Here's the thing...I spent 13+ years with the US government...much of it traveling in Asia I left a fairly high level job about two years ago to go back to grad school with the idea of getting into the development field. Now, armed with a fresh MA in international development from Johns Hopkins (I also have an MA in classics), I'm stumbling around trying to find work. I'm finding that many NGO's either don't want someone with my government/defense oriented background, or they want people with NGO field experience. I've always been interested in education. I've had my eye on a couple of PhD programs (Harvard, Columbia Teachers College and Stanford) that have specialties in economic development and education. I've missed the application deadline for the 2003/4 terms and I'm thinking that a year of teaching in Asia might be a good prep for doing a PhD. I have a couple of questions:
1. Am I crazy? I was making over $80K in my last job. I've just been offered a 7,000RMB job teaching in Hunan province. Is that as good as it gets? Do many people make ESL a career or is it all young people earning a few bucks while they see the world...not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm 41. Anyone out there my age?
2. Like I said, I've always been interested in education. I may like teaching and want to make it a long term thing. Are there opportunities to make a living wage, save for retirement, etc?
3. If I do go throughwith the phD idea, does it make sence that a year of teaching in a public school in China will give me worthwhile insight.
4. Despite years of business travel in Asia, I've yet to pick up a second language. One of my goals in going to China would be to learn the language. Is that practical?
Thanks for your advice.
Best/Stu
ESL as a stepping stone?
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Re: ESL as a stepping stone?
Stu, I just saw your post- Im not teaching in China but i teach full time in a university in Japan. Here is my perspective as a teaching professional for what its worth.Stu wrote:I have a couple of questions:
1. Am I crazy? I was making over $80K in my last job. I've just been offered a 7,000RMB job teaching in Hunan province. Is that as good as it gets? Do many people make ESL a career or is it all young people earning a few bucks while they see the world...not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm 41. Anyone out there my age?
1. you are not crazy. For a full time university instructor with a Masters degree and publications depending on the institution you could be starting on 5 million yen a year (US$41,000) but average salaries are around 6-7 million yen ( $60K)
I have been teaching in Japan for 16 years and support a wife and family on my income. I have been doing this since university and have since started on a PhD. By the way I just turned 40 in May.
Currently I am making around the equivalent of $US70K teaching at a Japanese university, have bought a house back home (New Zealand) which i am renting out , have a sizeable pension fund and colleeg fund for kids and two years ago bought a brand new Toyota Lexus.Stu wrote: 2. Like I said, I've always been interested in education. I may like teaching and want to make it a long term thing. Are there opportunities to make a living wage, save for retirement, etc?
Stu wrote: 3. If I do go throughwith the phD idea, does it make sense that a year of teaching in a public school in China will give me worthwhile insight.
Probably couldnt help you with that as I have never taught in China. Its unlikely you would walk straight into a college teaching job in Japan though contracts are for1-3 years. i have one colleague teaching at a Kyoto university hired from the US on a 3 year contract. Having appropriate qualifications Contacts, good references and timing is crucial to finding suitable jobs here.
I can only speak from my experience learning japanese, and as both of them are character based languages it will take you more than a year to learn the written language. Japanese has about 1800 kanji that students know by the time they finish high school and you need to read a newspaper. Chinese has something like 3000 characters to learn. You will need 3-5 years of full time study to put a dent in your language learning progress. I have also never studied Chinese but I know it is a very tonal and inflectional language and depending on the pronunciation you use similar sounding words can have vastly different meanings. Alot will depend on what you feel you need Chinese for and how much effort you put into it.Stu wrote: 4. Despite years of business travel in Asia, I've yet to pick up a second language. One of my goals in going to China would be to learn the language. Is that practical?
Thanks for your advice.
Best/Stu
If you want to email me you can reach me on [email protected]
Good luck!!!
Paul
If you had picked up some insights while on tour in Asia, you should have realised that your education background is not likely to be of practical use; in a country such as China your physiognomy commands a comparatively high salary, not your 'knowledge' or your connections and/or degrees.
Here, you would be "teaching" your "culture and language", not make a big dent or change the system. You have to pander to this parochial system's whims. How can you do that? You practise "speaking" English - your students have been suffficiently brainwashed into being your customers.
Salary? If you make more than 10'000 RMB you should count yourself extremely lucky! Dissatisfaction almost guaranteed!
Here, you would be "teaching" your "culture and language", not make a big dent or change the system. You have to pander to this parochial system's whims. How can you do that? You practise "speaking" English - your students have been suffficiently brainwashed into being your customers.
Salary? If you make more than 10'000 RMB you should count yourself extremely lucky! Dissatisfaction almost guaranteed!