Things I won’t do for work
They say that everybody has a price
Although most of my TEFL experience has not been in Thailand, there is still a long list of things I won't accept in a teaching job. Talk numbers and cross my palm with silver because these are the things I simply won't do for work.
1) Long Commutes. Commuting is a biggie for me. I simply refuse to sit on the emphysema express for over an hour stuck in traffic, or the subway, or anything else if it takes forever to get to the destination.
2) Resources. If I make my own resources I intend to keep 'em. Sure the place pays my salary and the resources you generate technically belong to the school, but no way under gawd's black sun am I going to give up the time and effort I spent making things for class.
3) Photocopying. I won't spend my own money photocopying stuff and I expect to be reimbursed if I do. I don't care if the whiz bang new Canon has broken down and everyone has to wait. If I have to photocopy outside, then I want my money back.
4) Eating. There's a clause in my contract that says 'teachers are not permitted to consume the students' food at snack/lunchtime' as the school provides gourmet snacks and lunches from places like Deli France. Like hey, what about students eating my food? I have been known to sneak off food now and then, so arrest me or cut my hand off. And the little demons waste so much food. What's a piece of turkey on rye going astray?
5) Accept a probation period at a lower pay. I understand that a new job is conditional and may be terminated if the employer isn't happy. If you don't like me, FIRE me...but don't steal from me for three months in the process.
6) Change grades/marks. Unless clear evidence of error or very special circumstance can be shown. I calls 'em the way I sees 'em. If the school wants to change my grades, I probably can't stop them. However, I will not legitimize this process by doing it for them.
7) Knuckle under when presented with an attempt to force a contract change, or blatant failure to perform the contract by the employer. I'm a reasonable girl. I'll work with you. I understand that things are a little late sometimes. I at least try to not sweat the small stuff too much. I won't punt a job just because I never get the free Chinese lessons in my contract but I will not allow anyone to outright give me the ol' switcheroo on any significant part of our agreement and that includes pay, allowances, and major benefits. I'm no one's bitch, and I'm not going to let myself get slapped like one. If I'm still working there, I will quit. There are a zillion other jobs out there. If the contract is ending, I will raise all kinds of hell. I will always do everything in my reach to make it easier to abide by our agreement, than to break it.
8) Allow my home, telephone number, or free time to be unreasonably opened up to students and parents or school activities without my consent. Some schools simply assume that you'll be delighted to be on 24/7 duty answering calls from parents or kids, field all manner of calls to your home or mobile phones....you name it. When it happens, this nonsense needs to be brought to an immediate screeching halt. My space and my phone money and my free time are MINE, dammit. I am intensely jealous of them. I understand that some presence at school events, with proper notice, just comes with the territory. I don't mind, if it's reasonable. Some allowance for making yourself available to students and parents is DEFINITELY reasonable. Sometimes I genuinely enjoy socializing ....but this will be MY choice, not the choice of the school. However, when presented with a surprise I find intrusive, I'm as blunt as I have to be about saying 'No'.
The Chinese inability to understand the concepts of "privacy" and "personal space" is simply not my responsibility.
9) Dress appropriately. I understand why one can't flash mammary glands or legs or 'I love Mom and Dad' tats, but having to cover up head to toe in a bajou kurong thing is too much to bear in the stinking heat. It leaves me gasping and reaching for the deodorant. And how do the locals stay so fresh? Why do Asians never seem to sweat? What about people tripping over your skirt tail? Excruciatingly painful.
10) Bonuses. I've got to have the perks including the flights. And if I don't want to fly back to my homegrown cave then give me the cash thanks. I am not flying Ethiopian Airlines either.
11) Meetings. If they are not in English, I won't attend some three hour time waster when the key points can be e-mailed to me. No, I won't ask my friend to translate for me either. Hire me a translator and forget scheduling long pointless meetings on the last day of term because I'm flying back to my batcave. Same goes for any public holiday.
12) Morning Exercise. This one's another bone for contention and a Chinese obsession. Bell dings and everyone shuffles out in class groups, lines up and awaits the music to begin. Now I don't have anything against exercise - horizontal or otherwise - if its in a gym or jogging, but I refuse to do knee to elbows wearing a skirt to Lady Gaga or jumping up and down to Michael Jackson. That's just losing face unless you're the PE teacher. Besides, that's what the TA's are for. They don't need the foreign teacher to be doing this and sometimes filming it. Worked with a girl years ago who was the size of a battle-ship. She was close to fainting every morning. Ended up getting a note from the doc.
13) Pictures and publicity. I won't ever allow my image to be pimped out without my permission. My old school had a picture of me on some promo stuff and I went completely ape shit. I told them they would have to pay me cold hard cash for the right to use my image on any material as I had NEVER given them permission to use my image in any way.
14) Dressing Up. I will NEVER agree to dress up like Mrs Santa, an elf or anything else! fuck that! I already hate that I'm expected to be happy about dressing up in a cheap, ill-fitting crappy costume that cost 20rmb and smile and dance and various other BS. I'll do it as long as I can selectively head-butt any child of my choice if they piss me off.
15) Summer / Winter holidays. As a teacher, I won't let a school guilt me into working over my winter and summer break unless I am 100% happy to give up my holiday time and I'm not flying back to my batcave.
"Oh but the students really love you and want to see you"
Awwwww............ that's sweet but unless I need some extra money I'm getting drunk and sleeping in till 2 in the arvo every day.
Article by Sentrix
Comments
definitely, teaching isn’t for you…you build your own company and make your own rules…
By beatrice granger on 2011-10-23
I cannot agree with Will Beukes, “Unless you are not fully committed in developing your fellow human beings, you are just not cut out to be an educator.“ - I trained, and continued to teach, in a ‘tough’ school in the UK before moving abroad.
The article is not about teaching, it is about personnel-management, which is almost totally lacking in some Asian schools. My two-years teaching in Taiwan taught me that their understanding of English is based on totally different cultural norms, for one thing that Might is Right. When discussing the terms of a renewal of my contract, I was told “You must agree because there are five of us to one of you.“ I stood-up and walked.
Reneging on contract terms seems to be a commonly-heard complaint, along with contract-interpretation that suits local language rather than the English version of it. My contract finished on a Wednesday “Oh you must teach your one lesson, that’s in the contract” And at the same time be at Taipei airport to fly-out, because the visa expires the same day as the end-of-contract. There is little or no give-and-take and that, surely, is what the original-poster was talking about?
Geoff
By Geoff Probert, Aranyaprathet, Thailand on 2011-10-02
I agree 100% with the author.
As a qualified teacher with lots of experience, it is sad to see the way many schools treat their foreign staff.
From salary, to breach of contract and a million different issues in the middle, if you want a real teacher that is happy to work, treat the staff like human beings and not slaves!
Just look around, salaries seem to be going down in the schools that have high staff turnovers. Such schools also seem to want to issue 10 month “contracts” and various promises are broken. Even your evenings, weekends and holidays seem to be the property of the school!
And after all this, teachers need to put up with ever changing systems that appear to tighten the noose around foreign teacher’s necks!
Leaving the school campus to go to KFC (for lunch) for 30 minutes is not permitted in some schools (even when one does not have classes).
if you are absent because you are sick (with a note) you lose money.
Teachers are often told to do border visa runs as it saves the school 3,000 Baht for a work permit!
Many schools keep a percentage of the teacher’s salary just so that the teacher does not leave - slavery without exit.
Many schools also tell foreign teachers that if the boss is not happy, their employment will be terminated immediately and the teacher has 24 hours to leave the country or immigration will be called to arrest the teacher. Slavery.
If you pay peanuts as a nation to qualifed teachers - at least let us work in a peaceful and friendly work-environment with REAL smiles!
Or is that too much to ask?
I can understand some might think the teacher that wrote the article is being arrogant however, if you have been treated like a slave you will understand that what she mentions actually falls within basic decent working conditions!
By Mr Grumpy, Thailand on 2011-10-01
I think you printed your name wrong I think it is Semtex you will up with a bang with your stupid attitude, I had to read your article twice, as I don’t believe a Brit could be this stupid, your lucky they even gave you a job
By Charlie Wilson, Sisaket on 2011-09-21
the universal rule that the elite likes to keep the status quo…By Peter, Vancouver on 2011-09-17
Yes, I absolutely agree there are many factions involved in teaching esl for many different agenda. I really do appreciate your post and I understand where you are coming from. I really enjoy teaching ss that don’t come from the “elite” as I agree the ss try harder as there is much more at stake. What I took away from the main article is real teaching vs. a puppet or show clown. A real teacher must be able to gain the ss admiration, but more importantly must be able to make the tough crunch academic decisions when needed and not crumble like a puppet or a good doggy preforming tricks. There is more than one side to teaching of course, there are the classroom participation protocols and there is also the office management side of the coin. I really do have to agree that as soon as we wean ss off of the dancing monkey as a foreign teacher scenario the better off we will all be, students and teachers alike. And I don’t mean we need to be overly strict or even implement a serif, master situation. More to the point is kindness with professionalism wins the day, and not sacrificing ones moral compass in the presence of people without one. I am not just talking about the ss either. I have become increasingly aware of more and more religious cult Christians entering the esl world pimping their at times sick and twisted idea of pay money to believe in god on the students. These are people that come from their own private churches or should I say ministries as they are not real churches at all. They come with private degrees, teaching certificates all issued in house. To cut it short teaching should be about language/linguistics communication not brainwashing. It Should be about the students and sticking to your principles.
By john, china on 2011-09-18