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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Is there any worse job than english teacher?
I haven't heard one story from an english teacher that liked his job. Is it the general census on that job?
12 years 40 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - China
Look, teaching English here in China gets a bad rap sometimes. On occasion, it's well deserved. But many times it's not.
I have met many people here in China that are English teachers. Some of them are here because it's a decent job and they truly want to "discover China". More power to them. Some people are accredited teachers in their home country and they are here to try and make a difference. They love teaching and they are trying to share that with the kids. There is of course a small group of people that are just here because they couldn't do anything in their home country, so they're here, "teaching" simply because they are white or a native speaker of English.
Most English teachers here that I have met are pretty passionate about their work. They take it seriously and (unfortunately) get bogged down by the politics of the work place.
Now granted, you will find some self-professed "English teachers" here that can't even make a coherent post on a website, but that doesn't mean that the profession does not have merit.
I know a guy that has a PhD in physics from MIT - he is brilliant - and he teaches English to kndergarteners here in Shanghai. Because he LIKES it.
Not all English teachers here are "failures" in their home countries, so stuff those thoughts up yer @#$$%#. Some are of course, sure, why not? But some people are highly skilled individuals (either in teaching or another field) here to explore China and learn about the people and culture.
I have 2 masters degrees in computer science and marketing. When I came to China the first time, I taught English.
Don't generalize and stereotype.
You will find some retarded dumbasses with a job here teaching, but you will also find the other side of the coin.
Some of the best and coolest people I have met here are teaching.
And why not? They're making a good salary - even a western salary - for often working 20 hours a week.
So who's "stupid"?
A chinglish teacher would be the worst. They aren't teaching students correctly! They will fail!
A brilliant answer from Mr Tibbles.
If any person is doing something that they are fundamentally unsuited for (and I've met a few of those 'teachers' in Asia), of course they will be unhappy. For the rest of us, as with any job you generally like, then there are great days, good days, okay days and terrible days.
Chinese administration, in my experience at least, does throw a lot of extraneous crap in our direction that takes time and effort to deal with, but has nothing to do with teaching. This is the source of most of my job-related bitching.
OP: Do you never have days where your job pisses you off and you just need to vent? I'll assume, having asked the question that does come across as extremely judgemental, that you have a job that's 'better' than mine!
Well it depends on where you are. In a small city teaching probably isn't so bad, it's an adventure and you're put up on a pedestal. But in a big city like shanghai....no youre not an adventurer you're just poor.
I'm so much happier since I got a real job especially because I just turned 25 and now can run in the "real expat" circles.
It's kind of a catch 22, in a smaller city nobody is going to look down on you but there are ZERO chances to do anything else. In a bigger city you're absolutely Lower Class and you see all the things you miss out on (nice apartments, pretty european girls, western food, etc.) because you're stuck in that lame box labelled TEACHER.
So....no teacher is the worst, lowest status job that foreigners can have.
kchur:
I would say, 'Russian Factory Worker in the far north of China', myself.