Job Discussion Forums

[dreamerfrmthemyst]

Okay, I'll try to keep this short. I just finished my TEFL course and landed a job in Valencia, Venezuela. My employer and I spoke frequently before I actually made it out here. So I thought, ' oh, this will be fun.' As it turns out, it is not at all what I expected.

For openers, I live at my employer's residence which is a nice place. He's a really nice guy. But I am starting to think that he really is unable to understand my needs. Which would seem weird b/c he has had teachers live w/ him before. I am from the U.S., by the way.

When I came, I thought I had pretty much everything that I was gonna need. Wrong! I guess I was supposed to bring my own towels and linen. None of this was mentioned before I came here though. He looked around for what he had, but it didn't seem like it was a big deal for him.

Next, there was no slow immersion into the people and culture of Venezuela. No real do's and don'ts. He simply drove me to my job sites a couple of times and from that point on, I was on my own.

Granted, my Spanish is okay, but I am hardly fluent so there are many things I am still learning. Additionally, my employer has said that there are no Spanish classes that he knows of in Valencia, after I requested this information from him several times. So I just kinda gave up. I do still try like HELL to communicate properly w/ the people even if I do get the occasional laugh or insult.

Then there is the lack of mentioning ( on his part )the sites and attractions of Valencia. Be it local nightlife - bars and discoteques. Or possibly the theater, the movies, etc. He always talks about how he took the other teachers, before myself and one other teacher, out. ( By the way, the other teacher is going through the same thing. ) At this point, we're both feeling like fish out of water.

Luckily, we do have each other for support so that we don't feel entirely alone. The crazy part is that I've only been here two weeks and I want to leave. Not so much Valencia, but maybe just find an environment in which is more supportive of its teacher(s).

I think that there is so much guesswork til it's mentally/ emotionally draining. Though I do LOVE the ESL teaching part of what I do. I thoroughly enjoy the students. My only gripe w/ that is that my employer said that he would train me since I have no experience. Strangely, he just gives me a textbook and tells me to do what the textbook says to do. Not sure if that makes me an effective teacher, but I do what he instructs me to do.

As anyone could imagine, it's hard to be in a totally exotic place, where there are not many resources and you are on your own, so to speak. Family/ friends are so far, that just meeting anyone could brighten my day. Perhaps they could show me the Valencia that I don't know exists.

I wrote all this to see if there is anyone out there who is familiar w/ Venezuela, who might be able to recommend places where ' gringos ' and Venezuelans congregate to know one another. Any kind of Venezuelan social of some kind. Any advice will do.

Additionally, if things do not shape up here, I will be leaving sooner than expected. I will be looking for countries that are a little bit more ' gringo ' friendly and employers are really who they say they are. My sights are set on Costa Rica, Colombia, or Mexico. If anyone has any information on working in these countries, it would be greatly appreciated.

Don't get me wrong, I know there will be an adjustment period anywhere, but when your employer is just as vague as you are, it's that much more frustrating.

Maybe there are better ESL jobs in Venezuela which provide more support that I need to look into.

HELP!!!

[MELEE]

Well first of all, congratulations on completing your TEFL course and arranging a job in Venezuela. That's already more than a lot of people do. I've never visited Venezuela, but it doesn't seem like there are a lot of jobs that you can line up in advance there. Perhaps your situatuion is a good example of why? I've heard horror stories a lot worse than yours, you might want to read www.englishteacherx.com to make yourself feel better from time to time.

I'm not sure where Venezuelan's meet, but if they are anything like Mexicans, just talk talk talk. Go into a shop to buy something, like a bottle of water. Say more than necessary to complete the transaction. Volunteer the information that you are new in the neighborhood. Ask if they know anyone who teaches Spanish. What are your other interests? do you play any sports? Ask about them. Ask if they know where you could play tennis, take a painting class, a salsa class, whatever.

If you want to know about Mexico, come on over and visit us in the Mexico Forum.

I hope things look up soon. Best of Luck!

[Dragonlady]

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[denise]

I agree with Dragonlady. Your situation really doesn't sound that bad, at least not according to what you've written here. Do you get paid on time? Do your teaching hours match what is written in your contract or what you were told? Are you getting help with visa/paperwork issues? If not, then I would question your employer. Otherwise, it sounds like it's a case of a difficult adjustment, not a bad job.

I would certainly ask my employer about the area, things to do, where to buy towels, etc., but if he/she didn't have the answer I would ask someone else or just head out on my own. He should be more willing and able to give you teaching suggestions, though--that certainly is more in line with his duties than is providing you with bed linens. What exactly is his position at the school? Is he a teacher or an administrator?

Trust me--even if you find a job in a more gringo-friendly area, there will still be a lot of adjustments to make. The only difference is you'll have more people to b*tch about them with!

Good luck,
d

[kparsons]

How did you manage to score a job in Venezuela?

[Pennypacker1]

Yaaay! welcome to the world of business.. Venezuelan style! use and abuse.. and then generally lose..

I can see your point about the social aspects though, Venezuelans aren't the friendliness people in the world, and god help you if you get between them and something greasy and salty (or a beer)..

I have never actually been to Valencia but apparently it's quite old fashioned in regards to the structure of its society etc..

Why don't you try myspace?

[Magallanero]

Hi. I am the employer mentioned in this dicussion forum and I am sorry to bother you with this but I feel the need to clarrify certain things.
To start with, I think the linen coment was way out of proportion. That was a 30-second conversation like this:
Me: Did you bring bed sheets and towel?
Him: No. Was I supposed to?
No, that's fine.
Then my wife not only gave him sheets but made his bed and gave him a towel. Then he asked for a face towel which we don't use in this house and that's what he got at the store.
Second. Although I don't "have" to take teachers anywhere, I do enjoy showing them around. This teacher has been here for two weekends (going out on weekdays is hard because we start the day really early). Ok, one of those two weekends both teachers were away, and of course I couldn't take them anywhere, but his first weekend went like this:
Friday: I took them to La Feria de Valencia, and after the fair, invited them for drinks (although I can't really drink these days and he knows that), which we didn't do because one of the teachers was too tired to go out. But before going home I drove them along the streets where the bars are to show them where they were.
Saturday: We went to the beach the whole day.
Sunday: my wife had an event to which they were invited and went and after that they went to a bull fight which I didn't go to because I don't really enjoy it.
For those who know Valencia, I live one block from Las Cuatro Avenidas, which is "the place to be", as they say. We drive by a shpping mall everyday on our way home and you can see a lot of young people drinking on the strret and outside a small bar. You would assume that someone willing to party would go there, right?
Me not explaining properly how to get to the classes, I acknowledged it, and apologized to him for that. So, on Saturday morning as I drove them to the bus terminal cause they were going away for the weekend I drove around these places to tell him again and more properly where he was going to take the buses and everything.
I also remember that after I apologized that day I asked him to come to me always when something bothered him, but instead he chose this disscussion forum, which by the way, if anyone who knows me reads it, will know it's me they're talking about cause I don't think there is anyone else with this kind of setting in Valencia.
And yes, once again I agree that I did not explain how to teach the lessons properly but I still find the book so easy to work with that I don't think you need much to be told. He missed the first 2 classes he was going to observe because of the jet lag and then he watched two more classes before teaching on his own.
Thanks for listening
Bye
El Magallanero

[MELEE]

The OP is a him?

[naturegirl321]

I guess we could see both sides of the story.

Being a new teacher is difficult, some don't mind being thrown in the water and others want help with everything.

An owner needs to worry about other things, but also has to take care of the teachers.

That's my opinion.

[denise]

[naturegirl321]

Where did the OP go?

Anyways, I think that about linens, he could have bought them in Venezuela if he forgot them.

Also, he should have done research, at least a bit before going to know about dos and don'ts and night life. Go to the library or online, lonelyplanet has heaps of info

My employer here at my job finally told me the rules of the school after working for two months, so you should be happy your employer took you around the city.

As for other jobs, the only place I know of is VENUSA.

[ak_tesl]

[ak_tesl]

[elaina]

I have to agree with most of the other posts. It sounds like you have a great job there. You have a home, a job and your boss showed you around which most really could care less about. I think that you may just have a case of "new teacher syndrom" and it is a little frightening at first. But I promise, you will get over it.
Best of Luck!

[JZer]

Is Magallanero Venezuelan? If so his English is great?