Job Discussion Forums

[dog8food]

So I have a little experience teaching kids in Korea, and I simply don't like the environment. I feel like I'm constantly trying to control their unruly behavior, disciplining them, keeping them interested, etc.

Now as I understand it, China is one of the few places I can teach University-level students with a Bachelor's degree.

For those who have experienced both worlds, can you tell me the major differences between teaching the little ones vs. adults? Are there any ESL teachers out there that have a personal vendetta against the little people?

[Opiate]

Adult classes vary. If you have English majors, some or most will be interested and motivated. Can be fun and just maybe they'll want to learn something. If you just have a bunch of random students who can barely blurt out more than the standard "how are you?" and "I'm fine thank you, and you?" it can be rough going.

Personally, I like teaching little kids 5-9 but can not do it every day. Many people do that kind of work to supplement their income. Middle school age kids are my own personal nightmare. Adults can be hit or miss.

Afraid I can't offer you a more clear answer.

What age group have you taught? "kids" is a bit vague.

[Lobster]

Same here. Middle school is the group I dislike. University students here are not exactly what I'd consider to be adult students, but most need minimal discipline and are fine if the class isn't too big. Business students are my fave. High school's not bad. Little people are great for those so inclined, but I never teach them. You need a lot of energy and patience and it often turns into babysitting. Not my bag at all.

RED

[slayer6719]

Myself i like working with the kids upto about 10 years old.
I do Kindies on the side and enjoy these too. Also have a couple of Adults i teach Business English that i enjoy doing simply because they aren't kids.
I,ve always found the older kids (Middle School aged) generally bored with the whole learning English thing and avoid them like the plague!

My first job was teaching English Majors but i just found the size of the class was a restriction in the amount of learning that was taking place though the students were okay. (though that was probaly a bit to do with the size of the class and a bit of my lack of experience)

[spicykimchi]

I hate teaching middle school. It doesn't matter what you say or do, you're always a comedian who's bombing onstage.

I did four years in Korea. Little kids can be great, but it gets old. I've been teaching adults in China now for a little more than two months. It's a nice change, that's for sure. Planning for social clubs can be annoying, but if you work at a university, you won't have to worry about that.

[xiguagua]

I actually liked middle school. They're at that age where they're just starting to develop personalities but they're young enough to respect authority. I taught middle school and high school at one school and the middle school classes were always active and fun while the high school classes were horrendous. Too busy preparing for gaokao to care about spoken English.

University and adults can be fun. They tend to want to learn things rather than just have a clown teacher, so teaching them things that are actually useful makes you feel like you're actually accomplishing something instead of singing Old McDonald for half a term. If you're doing post grad students i'd be prepared for them to want to know a lot about business and job preparation and stuff. Doing mock interviews and stuff is always good practice.

It's a toss up for me which I like best. I guess anything as long as it's not primaries.

[dog8food]

Thanks so much for the input.

So assuming I want to begin my journey as a Uni teacher in China while avoiding newbie pitfalls, what's the best way to contact current/past teachers at a school so that I know it's a decent place to be?

[dean_a_jones]

You generally do this via the school itself. Be a bit careful as they might try to get one by you and have a Chinese teacher drop you a short email. This, however, is usually pretty obvious. If they are unwilling to put you in contact with anyone, see that as a red flag.

Once they get you in contact with one or two teachers, you can ask them if they could pass your email onto another FT if you wanted more information. Prepare good questions that are not totally blunt (like "is there anything wrong with the place") but be a bit more subtle. Get talking generally about problems you hear teachers in China face such as contract issues, any problems you had when in Korea etc. and see what their responses are like. Ask questions that make you look professional, like ones regarding teacher support and materials. Get them to talk about their own experience regarding their location, living conditions, apartment etc.

Obviously schools will want to put you in touch with teachers that toe the line. Getting the conversation more informal helps, and talking on skype rather than by email if possible will be to your advantage. Remember some schools have a go-to teacher for this kind of thing, who they might pay for doing things like interviews or dealing with potential teachers. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it might be because the FAO got their position due to guanxi, rather than English (or any other) ability. It also makes them more like salesman rather than someone to chat to, as they benefit from getting bodies through the door.

Sure others have some tips that worked for them. And agree that with uni students in China, it is often less 'adult' and more like 14 or 15 year old kids in terms of their mentality and behaviour.

[Brian Hugh]

You will do just fine. I am back teaching kids again (pre-schoolers mostly)
You learn with kids. Older students can't communicate because English has been used as a torture. Many have failed in the testing so much that they have given up. But with your experience with kids you will know how to talk to them in a way they will get most of what you say. Children have better hearing and therefore better pronunciation. Adults bring first language knowledge into their communication and usually are more interesting to communicate with.
You are not the first to tell me about yelling at the students. I usually tell them that the kids are learning because you are usually yelling the same things the mother or teachers yells at them in Korean. " Sit down! Don't throw that out the window! Stop pulling her hair! Where are you going?" The Krashen Silent Period is not so quiet.

[Craig!]

I agree ! ...

[stinkytofu]

Adult Students -

Pros: Attentive audience

Cons: Most likely to complain about your teaching technique(or lack of it)
Emotionally immature
Not afraid of you
You need to know the subject matter very well
Sometimes rude
If they don't understand something they will blame you
Sometimes have a "crush" on their teacher

Conclusion: I'd rather teach kids

[hippocampus]

In my humble experience it is best to treat adults as if they were children - play games and be easy going, and to treat children as if they were adults - with respect and taking them seriously. As to who is better to teach, that is surely a matter of individual preference. But I can tell you this: adolescents who think they know better than anyone are the worst students. As the Chinese proverb says: Even the stones in the street hate a teenager.

[GHammer]

I've had a good experience teaching adults as far as TEACHING is concerned ... most, in my experience, are motivated to learn English to improve their salaries and jobs. They tend to spend their own money too, as opposed to spending their parents' money.

However, I do agree with the opinion that teaching children means you're teaching "fresh" (less jaded) students, and there's satisfaction in that respect as well.

IMO, teaching English to Chinese students (of ANY age) comes down to motivation, commitment and desire. It's a big country and students (and reasons for learning) vary greatly from region to region, school to school and individual to individual.

--G

[Zero]

If you can find any "adults" anywhere in China, let me know.

[Non Sequitur]

If by adults you mean university (or at least tertiary) students, I've taught at a tier one national uni and two provincial vocational colleges.
My reactions:
English majors - mostly too cool for school and maddeningly no link up between what they're doing in your oral skills class and other literature classes taught by CTs.
Vocational students in non public facing areas like IT - can't see relevance and hard to motivate.
Vocational students in public facing jobs like hospitality - great. Even though in provincial colleges and no family history of study beyond high school, these kids were a joy.