Job Discussion Forums

[jezebel]

Despite my 'better" (?) career-oriented judgment, I'm really intrigued by the idea of teaching english in Asia. i love the idea of finally living in a different culture, getting some real hands-on teaching experience, and everything else that comes with teaching ESL.

In a career sense, I'm really into science and epidemiology.. and I'm getting old enough that i feel like i should start to build a "real" career in that area. but part of me thinks that a tefl job in chinese asia would be really interesting just in the sense that that's where all the coming epidemics are going to come out of.

i like to put too much meaning into everything in life, but am i setting myself up to be frustrated with being in asia instead of on some career track? can tefl open your eyes into new career directions even when you already have an inkling of what you want to do?

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Dear jezebel:

With the right qualifications and a healthy dose of positive thinking, you might be able to have your cake and eat it too.

Meaning - you might be able to use TEFL as a stepping stone into a medical university or research centre that deals with the kinds of issues you're interested in for the long-term. The doctors and scientists in these places are generally in need of English training, so there's definitely a market for your skills within the scientific field. These people often have to give oral presentations in English, and they also publish lots of studies & journals; all of which require a native TEFL teacher to help with proofing & editing.

While I was teaching English in Tokyo, for example, I spent a lot of time teaching in Tsukuba, a major hub of medical & scientific research for the whole country. http://www.info-tsukuba.org/english/

Just an idea!

[merlin]

A few negative-sounding observations and then a more positive conclusion:

[jezebel]

hey kent..

I like where your idea is heading.. I've looked into teaching "english for medical purposes", but it seems to be focused on clinical vocabulary. But I'm interested in hearing more about what you've done at Tsukuba. Did you go to Japan under a standard ESL scheme and then transition into the more scientific realm? What advice would you have for someone interested in pursuing a similar path?

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi jezebel:

Actually I stumbled into Japan. I was planning to teach in China but was diverted at the Manila airport by a strong typhoon over Hong Kong which cancelled my flight to Shanghai.

But that's a very long story for another day.

Advice? I'd try applying directly at the universities that offer courses in Epidemiology (if you have the right qualifications?)

If not, there are several language schools in Tsuchiura, a medium sized city which borders Tsukuba. All the big boys are there: NOVA, GEOS, AEON, and a smaller chain called Promesa, the school I taught for. Yes - it was through my position @ Promesa that I met and taught many doctors and scientists who were based in Tsukuba.

fyi - Promesa's head office is located in Kashiwa City; they have branches in Tsuchiura & Toride as well.

You may end up having to work your way into that niche, but where there's a will (and some specialised knowledge) there's definitely a way! By setting yourself up at a language school in Tsuchiura, you could make ends meet, and slowly develop the personal contacts that would lead you to a full-time gig in Tsukuba at one of the research centres.





PS: Here's some background info on Tsuchiura City:

http://www.city.tsuchiura.ibaraki.jp/english/index.htm

and a link to Promesa's homepage (in Japanese only, I'm afraid!)

http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~promesa/tokucyou.html

[Zero Hero]

Why would anyone want instruction at the hands of someone without training or qualifications in that area, and what makes you think anyone would be willing to pay for such 'instruction'?

[merlin]

[Teacher in Rome]

Just to add to Merlin's post, I'd also like to say that very often, experts in a particular area already know the technical vocabulary. What they need help with is general, day-to-day English. I've helped a few medical professionals (experts in their fields) to present research findings and so on in non-technical English. You'd be surprised how many scientists are unfamiliar with basic signposting language, for example.

[jezebel]

Thanks for the input.

It's true, scientists do tend to know the technical language, but this doesn't mean they can communicate their ideas well. There's a lot of medical research conducted in Japan, the most significant of which is published in english journals. While a nuclear physicist may know the terms "atom" or "electron" or whatever, I think any visitor to Japan could easily agree that a knowledge of vocabulary does not always help in conveying a message. I've worked in Canada with foreign postdoctoral fellows who are working on their english skills, and being able to communicate scientific ideas is really the area they are most interested in - because they will be able to discuss their research with labmates or get more out of conventions.

It would definitely be interesting if there is a market for english tutors in Asia who have some scientific knowledge, who are capable of understanding the basics of what a scientist is talking about, and who know what sort of questions to ask. Of course, I'm by no means against the idea of teaching english to the general population, but at some point, I have to feel like my science education is useful for something!

Kent - I may have more questions for you in the future, after I look into this some more. Would you mind? Thanks for the info you've already given..

[merlin]

whenever I get a new ESP student or class I usually spend a good 2 weeks at least researching the topic to get a basic familiarization with it, all the time trying to imagine what kinds of issues people in that field deal with.

So, yes Jezebel, if you already know a particular field it makes you ahead of the game and you just have to think about which questions to ask.

[merlin]

whenever I get a new ESP student or class I usually spend a good 2 weeks at least researching the topic to get a basic familiarization with it, all the time trying to imagine what kinds of issues people in that field deal with.

So, yes Jezebel, if you already know a particular field it makes you ahead of the game and you just have to think about which questions to ask.