ESL jobs
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- Wun Gwo Pee
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- Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2014 8:07 am
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- 20,000 Posts; I need professional help !
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- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:31 pm
- Location: Space, maaaan
sen wrote:This forum has been of great help so far, I feel a tad bit more motivated now, thanks. However, the only options open to me shouldn't be at the lower end, as this just reinforces what I suspected all along. I'll bear in mind that these lower-end schools aren't likely to be as professional as I'd like as well, as disheartening as it this is. As for Nigerians, they are not all bad. I am not Nigerian but I have had some decent Nigerian friends. The saying ''don't judge a book by it's cover'' has deeper meaning now. Anyway, thanks for the heads up and the honesty.
I completely agree with you. It sounds like you are a decently qualified teacher and shouldn't be competing with those with suspect or no qualifications.
Springrain did add an important point - what racism there is comes mainly from the market - i.e. parents who pay the fees. However, some schools are more 'internationally-minded' and might have a smattering of more enlightened parents - again, I suspect Zaman might be one, and it pays well. Also, 99.9% of Cambodians won't know their Eritreas from their Nigerias, but they will have negative views of black Africans due to the bad press Nigerian criminals have earned here. Therefore, you need to downplay any African heritage and focus on your London background - while job-hunting, at least.
What age and level are you mainly experienced in teaching?
I came, I argued, I'm out
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- Wun Gwo Pee
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Good luck in your search sen. You seem to have your head screwed on. I'm sure you will get lucky.
I've taught all ages and levels, but I mostly taught pre-intermediates & advanced students. I've been asked to downplay where I come from before in Italy but I couldn't do it, as the way I see it we are all ambassadors of where we come from. In Turkey, where they just refer to the region as Habeshastan, it felt every rewarding for me make them aware that there are in fact 2 Habeshastans, the other being Ethiopia. Now at least 200 Turkish people know about my land, which was also where the prophet Muhammed (PBU) sent 16 of his first followers to escape persecution from Mecca. I'm not Muslim but half of my nation is and so I'm very proud of this little known fact that was well-appreciated in Turkey. I cannot deny my roots for the sake of a teaching gig, I do however realise Cambodia is world's apart from Turkey.
So I have been trying to just say I was raised in the UK whilst still stating my Eritrean background. But I see what you mean by they wouldn't know the difference between Eritreans and Nigerians. But by pointing out the fact that A) Africa is not in America, and B) Stating where I am from can only raise levels of awareness. Even if it's raising the awareness of a single person, that's gratifying enough for me. In Italy, they just saw my peoples as nothing more than refugees, but there too I managed to raise some form of awareness. For me to therefore categorically deny where I'm from for the appeasement of anybody would be out the question.
Why can't I be as proud as anybody else about where I'm from? And why should I be expected succumb to that sort of pressure? It's really not worth is for me, I think I'll just cut my losses and leave with my dignity and integrity in tact. I'll just take it as an experience and try not to forget that this sort prejudice only comes from a place of innocent ignorance and nothing more.
So I have been trying to just say I was raised in the UK whilst still stating my Eritrean background. But I see what you mean by they wouldn't know the difference between Eritreans and Nigerians. But by pointing out the fact that A) Africa is not in America, and B) Stating where I am from can only raise levels of awareness. Even if it's raising the awareness of a single person, that's gratifying enough for me. In Italy, they just saw my peoples as nothing more than refugees, but there too I managed to raise some form of awareness. For me to therefore categorically deny where I'm from for the appeasement of anybody would be out the question.
Why can't I be as proud as anybody else about where I'm from? And why should I be expected succumb to that sort of pressure? It's really not worth is for me, I think I'll just cut my losses and leave with my dignity and integrity in tact. I'll just take it as an experience and try not to forget that this sort prejudice only comes from a place of innocent ignorance and nothing more.
Last edited by sen on Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I know what you mean but I can't make the financial sacrifice.
Initially, I wanted to come out here and teach on the side and hopefully do some NGO work around Nutrition (B.Sc. in Human Nutrition) in my free time, but first I must be able to earn a living. We all want to feel like valued and appreciated members of any given society, however, if all they see is my complexion, which is not much different from a typical Khmer person, then that's too short-sighted for me to make the financial and long term commitment.
On Monday I'll make contact with some more NGOs and see if I can do a little of voluntary work for a couple of weeks before leaving, otherwise there's no real incentive for me to stay on if the leverage is so limited. I've emailed Zaman and NGIS today so hopefully that might offer a new leash of hope. But ultimately, I can't stay more than 2 months here, waiting for the phone to ring.
My youngest sister just went to China to visit my other sister, and within a week she's had two job offers. She has no teaching experience and yet she's finding it easier than me to find work. It's not a good feeling to know that a person/thing/place doesn't have the same level of enthusiasm for you as you've had for it.
Initially, I wanted to come out here and teach on the side and hopefully do some NGO work around Nutrition (B.Sc. in Human Nutrition) in my free time, but first I must be able to earn a living. We all want to feel like valued and appreciated members of any given society, however, if all they see is my complexion, which is not much different from a typical Khmer person, then that's too short-sighted for me to make the financial and long term commitment.
On Monday I'll make contact with some more NGOs and see if I can do a little of voluntary work for a couple of weeks before leaving, otherwise there's no real incentive for me to stay on if the leverage is so limited. I've emailed Zaman and NGIS today so hopefully that might offer a new leash of hope. But ultimately, I can't stay more than 2 months here, waiting for the phone to ring.
My youngest sister just went to China to visit my other sister, and within a week she's had two job offers. She has no teaching experience and yet she's finding it easier than me to find work. It's not a good feeling to know that a person/thing/place doesn't have the same level of enthusiasm for you as you've had for it.
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- 20,000 Posts; I need professional help !
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- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:31 pm
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Hmm, I was going to put some work teaching upper inter/advanced level students your way - just a few hours per week. However, if your commitment to being here is that shonky, it wouldn't be worth arranging for introductions.
I came, I argued, I'm out
You've misunderstood me, I'm still open to staying here if I am seen as a desirable candidate as much as anybody else. If I can't be seen in the same light as other prospective candidates purely because of my ethnicity, then that's not something I can withstand. I don't want to be pitied or anything like that. I just want to feel just as worthy as anybody else. If there are genuine work opportunities that are open to everybody and I apply, I want to feel like I can get them because I possess the right skill-sets and have the right motivations. I'm honestly not looking for favours, that wouldn't change anything. I hope that makes sense.
Be fair Andy. It's easy to see why she might be disheartened. Push the work her way and give her a break. I like her attitude and hope she sticks around.
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- 20,000 Posts; I need professional help !
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- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:31 pm
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I will; however, I need to consider the other side, i.e. the students whom I don't want to be buggered around by a teacher who starts and then leaves soon after.scobienz wrote:Be fair Andy. It's easy to see why she might be disheartened. Push the work her way and give her a break. I like her attitude and hope she sticks around.
I came, I argued, I'm out
Thanks Scobienz. This is my first forum experience and I never knew that forums had such a strong sense of community spirit.
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- Making Khmer girls cry since 2003
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Is it possible that your younger sister is a native English speaker, or more of a native English speaker, having lived more or her life than the UK, and that's why it's easier for her to find teaching work?
Not to come across like a dick here (again), but if I owned a school, I would be wary of hiring her, as she seems more interested in "raising awareness" than teaching English.
Not to come across like a dick here (again), but if I owned a school, I would be wary of hiring her, as she seems more interested in "raising awareness" than teaching English.
Follow my lame Twitter feed: @gavin_mac
I'm a native speaker. I was raised and educated in the UK. This is the sort of misconception I meant when I mentioned raising awareness, but I see where the confusion arises from now. My sister was born in the UK but refers to herself in the same way. I totally get what you mean though, and it's completely valid.
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