Any English teachers here? What's it like? Do you enjoy your job? Do you write on the side? Tell us about your life

Do you need a bachelor's or a master's to teach high school?

yeah, that's not a depressing, humiliating grind at all

what is up with this guys head, beard, whatever the fuck is going on

In the U.S. (where I am) you only need a bachelor's. Most schools encourage you to get a master's at some point though, and you definitely make more money if you have more degrees.

MY STUDENTS LOVE ME HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Nope. In my defense though, I only post on Veeky Forums.

It is but the hours are short

Right now I'm between jobs.
Its really fucking easy work once you get the hold on it. Standards are low so you're basically a babysitter but you're making as much money as an entry level teacher

Any teachers I see that are older than 35 are pathetic weirdos though, it should be a young mans game to fund you through grad school

>talking with students privately over facebook

asking for the sack

Currently teaching in Korea, I teach adults so its like a dream come true. You get the occasional self-entitled cunt but at least people are motivated to learn. There is nothing worse on the planet than trying to teach a class of kids who hate your subject and dislike you as a result

are you with YBM? i'm on the hunt for a job now too

inb4 this guy gets v& for inappropriate messages exchanged with students

Nah, know some people at YBM though, it's a good place if you get higher up in the chain but the fresh recruits are worked hard from what i hear.

But everyones first job in Korea is shit.

Mine was actually great, a really nice academy in a city I liked. Honestly wish I hadn't left.

I'm looking at EF China now and basically preparing my anus.

You thought English Language what?

English Language to foreign learners

Ah man I worked in EF in London, fucking good luck with those cunts.
You'll get payed (a bit) and they don't give a fuck once the students don't complain but they're basically hucksters and the rich shit students can be right cunts

I will say though, they're great for a CV because they're everywhere and (somehow) are viewed as prestigious

Argh, I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. No doubt it is.

I've been seduced by their sexy webpage and other stuff, some of the training courses. It's an entry-level job but I figure I can hack it for a year and then reconsider.

How long did you work with EF for? Did you get on the management track?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking also.

My current CV is not so pretty.

I "teach" Vietnamese kids

really I'm a glorified babysitter for a bunch of rugrats but the job is fairly fun and pays well, plus it will look good on my resume when I ham up how hard it was to sing corny sailing songs for Viet kids.
I also get lots of time off which is nice and the work load isn't that much since these kids are all on a fairly basic level of english. Mostly I try to keep then active and interested.
I write in my spare time but nothing substantial, a few complete short stories and poems but most of them I read again and am disappointed with.
also a lot of half finished works and random collections of notes leading to nothing.
biggest thing I've been writing is several short stories all connected together I've been thinking of turning into a novel about Lucifer living in the jungle.

I just had a summer stint with them, could have stayed on for the rest of the year but decided not to because I couldn't stand the demanding adult learners.
A first job is never going to be perfect and they're at least very dependable and you get A LOT of freedom to experiment and be lazy which is great.

They look the part because they're all marketing while paying very little attention to teaching quality. Their business model is based around impressing rich professionals with their site and booklets and then just baby sitting kids.
Really its not bad at all once you go in expecting that but I was pretty cynical and disapointed at first. Big upside on the pay is that they offer you a shit one of working hours if you want to make overtime money since they don't care whether your lesson quality diminishes with the load.

Cheers m8, most illuminating. I was thinking I wanted to work with adults rather than the really little guys but probably it's going to be a struggle either way.

In my old gig the kids were super-smart and my wknd adult classes were basically just conversations about news and culture and stuff. I think I was basically lucky as hell and am about to find out how this market actually works. We'll see I guess.

Also, if anons want to recommend books or YouTube or anything (whoa...déjà vu) about this stuff for anyone who might read this... I've been reading some stuff by Greg Strandberg, he seems like a chill guy.

I'm from Canada and I "teach" English to Japanese kids, but I wouldn't call myself a proper teacher with an education degree.

Concerning life, it is fairly easy, considering that the company has a set lesson plan. All i do is come into work, teach for 6 hours or so, then I come home.

I'm doing the same thing. I teach kindergarten kids in hanoi.
The job couldn't be easier. Basically just singing songs and playing games for a few hours every day.

Are you in hanoi or Saigon?

>English teachers
Literal actual cancer

You usually need a teaching credential as well, which usually takes a year or so of work to get. Without one you can work on an emergency permit or as an intern, but you'll still have to get a credential at some point if you want to remain a teacher

I'm going to be teaching English in Japan in April. What am I in for?

>teaching English in Japan in 2017

Is it a private school? Or through the government?

What? Is it the radiation or something?

Sounds like it's private if there's a set lesson plan from the company. Public school teachers work under an actual teacher who usually does the lesson planning.

I'm living in Bac Giang and enjoying it
Hanoi was far too polluted for my tastes, I do feel a bit isolated here considering the small expat community, but my Vietnamese is coming along and so far as the outdoors is concerned I'm in a fantastic part of the country for hiking and exploring.

the pay might be a bit higher in Saigon or Hanoi but its not bad here and cost of living is lower, plus the free school housing is pretty good.
maybe in the future I'll go somewhere else after I complete my contract and have experience.

no jobs/shit jobs

Yeah, public school sounds good but you're just an english speaking monkey.

I did a TEFL course and my teacher was an old guy who taught English in Japan in the 70/80s, told me he earned £100 an hour talking to businessmen who were just happy to communicate in English and respected everything you said. Gone are those days though.

>tfw unironically born in the wrong generation

He also had a yoko ono wife who is like 15 years younger than him and still kinda hot

Nothing kills your passion for a subject more than teaching it. You die a little on the inside every time you see students bullshit their way through the coursework

disagree with this

if you have experience and qualifications you can make pretty crazy money in Vietnam right now

I had a bachelors degree, a TEFL cert and no experience in anything and I'm making money that would be decent even back home

I got a job really easily. $3,000/month isn't bad. I could still be washing dishes in Canada.

I turned down an adult teaching 1-on-1 job in favor of the public school job. It sounds like less work, less responsibility, shorter hours, guaranteed steady income, and a chance to get some more entry-level experience. Plus it will be just like my animes.

How much $$$?

I'm considering teaching in Vietnam as well, what is Hanoi like? only looked at Saigon

I am honestly considering it. I've been in Japan and now Korea, Korea is better than Japan but I want a more laid back culture.

>tfw I'm only making like half that right now
still I spend next to nothing so its all in pocket

Ho Chi Minh

people call it Saigon still here
I drink Saigon beer every day
to specify the central urban area is Saigon but the wider metro is Thành pho Ho Chi Minh

nerd

if you're in the North call it HCM or people will look at you funny
in the south call it Saigon

it is hell
no
no (usually)
yes, but it's never published or even seen by anyone
no

I'm in the same place my man, I'm also in my semester of student teaching, although I'm training to be a history teacher. This semester has been crazy between the full time teaching and finishing up my thesis, but like you said I find teaching incredibly rewarding. It's challenging, but honestly I would enjoy it much less if the students were easier. I don't know if I'm gonna burn out on it further down the road, but for now I can't imagine myself doing anything else.