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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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 Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 10:22 am Post subject: Comin' Back! |
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After 4 years, I've given up on teaching in the US & I'm heading back to Korea.
The process has gotten a LOT more complicated since the first time I applied for a visa! Grr. |
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climber159
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Do you have a US teaching license? If you do, then why don't you go into the international schools to teach? That's where I'm headed and it certainly pays quite a lot more and has better working conditions than the ESL industry in Korea. |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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What made you decide to come back? What was wrong with teaching back home?
I've been considering teaching back home as a long term goal but given the amount of people that seem to give up on it and head back, maybe getting a more professional teaching position in Asia is a better long term goal for me  |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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| climber159 wrote: |
| Do you have a US teaching license? If you do, then why don't you go into the international schools to teach? That's where I'm headed and it certainly pays quite a lot more and has better working conditions than the ESL industry in Korea. |
I am. I'm heading back to the same IS I taught at for 3 years. |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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| myenglishisno wrote: |
What made you decide to come back? What was wrong with teaching back home?
I've been considering teaching back home as a long term goal but given the amount of people that seem to give up on it and head back, maybe getting a more professional teaching position in Asia is a better long term goal for me |
I'm just tired of the insanity of testing, and parents who do NOTHING then blame the system for failing their kids, and a country that thinks teachers are a bunch of lazy schmucks who leech the system and ... well... more of the same.
Part of the problem is that I decided to teach in Texas. I think things are better in states with stronger unions. |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| krats1976 wrote: |
Part of the problem is that I decided to teach in Texas. I think things are better in states with stronger unions. |
Like Wisconsin? Yeah, you're better off here, haha.
One of my friends is doing her BEd in Canada right now and her professor is recommending her to stalk teachers about to retire in order to get information that might give them an advantage. In just about every coveted school board, the competition for one teaching position is about 50:1. That is, unless you want to teach in the Northwest Territories and teach kids who think sniffing glue is an extra curricular.
All that to work in an education system where teachers live below the poverty line for the first ten years of their careers and are blamed for pretty much everything.
Teaching in Asia is better. You made the right choice. |
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decolyon
Joined: 24 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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| krats1976 wrote: |
| myenglishisno wrote: |
What made you decide to come back? What was wrong with teaching back home?
I've been considering teaching back home as a long term goal but given the amount of people that seem to give up on it and head back, maybe getting a more professional teaching position in Asia is a better long term goal for me |
I'm just tired of the insanity of testing, and parents who do NOTHING then blame the system for failing their kids, and a country that thinks teachers are a bunch of lazy schmucks who leech the system and ... well... more of the same.
Part of the problem is that I decided to teach in Texas. I think things are better in states with stronger unions. |
It frightens me to think of what kind of country we might become when political groups start calling teachers the bad guys. They call public schools evil and the teachers that work for them a bunch of losers that want free handouts. Yet private schools often perform at the same level, and sometimes worse that public schools, and their teachers wont set foot inside of a classroom if they don't get paid enough. Yet we have public school teachers that put in 40+ hours for 30k a year and take on part time work in the evenings, weekends, and school breaks just to make ends meet.
Economic growth is directly linked in the quality of elementary and high school education. It has been proven over and over again. Yet we have these far right wing conserva-nuts that want to bash our educations system and let it crumble and still expect a huge private backed economy.
I don't blame American teachers that give up on the system at home and go teach abroad in Asia and Europe. Who could really? They get paid what they deserve, not to mention the finally receive the respect they fully deserve from people that understand how important their jobs are and that happy teachers make for happy classes.
In the coming quarter century, we absolutely have to make education a top priority or America may never be able to regain the ground she has lost. |
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SinclairLondon
Joined: 17 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Want the certs, but don't want to live/teach in the states. |
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lithium
Joined: 18 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 7:15 am Post subject: |
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| krats1976 wrote: |
| myenglishisno wrote: |
What made you decide to come back? What was wrong with teaching back home?
I've been considering teaching back home as a long term goal but given the amount of people that seem to give up on it and head back, maybe getting a more professional teaching position in Asia is a better long term goal for me |
I'm just tired of the insanity of testing, and parents who do NOTHING then blame the system for failing their kids, and a country that thinks teachers are a bunch of lazy schmucks who leech the system and ... well... more of the same.
Part of the problem is that I decided to teach in Texas. I think things are better in states with stronger unions. |
Aren't unions and their rediculous benefits that is not sustainable one of the problems facing America? |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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| lithium wrote: |
| krats1976 wrote: |
| myenglishisno wrote: |
What made you decide to come back? What was wrong with teaching back home?
I've been considering teaching back home as a long term goal but given the amount of people that seem to give up on it and head back, maybe getting a more professional teaching position in Asia is a better long term goal for me |
I'm just tired of the insanity of testing, and parents who do NOTHING then blame the system for failing their kids, and a country that thinks teachers are a bunch of lazy schmucks who leech the system and ... well... more of the same.
Part of the problem is that I decided to teach in Texas. I think things are better in states with stronger unions. |
Aren't unions and their rediculous benefits that is not sustainable one of the problems facing America? |
Ridiculous benefits? Such as? The only thing that is ridiculous is how ultraconservative politicians have manipulated people into believing that teachers are the problem.
I have taught in a strong union state. I got paid a salary on par with what I make in TX (when compared to cost of living), but I also had a medical plan with a $500 deductible. Now, my premium is twice as high, but my deductible is $2500. Are you honestly suggesting that an affordable medical plan with a reasonable deductible is ridiculous? |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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Do teachers in America seriously only make $30,000 a year? For some reason, I can't believe that. I'm from Canada, and I think the starting minimum for a teacher was like around the $40,000 range. (could other Canadians verify this? i don't really know...)
But 30,000... waaaay too low! |
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carleverson
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| krats1976 wrote: |
Ridiculous benefits? Such as? |
tenure?  |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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| brento1138 wrote: |
Do teachers in America seriously only make $30,000 a year? For some reason, I can't believe that. I'm from Canada, and I think the starting minimum for a teacher was like around the $40,000 range. (could other Canadians verify this? i don't really know...)
But 30,000... waaaay too low! |
Yes, but in Canada you have to substitute for 10-15 years in order to get a full time position and eventually tenure. Unless you're teaching in an extremely isolated area.
Substituting doesn't pay that much more than minimum wage unless you have a steady gig, in which case it pays alright but not nearly as well as teaching over here would. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| brento1138 wrote: |
Do teachers in America seriously only make $30,000 a year? For some reason, I can't believe that. I'm from Canada, and I think the starting minimum for a teacher was like around the $40,000 range. (could other Canadians verify this? i don't really know...)
But 30,000... waaaay too low! |
Believe it. But if you get a Masters in Teaching, you get bumped up to $40,000. Whoo hoo! |
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jrwhite82
Joined: 22 May 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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It depends on the location. Most places along the East and West coast are going to be around the 40,000 range (closer to 50,000 if you live near a major city like DC, Baltimore, Philly, NY or Boston). If you live in rural areas, Mid-West, West, the salaries are closer to the 30,000 range starting out.
The cost of living is also much higher when you live near one of those cities.
Fairfax County Virginia (one of the highest paid in the country) for instance starts you out around 50,000 a year. But buying a house is impossible. And rent is going to run you around $1000 a month for something that is not Section 8. Whereas in the Mid-West, you can probably rent something decent for $500-$600.
As a certified teacher myself, the issue with tenure can be a legitimate one. (Especially when dealing with the worst of the worst teachers) However, the pay, retirement and health benefits are highly reasonable. There are not many jobs out there that require the amount of professional development, continuing education, and certificates that teachers require. The pay is kind of on the low scale...but we get the extra time off, so it balances out. |
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