Hate to bump a semi-old topic, but it seems like this topic is focused on teaching elementary / high school students. Does anyone else have experience lecturing at a university or research institute? Teaching in and of itself sounds amazing but if you're someone who doesn't want to deal with brats there should still be other options.

I know Dubai has lots of teaching positions available.
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If 1 girl decides she doesn't like you, or if you touch a child at all, your job is at risk.

1 allegation and you're out- guilty until proven innocent.

Not sure if its the same in Australia but I can think of 2 cases off the top of my head in the last year where a male teachers name was published in the newspaper and his job was lost only to be hired again (sorry, newspaper doesn't care it was a false allegation)

DON'T
TOUCH
THE
KIDS

In the UK teaching seems to be a very bad choice. I know a few who tried it, including one chap who went from an STEM type job and was laid off the same as I was. Last time I met him he'd left teaching and is now a self employed gardener/ handy man. Lower pay but far less stress. Teaching in the UK involves long hours ( lots of class prep and paperwork outside school hours), mediocre pay and stress due to unruly kids who don't want to learn in a lot of the schools and next to no discipline.

Teaching's great, you get well paid, long vacations, and a good pension in most government jobs in the West.

Don't end up like this guy. Best movie about an Australian teacher ever. Maybe best movie about Australia ever.

Pluses: Best benefits with vacations and benefits of any profession. Huge job security. Always feel like an alpha running a classroom of high school age kids.

Minus: Being around hot 18 year olds all day without getting to play with them. Also, constantly around PC crowd libs...watch your back.

I've been tutoring for years and considered going into teaching. I have been told I have a knack for it, but I would only want to teach high schoolers. I hate middle school kids and younger children with a passion. They're not that bad, but I often find them to be obnoxious. The number 1 attraction when it comes to teaching is the control. You really get to influence young minds and you might even inspire a love of a certain topic in them. Nothing is greater than receptive students who aren't just doing it for the grade. That is the problem with SAT, even if a student is truly receptive to learning it's hard to take them far because no one loves taking a stupid standardized test.

The thing I would miss is that if you are good at tutoring you can charge absurd fees as a tutor. I know some math tutors in my area who charge upwards of $120 USD for 1 hour of their time, but teaching is so much more stable (if you're good and not just coasting your way to tenure)

Good pay, time off, pension, benefits and security are all pros that are historically accurate. However, I would encourage all men who are about to enter education to conduct a full inquiry into the current status of the state pension, changing tenure and seniority laws in their respective state.

Some states have changed or are moving towards a change with regard to these areas that make education attractive. Some states have changed pension formulas and eliminated cost of living adjustments (COLA). Tenure and seniority laws are also being changed in some states which directly affects job security

Even with these changes, there are still some attractive aspects of the profession. However, make a full assessment of the changes or potential changes in your state.

Quote: (02-10-2015 11:12 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  

I'm about to head to bed, but I'll give this a go in the morning. I live quite the life as a teacher.

No taxes.
No rent.
I'm free to work anywhere in the world every two years.
14 weeks off each year.

Don't attempt it unless you love children.

International School? How hard was it to get a gig? Did you already have a lot of experience teaching in the states?

I'm working on getting certified now, I'll be finished around 01/16. Hopefully I can work at an IS soon after. I've heard that without experience you have to start off in real shitholes, not that I'd mind doing so for 2-years to get my foot in the door.

Quote: (04-14-2015 06:10 AM)Carboneraser Wrote:  

If 1 girl decides she doesn't like you, or if you touch a child at all, your job is at risk.

1 allegation and you're out- guilty until proven innocent.

I always hear this, and it's good to be vigilant, but I think some people are just paranoid. I've known dozens of male teachers and coaches and none of them ever expressed these concerns.

Avoid ever being alone with just 1 or 2 students (male or female), but beyond that I really wouldn't worry.

Quote: (04-14-2015 08:10 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  

Don't end up like this guy. Best movie about an Australian teacher ever. Maybe best movie about Australia ever.

Amazing movies, one of my all-time favorites. The characters in the town really capture the mentality of the average Aussies I meet when traveling.

International Schools...

a good one you need experience in International Schools, preferably IB, PYP experience etc, you will work very hard, it will take up all of your time as there is a lot of pressure but you will receive a good package and be able to save and travel. Not easy to get into.

An average 3rd tier one is less pressure, easier to get into but the pay will be shit. You will have a good time but one day wake up with not much to show for it all...financially speaking.

I did some teaching. Can't fuking stand it. And this was teaching extremely rich, extremely well behaved, and for the most part extremely smart Chinese kids in Shanghai. We're talking the sons and daughters of high level businessmen and professionals, kids who are scoring 1450s on their SAT and want to improve to 1500+. Not some gun-toting ghetto hoods who are literally 100 times as likely to put a cap in your ass as to pass Algebra 2. Can't even imagine that shit, but if you're in America that's more than likely what you'll have to deal with starting out.

To be fair, I'm naturally terrible at teaching, so that probably colors my assessment. I don't have the energy or social presence to get a class involved, and I looked no older than the students so I couldn't use war-weary geezer monotone, either. Tutoring was a lot better, since it consisted almost entirely of logical, structured explanations rather than creating a certain type of classroom dynamic.

With all that said, even if I were a rockstar at teaching, I would still hate my life and want to kill myself if that was my career. To put it simply, I am too selfish. I came from the bottom and right now am slowly but surely making my way to the top. I am determined to make it there. I want to work hard so that I can be a somebody and to change my life for the better, not that of some stranger's kid.

Furthermore, what is teaching? It's taking stuff that you already knew backwards and forwards as an idiot highschooler and repeating it over and over for the rest of your life. Fuck that. Even if my goal wasn't to end up with a lot of money, it would at least be to do something cool like engineering hypersonic vehicles or orchestrating massive cross-border business deals. Not droning on and on about the pythagorean theroem year after year, decade after decade.

But that's just my take on it. I made it a point to sound very negative, to provide somewhat of a counterpoint to the other replies in this thread, that have tended to be mostly positive.

Quote: (04-17-2015 08:54 PM)worldtraveller85 Wrote:  

International Schools...

a good one you need experience in International Schools, preferably IB, PYP experience etc, you will work very hard, it will take up all of your time as there is a lot of pressure but you will receive a good package and be able to save and travel. Not easy to get into.

An average 3rd tier one is less pressure, easier to get into but the pay will be shit. You will have a good time but one day wake up with not much to show for it all...financially speaking.

Yeah, I actually got an offer to work for a 3rd-tier one, despite no qualifications beyond my degree. Actually it was probably 4th or 5th tier. I ended up deciding to do TEFL for a while instead.

I'd be fine working in lower-quality schools for a while. Although I'd like to be working in an IB by the time I'm in my late 20s.

Have you done international schools? I worked with a guy who did China for a few years and saved a lot. He always made it sound like a nice gig.

Also how shit is the pay for 3rd-tier? I only make about $30,000 a year in Korea, plus housing and airfare. I'm still managing to put away about $1,000 a month though. Even 3rd-tier schools can't pay less than that, right?

Quote: (04-18-2015 01:22 AM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  

Furthermore, what is teaching? It's taking stuff that you already knew backwards and forwards as an idiot highschooler and repeating it over and over for the rest of your life. Fuck that. Even if my goal wasn't to end up with a lot of money, it would at least be to do something cool like engineering hypersonic vehicles or orchestrating massive cross-border business deals. Not droning on and on about the pythagorean theroem year after year, decade after decade.

Teaching definitely isn't for everyone. I have pretty limited experience but I've enjoyed it so far. That could definitely change though.

Isn't every job just doing the same thing over and over again? Accountants file taxes every year, architects design buildings every year, even professional athletes play the same sport every year.

To really get variety I feel like you'd have to be constantly switching careers. Or at least companies. That's actually something that appeals to me about International Schools, that I could be living in a different part of the world every few years.

Quote: (04-18-2015 01:22 AM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  

I came from the bottom and right now am slowly but surely making my way to the top. I am determined to make it there. I want to work hard so that I can be a somebody and to change my life for the better, not that of some stranger's kid.

I'm no life/finance coach, but i'm pretty sure that's *not* the right attitude to have if you want to make $$$.
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Quote: (04-19-2015 08:03 AM)Cyclone Wrote:  

Quote: (04-18-2015 01:22 AM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  

I came from the bottom and right now am slowly but surely making my way to the top. I am determined to make it there. I want to work hard so that I can be a somebody and to change my life for the better, not that of some stranger's kid.

I'm no life/finance coach, but i'm pretty sure that's *not* the right attitude to have if you want to make $$$.
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In what way? It seems pretty clear-cut that the dude whose primary goal is to climb the ladder will climb higher than the dude whose primary goal is to help others climb the ladder. Mother Theresa is known for many things, but great wealth is not one.

With my current outlook on life teaching is starting to look like a path that could make sense for me.

Can any of you guys teaching in the US give an example of what a typical day/week is like for you? The biggest motivator for me would be the hours you would work as a teacher, but I want to know what it's actually like.

A trick I've stumbled upon to getting into 2nd-tier international schools with little/no experience is this: be available.

During peak hiring season, it is competitive. During odd times of the year, many schools get desperate when someone leaves because of family emergency (real or contrived) or a pregnancy.

Be a/ say you are a TEFL teacher. That way, they won't look too closely at what you've been up to, ask themselves why you don't currently have a teaching job, and won't consider you unemployed.

Quote: (04-19-2015 11:30 PM)General Mayhem Wrote:  

With my current outlook on life teaching is starting to look like a path that could make sense for me.

Can any of you guys teaching in the US give an example of what a typical day/week is like for you? The biggest motivator for me would be the hours you would work as a teacher, but I want to know what it's actually like.

Anyone that says teaching is 9 till 3 isn't a real teacher...try 7.30-5 plus weekend work.

That's why teachers need holiday's for a rest physically and to regain their sanity.

Also how shit is the pay for 3rd-tier? I only make about $30,000 a year in Korea, plus housing and airfare. I'm still managing to put away about $1,000 a month though. Even 3rd-tier schools can't pay less than that, right?

[quote='Fast Eddie' pid='1002546' dateline='1429338167']

18 to 25k

but it can be relative depending upon location/cost of living etc

The thing that stings is that u can be doing the same job (e.g workload/stressful kids) and be earning double that or triple that somewhere else

If you want to go international u will need to start in third tier anyway unless you know someone or are extremely lucky.

U may love a third tier school. All schools are different..it all comes back to staff/admin/students/parents

Quote: (04-19-2015 05:04 PM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  

Quote: (04-19-2015 08:03 AM)Cyclone Wrote:  

Quote: (04-18-2015 01:22 AM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  

I came from the bottom and right now am slowly but surely making my way to the top. I am determined to make it there. I want to work hard so that I can be a somebody and to change my life for the better, not that of some stranger's kid.

I'm no life/finance coach, but i'm pretty sure that's *not* the right attitude to have if you want to make $$$.
.

In what way? It seems pretty clear-cut that the dude whose primary goal is to climb the ladder will climb higher than the dude whose primary goal is to help others climb the ladder. Mother Theresa is known for many things, but great wealth is not one.

You climb the ladder by making other peoples' lives better.
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Quote: (04-14-2015 05:32 AM)Cyclone Wrote:  

Hate to bump a semi-old topic, but it seems like this topic is focused on teaching elementary / high school students. Does anyone else have experience lecturing at a university or research institute? Teaching in and of itself sounds amazing but if you're someone who doesn't want to deal with brats there should still be other options.

I know Dubai has lots of teaching positions available.
.

I taught tech school/community college. It requires a masters degree but is like a sweet spot between high school teacher and university professor.

1. There is no research, professional publication bullshit required like university
2. There are politics, but much less and much less blue pill than university
3. Unlike high school, kids don't "have" to be there so most of the time if they act up you can just remind them of that and they will leave or drop the course willingly
4. You can't bang students that are in your classes, but all of the women are 18-21 and even if they are in your class they are done with the program in 2 years.

If I had stuck with it I would have ended up in scandal, fired or with some accidental impregnation. It was like throwing an inexperienced swimmer into a pool full of pussy. Every current (adult learner) and future (young slut) gold digger that I banged saw my potential as a way for them to skip immediately from 'student life' to 'trophy wife'.

Shit. Thats a great phrase. "Whores graduating university seek to transition from student life to trophy wife and continue to live on humanity's easy street"

Quote: (04-20-2015 12:37 AM)Moto Wrote:  

A trick I've stumbled upon to getting into 2nd-tier international schools with little/no experience is this: be available.

During peak hiring season, it is competitive. During odd times of the year, many schools get desperate when someone leaves because of family emergency (real or contrived) or a pregnancy.

Be a/ say you are a TEFL teacher. That way, they won't look too closely at what you've been up to, ask themselves why you don't currently have a teaching job, and won't consider you unemployed.

Nice. Yeah I'm doing TEFL right now. I noticed most jobs hire in January, which is around when I'd be ready. I figured that short-notice jobs would be available too, I'm honestly down to live pretty much anywhere in my 20s, although there are certain places I'd prefer. I'll definitely be available.

You've done IS jobs? What was your experience like? You enjoy it? Did you move around a lot? Save a little money?

Quote: (04-18-2015 01:22 AM)WorldWide Traveller 85 Wrote:  

18 to 25k

but it can be relative depending upon location/cost of living etc

The thing that stings is that u can be doing the same job (e.g workload/stressful kids) and be earning double that or triple that somewhere else

If you want to go international u will need to start in third tier anyway unless you know someone or are extremely lucky.

U may love a third tier school. All schools are different..it all comes back to staff/admin/students/parents

Little low. I guess 3rd-tier schools are probably in the super cheap countries. 25k is a decent enough chunk in a country like Nicaragua.

Yeah, I'm sure the individual schools vary a lot. I'm willing to make less the first few years, and I really don't mind where I go. There are very few countries that I'd refuse to live in for two years.

You've done IS jobs? How was your experience?

My dad's a teacher and he fucking hates every single minute of it.

Lots of vacation so travel opportunities there, but if you can't put a ritalin soaked classroom in line don't consider it as a long term career.

Respect by being chill only comes from undergrad level and above, so if it'll help you get a university gig later I'd do it.

Hey Joker teaching is the nice profession and in this profession the dignity and personality can be maintained more than any other profession. Teachers have the responsibility to built the career of an individual and they contribute in every individuals life strongly.

Yeah it can be very rewarding but if ur interested in being rich and making money steer the fuck clear.

I have been considering getting a certification to teach in my state, Texas. Does anyone have experience with the alternate certification programs, or is it a better idea to get a masters degree in teaching?

Im considering teaching because my current line of work offers very little time off and the locations where I can possibly work are near military bases. I like the idea of being able to go on extended travel every year.

Quote: (04-20-2015 11:22 AM)Hedonistic Traveler Wrote:  

Quote: (04-20-2015 12:37 AM)Moto Wrote:  

A trick I've stumbled upon to getting into 2nd-tier international schools with little/no experience is this: be available.

During peak hiring season, it is competitive. During odd times of the year, many schools get desperate when someone leaves because of family emergency (real or contrived) or a pregnancy.

Be a/ say you are a TEFL teacher. That way, they won't look too closely at what you've been up to, ask themselves why you don't currently have a teaching job, and won't consider you unemployed.

Nice. Yeah I'm doing TEFL right now. I noticed most jobs hire in January, which is around when I'd be ready. I figured that short-notice jobs would be available too, I'm honestly down to live pretty much anywhere in my 20s, although there are certain places I'd prefer. I'll definitely be available.

You've done IS jobs? What was your experience like? You enjoy it? Did you move around a lot? Save a little money?

I've done IS teaching in Latin America and North Africa. If you get foreign hire, yes you can save money (maybe $1,000 USD/month if you're frugal, and depending on the country and school). Places like China and Korea pay more. The most would be in Saudi Arabia. The middle east generally pays well, but the only places where it would be worth going and expect to hook up without risk of legal punishment would be Dubai and possibly Morocco.

It can be very enjoyable, and sometimes thoroughly unenjoyable. The cons: when kids are unruly, it can be a very difficult job. Some countries/cultures have very different kinds of kids. Spoiled rotten rich kids, the kinds you teach in IS, though not nearly as bad as ghetto kids in the states, are still more challenging in other ways than, say, middle class suburban kids. They are chatty as hell and aren't used to taking orders. I've noticed that kids in Islamic countries seem to lie like nobody's business.

I'm being somewhat vague about my locations, as there are only so many schools and I don't want to be easily identifiable.

Yes, I've moved around a lot. I haven't quite been able to settle, or have a stable job yet. I may be leaving the profession soon, there are some factors at play. With a good group of kids, it's a good gig. But I don't have the personality type to be good at controlling unruly kids, and I don't particularly enjoy putting on the front necessary to be a hardass super-strict teacher. I've learned how to do it, more or less, but it's not sustainable. From what I hear, Asian kids are generally much better behaved. I hope I don't get in trouble making generalizations about race, but hey every international teacher does and there is basis in fact.