I came across this fantastic, tongue-in-cheek blog post by a fellow educator in Thailand recently and had to share it. While we work in different countries, these issues certainly exist here in Japan. If they did not, the big ALT dispatch companies would not thrive here as they would lack a fresh supply of warm bodies for the classrooms of the towns and cities they are contracted with.
The author mentioned not bothering to learn about the culture of the country you plan on working in, but I am surprised that she did not mention the language. I have come across educators who have been living and working in Japan for years and have never bothered to learn more than just the basics of Japanese. Now, for some, time really is a big factor in this, but I know quite a few people who are content to simply make friends with other ex-pats and could care less that they cannot communicate with their Japanese coworkers that cannot speak English despite having plenty of free time that could be spent learning more than just, “ビールもう一つ (One more beer!)!”
Nevertheless, the point of the article is humor and so if you need a laugh this weekend, do take a peek. Enjoy!
Do you have what it takes to be a really bad TEFL teacher? Time and time again TEFL teachers are referred to as backpacker layabouts with no dedication, and every school can relay a tale of a certain TEFLer who left them in the lurch and now wary of every other foreign teacher who comes along. Follow this advice and you will most definitely succeed at being yet another mediocre TEFL teacher giving the rest a bad name.
- Firstly, start from the viewpoint that anyone can do the job. Don’t worry about considering your English skills or if you are suited to working with children – anyone can be a TEFL teacher. In fact, don’t even bother with any sort of certification, so many schools will be simply falling over themselves in desperation for you, there will be plenty of job offers and you will have your pick of the establishments…
View original post 505 more words
Teaching in Kantō 