Doper advice for a successful life: Go teach English in Asia!

[HeyHomie]

I taught English in Asia and I loved it! If I had been working for better people, I’d probably still be there, but that’s a different thread entirely.

[Dangerosa]

@Mississippienne

I have to disagree with this. I’ve been a full-time Americorps volunteer twice now, and I’ve found it every bit as difficult, or moreso, than when I lived and worked overseas. When you commit to something like Americorps NCCC, you’re agreeing to live and work in communities far away from your friends and family and your local culture. You’re placed in a team of strangers who either become your surrogate family or a major source of stress. You have to handle being with people who may not share your religion/upbringing/social status/life experiences 24 hours a day (I like to say it’s like being married to 8 people for a year). You sleep in cots, fill sandbags, and crawl under houses in 100+ New Orleans heat and humidity. There’s a lot of smart and motivated young people who quit or get kicked out because they just can’t hack it. There’s nothing that pisses me off more than when I tell people what I do and they say, “Oh, you’re taking a year off?” No, I’m taking a year ON.

You are right, Americorp IS different. I was thinking of the “less committment” U.S. based volunteer activities - the ones that don’t pull you out of your comfort level - or if they do, you can just stop showing up - two shifts in the rape crisis counseling center and then ‘I don’t want to do that, its depressing.’ And I’m sure that there are other volunteer activities in the U.S. that also force the perspective change.

[Wesley_Clark]

@Aankh

I’ve noticed this time and again. Someone will post about how their life sucks so much, they can’t find a job, they have no idea what to do with themselves, how frustrating it is to live in their parents’ basement, they have lousy social skills, whatever, and then some Doper will come and advise sagely, “Go forth and teach English in Asia.”

This, frankly, frustrates me. You know what? If the person was interested in teaching, they would have tried subbing or teacher training or whatever you guys call it in the States. The last thing we need here in Asia is people who don’t care about teaching doing a completely half-assed job. Asian students are not your life therapy.

This is not a rant, more of a tired sigh. It just bugs me that people with no training or motivation should come down here and start teaching. Does it happen all the time? Sadly, yes. But should you ask every random yahoo to go do it because they fail at life at home? I really don’t think so.

This is obviously a commentary based on multiple threads I’ve read here. (I don’t plan to link any threads or posts, because I really don’t like pointing fingers.) I have nothing against the OPs generally because they’re clearly in difficult life situations, whether of their own making or not. I’m talking, instead, to the people who dole out this advice as though everyone is capable of teaching half-decently.

Please, just go advice them to try teaching within their local system first, okay?

Nah. I’ll live my life as I see fit.

[Koxinga]

Before 1997, I believe the common acronym for some folks in the Commonwealth was F.I.L.T.H. – “Failed in London? Try Hong Kong!”

[manx]

@Koxinga

Before 1997, I believe the common acronym for some folks in the Commonwealth was F.I.L.T.H. – “Failed in London? Try Hong Kong!”

I’ve heard that quoted as recently as last year - but it was from a Cityboy, and I assumed it was just finance slang. Interesting that it applies to teaching too.

[furt]

@Aankh

This, frankly, frustrates me. You know what? If the person was interested in teaching, they would have tried subbing or teacher training or whatever you guys call it in the States. The last thing we need here in Asia is people who don’t care about teaching doing a completely half-assed job. Asian students are not your life therapy.

Do you want to see the price of native-speaker ESL classes rise by about 1000%? If not, then you’ll have take what you can get. Supply and demand, charlie.
I had zero training when I became an ESL teacher. I did it for three years and by all accounts was at least decent. Frankly, any intelligent, somewhat creative person could do a good job teaching conversation classes. I’ve recommended people try it, and will continue to do so.

[DMark]

As mentioned in another thread currently running, I taught ESL for over 14 years, but in Germany and Switzerland, for VERY good money.
However, it was pretty cutthroat there. Lots of competition (especially as an American vs British instructor) and you had to be a damned good teacher, fully aware of retention rates and student comments, to keep your job and get other work.
Trust me when I say no slouch would ever have lasted very long in either location if they were not great, let alone just “good” or worse.

I am a firm believer in “you get what you pay for” and if those Asian schools are just out looking for any native English speaker with a pulse, they deserve what they get.

[Scissorjack]

[Personal Anecdote] I finished an English MA in 1995, couldn’t find a job for almost a year with what seemed a worthless qualification, despite applying for every job available, and at the age of 27 was $18,000 in debt and living under my parents’ roof with only a broken-down car to my name. I found a teaching position in Japan, turned out to be extremely good at not only teaching but training and management, and I not only saved a great deal of money and did a lot of really cool travelling but picked up a lot of valuable life and work experience. And last but not least I met and married the kindest, gentlest, toughest strongest and smartest woman in the world, and our son is now seven and I have to oick him up from a Wearable Art show at his school soon. Best thing I ever did was borrow the money for my plane fare there.[/Personal Anecdote]

[elfkin477]

@Dangerosa

You are right, Americorp IS different. I was thinking of the “less committment” U.S. based volunteer activities - the ones that don’t pull you out of your comfort level - or if they do, you can just stop showing up - two shifts in the rape crisis counseling center and then ‘I don’t want to do that, its depressing.’ And I’m sure that there are other volunteer activities in the U.S. that also force the perspective change.

I actually don’t think you’re too off base - NCCC is quite different from what everyone else does in Americorps/Americorps*VISTA. I served just one county over from where I live, and that was hardly unusual. I don’t think I served with anyone who actually had to move to do so.

This thread makes me feel like a kind of a bad person There’s a guy that I’m thrilled to hear might be going to teach in China (he’s fluent in Chinese) and I do hope he’ll find a nice girl there…and stop pestering me. I can picture him marrying a nice Chinese girl, not using her and leaving her behind, though. Sorry to hope to send another social misfit your way, Aankh!