Job Discussion Forums

khmerhit · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 7:12 am Post subject: Do colleagues help??

My first colleagues did not help until one of them pulled out a grammar book. How long did it take for yours? Shocked

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I am blessed to have colleagues who have helped me from the first moment I arrived in Japan. I've gotten assistance not only with academic issues (planning syllabi, learning my way around the school, etc.), but also with social/cultural issues. In my first week here I got several guided tours, explanations, etc. My colleagues are wonderful, and I am honored to work with them.

In fact, I've been lucky since day one of my (admittedly limited, by comparison) life in TESOL. Even in the less-academically-oriented programs (e.g., private language institutes that were geared more towards bringing in money than in actually providing an education), the teachers, although rarely "lifers," all helped each other, pooled resources, etc.

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Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

My dean, FAO, and Chinese collegues are helpful - although not all that speedy.

The other foreign teachers would be helpful (and have offered to be), but there are only three of us right now, and I have more experience EFLing then the other two put together (I'm only saying I have more experience), so it is they who often ask me for help (I have a few textbooks from the US/Japan, know about this site, etc.) One of them speaks Mandarin, so on occasion she has interpreted for me.