Job Discussion Forums

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I can't remember, it was so long ago.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/teaching/story/0,,1877974,00.html

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Me too actually, it turned out to be 20 months.

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

Actually, I was smugly referring to the fact that my first year was a leap year.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

You're too quick for me Baba.

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

djidji · Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 19 Location: ist.tr

was fun and stress...
... had to cope without a DoS or anybody else experienced around,
but later on i caught up with lots of teacher-training workshops Razz

so i don't know about the longest but definitely it was the loneliest

Golightly · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:23 pm Post subject:

all I can say is what a lazy b.ollocks piece of research - 8 respondents, 6 of whom work in the UK. Hardly representative. It doesn't just get my goat to see pseudo-scientific reportage like this, it actively rustles my herd of antelope. Evil or Very Mad

bigbadsuzie · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:43 am Post subject:

The first year was long and lonely ,although I felt that the training I recieved before coming here was adequate in no way did it prepare me for the reality of the classroom.I suspect the same can be said for the U.K but when your first teaching job is in a different country and culture the problems you encounter in the classroom as well as outside start to escalate .
My biggest overall disappointment relates to my fellow workers esp the xpats .Basically a bunch of self serving dysfuncational social misfits who use every new face to make themselves look better than they actually are .That made the 2nd and subsequent years harder and longer still .Thankfully I have distanced myself from those kind of people and feel a lot more foscused and optomistic about the future .The first year was tough but we were all younger ,naive,idealistic and able to take the knocks .I would not like to start again with the current situation .

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

My first year was probably the most fun. Of course, Istanbul was shiny and new and I couldn't get enogh of that, plus I had a really good group of co-workers and two really helpful and sweet roommates. At the same time, I was shiny and new to teaching, and hadn't developed all the peevishness I have now about Turkish students, so teaching wasn't as predictable.

I'd say my second class was the longest class ever. I somehow failed to notice that it was 4 hours, and so had planned for a 2 hour lesson. Having never used Headway before, and it being the second class I'd taught here in my life I hadn't memorized Headway and I didn't yet know how to wing it. That class seemed to last about 3 days.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

thrifty · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 1665 Location: chip van

Amen to that. I remember going to a job fair during my final year and it was bleak. The only thing I got out of it was a t-shirt from Northern Telecom who were not looking for social science graduates.

Golightly · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:19 pm Post subject:

Yep, Same with me. In the early nineties, I was doing telsales, selling car number plates for the DVLA - you know, stuff like A1 NOB. TEFL and Turkey saved my sanity. Kind of.

bigbadsuzie · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:14 pm Post subject:

Thanks guys,thought I was the only one who's been through the mill and out the other side,I really don't envy the newbies these days , still try to pass on the wisdom of my experience though,usually get it thrown back at me one way or another .

djidji · Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 19 Location: ist.tr

so if u could go back to those days what job you would(not) have taken Question