Job Discussion Forums

Mozilla · Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Posts: 90

I am currently HATING the ESL teaching thing. Was wondering if any of you fine people had advice on what ELSE I can do to make money while I am staying in Taiwan?

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

What about writing a children's book. I did it when I was living in Korea. You will need contacts for this of course.

Another option is proofreading, voice recording for books, modelling, or anything you'd normally do back home.

Why did you go to Taiwan in the first place?

Okami · Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 121 Location: Sunny Sanxia

I would reconsider. Having worked outside of teaching and taught, I would take teaching for the hours, money and work anyday of the week.

The problem may be with the job you have now. What exactly are the issues you are dealing with? Maybe you can either work on them or change jobs.

I have a friend who wanted to get out of teaching, speaks fluent Chinese, raised in Taiwan, and knows where everything is at. He could find nothing that could even come close to teaching. It was a matter of low pay, lots of hours or more commonly both.

Do what you have to do.

CYA
Okami

Mozilla · Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Posts: 90

Thanks for the replies.

I really HATE working at night. It wouldn't be so bad if I finished work at 5pm instead of 9pm. Also the kids can be so frustrating at times, and sometimes it doesn't seem worth all the trouble. </whine>

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Sounds familiar.

I have taught for seven years and I thought I would hang up my teaching shoes this year, earn an MBA and become an international businessman.

After coming home because of SARS (Peace Corps evacuated us), I took the GMAT to prepare for the MBA. I wanted to go to a top business school. Well, I bombed the GMAT and began to reconsider the whole deal.

I have come full circle and have decided that TEFL is indeed where it's at for me. I thought I disliked teaching, but now that I am out of it at the moment, I realize that I don't dislike TEFL, I just dislike teaching kids. I do enjoy teaching at a university where I can work with students and teachers. I now want to begin a master's in ESL to increase my credentials and options.

I agree. TEFL can be a sweet deal, provided the conditions are favorable. More qualifications can help one better attain a situation more to one's liking. As an EFL teacher, one has a degree of autonomy; one can stay for another year or go to another country. As a businessman, I would have to go where the company tells me to go.

It's all good.