The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

Agent_Smith

...as dishwater. For me anyway. I put my notice in a couple of days ago so I'll be an ex-English teacher officially on Jan 1.

I've taught for 6 months and never in that time did I get a handle on why I wasn't enjoying it. At first i thought it was too many hours so I requested a transfer to a high school where I'd make the same money but less days/hours and only prepping 2 lessons a week. It went well for awhile but I still felt this niggling bit of dissatisfaction in the pit of my stomach. On the weekends I dreaded creating the lessons and during the week I dreaded going to the classes. I've come to realize that it is the subject itself that makes me want to weep tears of boredom.

So, by process of elimination, I'm going to determine once and for all if it is actually teaching that I hate or teaching English that I hate. I'm now looking to teach other subjects. My uni degree is Social Studies related and I've always held an interest in history, politics, culture, economics and so forth so that's what I'll be looking for.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has felt this way about teaching English and if changing subjects made a difference.

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This country [USA] is so fucking childish. It doesn’t know what it wants. It just wants to be angry.
~Greg Critser

NickA

^Yep, I very rarely teach English, but I enjoy it even more rarely. I normally teach science and enjoy it as long as the class is well behaved and attentive.

sesame

It can be one of the best subjects to teach, an absolute joy, but not much in Thailand, sadly.

CharleyFarley

I stood in for a friend some time ago teaching 'english' to very young Thai kids and also found it utterly boring. I had the same feeling of dread before each class.
A teenage class I had was even worse as they were totally non responsive.

The experience left me completely devoid of any confidence in the classroom.

It appears so easy to other people I know, but I can't fathom why it is a mystery to me.

It would be useful pocket money for golf

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I've never seen an ugly girl suck my cock

Luckydog

Frustrating more than boring imo.

Even ex-uni peeps are 'as thick as two short planks'........

And the pay is peanuts. If I never do it again, it will be too bluddy soon!

klongmaster

whereas your whores in your bar are as bright as...

sometimes you're a right plonker LD...

Roc

Those that cant do,teach,and those that can't teach.....teach gym.

chinthee

Thank you Jack Black. BTW, one of the funniest films of the century School of Rock.

reinvented

did it for about 5 years
couldn't go back to it if my life depended on it

sabang

I have also read people saying that they enjoy teaching, and find it rewarding.
Maybe it just varies with the individual then?
I suspect I wouldn't be cut out for teaching- too impatient.

Sir Burr

It was always my back-up plan to teach English if everything went pear-shaped.
Luckily for me, an oil boom came along, so, it won't ever happen. Don't think I would enjoy it either, for the same reason as sabang.

NickA

^3/4 hour working days are a bit of a plus though

Megahorn

I'm doing a bit at the mo, can be great fun. As with most things in life it's your attitude that decides how it goes. Go in, have fun, get them active. There's heaps of activities they love doing coz their just used sitting bored in a Thai classroom being dictated too. The best lessons are the ones where you don't even have to talk - you explain the activity and that's it - ready, set, GO! and they're running about the place screaming the Language you're using in the activity at each other while having the time of their lives, you just stand back and watch.

Cut up a convo and stick it around the room. Put them into pairs. One has to go read it, then dictate it to the other who writes it down. When finished they have to sort it into the correct order. The first team to read the correct convo to you wins.

Make everything a competition - they love it.

Divide them into 4 groups. - Man utd, liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. Each team has a 4 letter word on the board. They have to make a new word by changing one letter. One team member writes the new words as the rest of the team screams them at them. First to make 10 new, correct words wins the FA cup.

Make it fun mate and you'll enjoy it a a bit more. Hope that helps with your last 3 weeks of it.

^^^I don't do it coz I find it all that rewarding, but I like seeing people (kids) have fun, especially somewhere like school where they usually have to sit still and daydream of having fun. So guess that's why I do it.

... and it is fun, for me too.

Psygnosis

Used to teach english back in 2005, but saw the light a long time ago, glad to see I'm not the only one
Too many guys out in Thailand kid themselves into teaching english and end up leading a bitter scowling existence.

Texpat

^I've done that rather nicely without teaching anybody anything.

'cept that shitball motocy driver the other day who learnt it's bad form to cut off a farang in a truck.

obsidian

and those that can do neither borrow money from mummy and open a bar.

kingwilly

quite, and call it friendly then spam a local thai based forum....

Silent Orchestra

You don't measure someone's intelligence by their education.

Some as those bargirls are as sharp as knives.

November Rain

I taught English privately in HK for 7 years. When people suggest jobs for me now, teaching is always top of the list, but those seven years were enough for me. Never again. I think you're right, Agent Smith; apart from the older kids whom I did literature with, it was mind-numbingly boring. And these were, by and large, clever, responsive kids.

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Quot homines, tot sententiae

klongmaster

I'm not questioning the intelligence of bar girls SO: just taking exception to the thought that uni students are thick as two planks...