably limit your job options in the same field elsewhere.
Do you have to stay in academia? I�m not clear on all the options for environmental science but there must be many in industry and govt. depts. (research & development, I suppose). There might ways of moving sideways that don�t involve abandoning the whole field for something entirely different. I�m not suggesting you shouldn�t do that, but maybe you could check out employment agencies representing people in your field? You might find you have a renewed interest in whatever made you choose this area in the first place.
In the meantime, can you take unpaid leave and just have a break as you�ve said you need? I�d suggest doing this first and foremost. You�ve invested a lot in your current career and it doesn�t sound as though it�ll be easy to return to. Time away from it for a break and to check other options may be the deciding factor. |
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MdSmith
Joined: 15 Nov 2012
Posts: 67
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| Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:08 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, Artemisia, for your suggestions. My current uni uses the rules and regulations set in place when it was formed somtime in the 1950s. So nothing as radical as job sharing, taking unpaid leave etc happens here, well I've never heard of it. The paperwork involved just to get the basics done is hard enough.
I've thought about moving sideways into industry and govt, I think project work would suit me better, but in reality it doesn't seem you end up doing anything that helps the environment. I have geological skills but the oil and mining industries damage the environment on the most part. There is environmental consultancy work but when working for companies you are paid by the developer and are thus compromised to some extent.
I've been having these negative feelings about my job etc for a few years now and have been doing a lot of research into alternatives and still haven't come up with a plan other than sack the whole thing off, sell my stuff and go wandering for a while. I could apply now and maybe get a job as an ass prof at a uni in the Middle East but they would want me to start in August/Sept. After giving my leave here and finishing the term off I would have little or no time to do some walkabout, something to clear the head. My current 28 days annual leave gives me headache as I just end up visiting family I haven't seen for one year (I would feel guilty not doing so) and becomes an emotional drain.
Sorry to be so negative and thanks again for the comments and suggestions.
Last edited by MdSmith on Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:11 am; edited 1 time in total |
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