Job Discussion Forums

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

I'm in an introspective mood tonight...

I've just recently gotten back in touch with some friends from an earlier EFL job I had in the Czech Republic. (Don't know if you guys read this forum, but if you do--Hi! Hugs and kisses!!) It got me thinking...

This is such a strange/wacky/unique/????? field that we've all gotten ourselves into. Friends and family back home likely don't understand it and don't think it can be permanent/real/stable; the vast majority of us are probably earning a fraction of what we could earn in "real" jobs in our home country; we are all experiencing new cultures, foods, languages, etc.

But anyway, back to the title of this thread. For me, one of the coolest things about this job is the way connections and relationships tend to branch out--this group of people that I lost and regained touch with has spread out to other places; the folks from my MA program are likewise scattered across the globe. I have not yet started to feel lonely in Japan (maybe the wickedly cold winter will do it to me), but hopefully if I do I will take comfort in the knowledge that there are people across the globe that I can connect with. The same is true for most EFLers: you know someone in China who taught with someone now in Costa Rica who has a friend in Mozambique, etc... If we all pooled our resources/friends, we would probably know just about everyone in the world... (maybe a slight overstatement--dramatic embellishment--but still a fascinating thought for me).

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

Interesting thread. Another thought is that it is the only occupation I know where you could get a job in any country in the world (except N. Korea) Crying or Very sad

with the right qualifications. We could work anywhere we wanted.

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Add N Korea to the list. The British Council were advertising a post there (albeit only for a year or so ) recently.

khmerhit · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 5:20 pm Post subject:

http://smallworld.columbia.edu/

North Korea is going to open soon, i'll wager. I expect there is already a tight little expat community, plus some language schools. Can anyone confirm?

It could be that the price the Chinese paid to get into the WTO included open market access by the West to North Korea. And I surmise that Beijing would like nothing more than to wash its hands of a geopolitical liability...

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

North Korea just opened up air travel between the two Koreas yesterday. Mind you it's a cheesy 5 day tour and you can't leave the group.

I'm sure there is no expat community yet, maybe some Russian and Chinese military advisors, but no teachers. What would they pay you? I shudder to think abou that.