Job Discussion Forums

[lydia.bainbridge]

I have been teaching for nine years and am stalled. I worked for four years at a community college, supplemented by private tutoring and smaller gigs, and enjoyed that for the most part, although other teachers were too busy juggling jobs to want to talk about teaching. Then I went to grad school and was a teaching assistant and was never observed and never learned much more about actual teaching. Since graduating, I have taught in two universities in developing countries. I love the lifestyle but hate the university work--long hours, crazy rules, and colleagues too burnt out to even consider discussing teaching. I feel that my teaching has gotten really sloppy and that I need some fresh air.
Questions:
I would like to do the DELTA or the diploma course but wonder if the CELTA would be a good start given my isolation? Does this seem like a good next step?
Which centers are doing are doing residential DELTA courses and do you recommend them?
Where in the world (literally and figuratively) does one find collegiality in teaching? Money is not a big concern, and I would much rather find some like-minded people than keep tryng and failing to force myself into institutional teaching.

[RobertH]

If you haven't done the CELTA, I'd reccommend doing that first, then trying to apply what they teach you in a job for a while. DELTA courses are supposed to be taken after you've done a CELTA and some teaching. The CELTA is a good course to do, anyway, and will give you some opportunity for improvement regardless of how long you've been teaching. One of my colleagues had taught for years and still learnt from it.

If you are keen on getting a better-paid job now, you could probably apply to do the DELTA now with your experience. You would be able to command a higher salary and apply for Director-level jobs in theory.

[lydia.bainbridge]

Thanks for that perspective. I do think doing the CELTA would be good for me. As for commanding more money, I just want to feel I have a command of teaching, sigh...

[Ariadne]

I'm at a university in China. My colleagues and I talk about teaching and teaching related subjects all the time. We also share ideas and materials.

All schools are different of course, with different numbers of FTs and different levels of interaction among the FTs and the local teachers. I've always been able to find someone to talk shop with.

Have you taught in China? Maybe you should give it a try. University teaching hours are usually fairly low, 10-18. I like living on campus, which makes stopping by for a chat a lot easier.

Good luck to you, whatever you do.

.

[fluffyhamster]

I'm not sure that a CELTA or even a DELTA will really provide you with that much food for thought let alone 'a command of teaching', if you've been teaching for nigh on a decade already (unless by teaching you mean just lecturing about English Lit or something in a very "non-communicative" manner LOL). And if it's discussion you're after, well, there are internet forums like this one. (I've only ever had one job, one of my first, in China, where people actually discussed much at all. Perhaps you should sign yourself up for a stint in just such a conversation school?).

[lydia.bainbridge]

Thank you for your answers.

Ariadne, I hadn't thought about teaching in China, but now that you mentioned it, I am hearing good things. Do you have any specific suggestions? I can't send you a PM because I don't have enough posts.

Fluffyhamster, you do look fierce! I hear what you're saying, but I think a breath of fresh air and being in a learning environment like the CELTA course will be good and, hopefully, affirming. Completing the application was. I am also thinking about the possibility of teacher training and would like to see how they do it.

I am also just finishing a nutty contract which has shaken my confidence, so regrouping would be good.