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Guest

I have only been in China "teaching English" for the past 12 months and I have just returned to my School today to start the second year.

Unlike most of the posters on Daves, I arrived here 12 months ago with No Degree, No certificate and no experience. I also had age against me. Some of the posters on Daves told me to "stay home" but I am glad I did not as I have found my niche.

I am now 57 - Australian - and I would be happy to tell anyone the pros and cons of living and working in China, if they would like some information. If you PM me and let me have your email address, I will reply as quickly as possible.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Welcome back Rhonda

xeroravi · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Montreal, Canada

I'm curious to know if someone as young as 17 years of age is able to teach ESL in China? My guess is probably not, especially without the required training and more importantantly, without the required experience. And I'm guessing most people wouldn't hire us for lack of maturity or understanding.

But still, I'm curious to know how young one could be to be able to teach, and how would the employers treat us?

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:57 am Post subject:

What training, and more "importantantly, experience, do you think is required for China, then?

Officially, at least, work visas can not be so much as even applied for till the candidate is of at least 18 years of age.

Guest · Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:27 pm Post subject:

I personally think that 17 is a bit too young to do this kind of work.

We have one new teacher here at our School this Semester who is 21 and straight from College in the U.S. He is very nice but I joke that he should be sitting behind a desk and not standing in front of the class.

Obviously he is better educated than I am, but he is not much older than the children he is teaching (Senior 1) and I question if they will take him seriously. What am I saying? None of us are taken seriously!

I would think that emotionally, 21 would be about the minimum age to attempt this kind of work, although I do concede that some people are much more mature than other at this age.

atomic_donut · Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 34 Location: Melbourne

Rhonda, in China, I thought that the older a person is, the more respect they get from their students, regardless of educational levels attained. That's the impression I got when I was working there 3-4 years ago, as I was working with a guy in his 50s, and I had just graduated from my undergraduate degree (at age 27 mind you). He had an enormous amount of respect from his students, and while he didn't have a degree in education, nor a TEFL or TESL certificate, he had taught in Thailand previously.

Guest · Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:19 pm Post subject:

Yes Atomic Donut, that does seem to be the case - age does seem to command more respect here than it does in Australia for instance. I know that hardly seems fair to the younger people who have studied long and hard and obtained Degrees and Tesl Certificates etc., but it is a fact.

I am treated very well here at the School even though I am not and probably never will be a good teacher. I do try and plan my lessons and give it my best shot, but there is a vast difference here in being 57 than there is in Australia where you are on the scrap heap by the time you turn 50 or even earlier.

I had the same job for 25 years prior to coming to China, but it did not command the same respect from my Employer than my work here does.
Go figure!

atomic_donut · Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 34 Location: Melbourne

Hi Rhonda,

Well, perhaps Australian workers can take a good look at how older workers should be treated, based on what you are currently doing in China.

Then again, someone who obtains a CELTA or TESOL is not given the right to be labelled a 'teacher' based on how well they did; it means they have completed the necessary requirements to practise their trade. Becoming a great teacher happens through time and the ability to learn and relate with the people you are teaching,and develop a rapport. All the qualifications in the world are useless unless they are positively utilised and moulded to suit the classroom and its participants accordingly. I used to scowl at any guy I saw in Thailand bragging how great a teacher they are (e.g. "grammar teachers"), yet they use terms like "youse" to describe you in a plural sense, and use other terms like "c'arn" andclaim them to be liegitimate English. That's overflowing beer bar talk.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

atomic_donut · Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 34 Location: Melbourne

Roger,

I have just shown up my relative inexperience, something that over time, I will learn from. You are right - I will never have anything ahead of many teachers, but my point was that taking habits like "youse" into the classroom and actually passing it off as correct English to students unfaimilar with the language, or in the throngs of learning, is hardly what can be deemed good practice. I expressed myself badly in saying my viewpoint.