Job Discussion Forums

[Mark-O]

Here's a question to sort the TEFL Teacher 'wheat' from the 'chaff':

Would you have pursued a career in the TEFL field if it was stipulated from the outset that you would have to teach (and remain) solely in your homeland?

This very same question occurred to me whilst pondering my motives for moving into the field. I have to be honest at this point and say that the prospect of moving and living in another country/countries thousands of miles from here holds a large attraction for me. So much so, that I'm not sure whether I would go into TEFL (but I would however teach) at all if it wasn't for this aspect of the job.

How much importance do you place on the location of your job? Would it be the deciding factor for moving in/out of the field?

I'm interested to see how other people will respond - be honest!

[PatS]

As a teacher with 16 years experience, the major motivation I have for TEFL is living in a different culture, learning to see life from a new perspective, and hopfully becoming fairly fluent in one or more new languages.

My husband and I make a comfortable living doing what we do, and I have a guaranteed job/good income/health benefits, and would have an excellent pension if I remained here and continued teaching.

To be honest, I'm tired of the rat race, tired of our hyper-consumerism, and tired of our culture's selfish egotism. Am I crazy to hope that living in a developing country for at least a couple of years might help me achieve some balance? Having spent a few months bumming around South America in my youth, I also realize that I am ridiculously fortunate to have been born into this time and place. America IS a wonderful country in so many, many ways; but I'm ready for a "trial separation" to see if there's a more authentic life for us out there.

Selfish? Yes, perhaps. But I'm lucky enough to have a skill that someone else wants to exploit. I hope all involved are satisfied with the outcome. =)

[dmb]

I entered efl because I wanted to travel. However I didn't really travel very far. I got stuck because I liked the profession. would I do do the same job in the UK? Probably not. But I have never done it.

[Capergirl]

I decided to go to Korea in 1997 for two reasons. (1) I wanted to see if I liked teaching. (2) I wanted to experience life in another country. I didn't want to travel in the touristy sense, but actually become entrenched in another culture. I thought it would be a wild experience (and it was - more than I even bargained for. )

A couple of years ago, I was job hunting back in good old Canada. With a then-2-year-old in tow, I wasn't prepared to tackle any overseas countries at that time. As luck would have it, an ad for ESL instructors appeared in the newspaper out of the blue. I applied, interviewed for the position, and the rest, as they say, is history. I'd love to teach in other countries again in the future, but I have to admit that I have a pretty great job here and won't be walking away from it any time soon.

[khmerhit]

I went into EFL because I thought I might write a book. I have finished the book, and in the summer I'm going to Scotland to stay in a castle for a month and polish up the manuscript. Perhaps I will start another book while I am there. In the meantime, if i could only get through this astronomy course.......oh, and lose fifty pounds. That's all i ask!
kh

[rj]

Well, I'm still only in the planning phase, but I know that if it weren't for the travel, this isn't something I would have considered. There are plenty of jobs in the nursing field and the pay is better than I could hope to make working the same hours teaching in another country. I'm not planning to do this for lack of a job in the U.S. As others have mentioned, I want to see what else is out there. I think living and working in a foreign land will give me a much better perspective than spending a few weeks as a tourist.

[denise]

Initially, probably not. I was lured in by an ad for a TEFL course that glamourized the travel aspect of the job.

Now, however, I'd love to ultimately head back to the States to teach ESL--now that I know I enjoy teaching.

d

[FGT]

No. I fell into the TEFL field by accident (the only useful thing I learnt on a B.Ed course was that I DIDN'T want to teach). I joined this profession as a means to an end: I wanted to live in Turkey, needed a job, couldn't be a bookshop manager here (as I had been), tried tourism but that's only seasonal etc. Did a one-week TEFL course (enough to make me think I might enjoy it), did CELTA (which I enjoyed and got a B which was quite satisfying).
Now I've been here and teaching EFL for 11 years. I like living in Turkey (as I expected) and relish teaching (much to my surprise). I also believe that I'm good at it, another surprise!
This would never have happened in the UK. I had a good career, salary, pension scheme etc. Why would I have changed? (I also enjoyed bookselling and still miss that to an extent, but that's another story).

[Will.]

It was not part of my plan to travel.
I did.

[ls650]

[Gordon]

I never would have gone into this field if it hadn't been for the lure to go overseas. Like Capergirl and many others, I went to Korea to have an adventure and see if I liked it. I guess I did because it's lasted 9 years.

[Shaman]

I got into this field as a result of a long distance romance. It initially was a means to an end to work in Holland - I didn't speak the language yet. The romance ended before the means could be justified and I soon found myself in Ireland, Canada, Korea, Japan, back to Canada, Paris, and now back in Canada (encore un fois).

My reasons for returning here are personal and could change if the right situation presents itself.

My question:

What criteria delineates the wheat from the chaff?

Shaman

[Joachim]

I would never have considered this career if it wasn't for the travel opportunities.

What kind of person chooses to stay in their home country to teach ESL??

[Aramas]

Absolutely not. If I were to teach in the Fatherland it would be one-on-one maths and physics tutoring. Teaching classes is an exercise in democracy, since the class moves at the speed of the herd and the advanced and backward students are SOL.

Working with a single agile mind is far more rewarding, and it's something that I happen to be good at. I consider maths to be a language, and the most difficult one at that.

[James_T_Kirk]