Help me stop my friend from dropping out and moving to Thailand.

October 15, 2006 5:56 PM

A friend of mine, who is 19 (in college), is planning on taking some money he's saved up (apparently a couple of grand) and moving to Thailand with the intent of teaching English. What are the flaws in his argument, and how can I dissuade him?

He's planning on dropping out of college (or "taking a sabbatical", as he likes to call it), flying into Bangkok, setting himself up with a fake college diploma (he thinks it will be easy to get one), and shopping around for schools that bite.
I have no doubt that he'd actually make an excellent teacher, but that's beside the point.

I've pointed out the recent coup, the fact that his being 19 will raise suspicion, etc. But, if any of you have any elaboration or suggestions, I would appreciate it.

posted by matkline to travel & transportation (38 comments total)

Aside from the fake diploma thing this sounds like a pretty good plan to me. I should have done the same. If he thinks ahead he will tell the school what he is doing (minus that whole fake diploma thing) and there is a good chance he can finish up where he left off after his stint in Asia. Japan used to be the place for this; is it Thailand now?
posted by caddis at 6:00 PM on October 15, 2006

I think taking some time off to teach English in Thailand is an excellent thing to do, and you shouldn't try to dissuade your friend.

However, you should tell him to get some real qualifications - you can do short courses in teaching english to speakers of other languages that only take a few weeks and give you a formal qualification and good idea of what to do - and he'll be snapped up once he gets over there. He should also look into organisations that, well, organise placements for English teachers in developing countries. I'm pretty sure that there has been a previous question or two about these organisations here, and you can find many with a simple google search.

Don't worry about the coup - it was bloodless and fairly peaceful. Thailand is one of the safer countries in south-east Asia, although safety precautions are always recommended.
posted by Lucie at 6:02 PM on October 15, 2006

re: Japan being the place to do this: From what I gather from my own research, a real 4-year diploma is required in Japan because of national immigration policies, rather than the school's individual policies. It would seem more difficult and STUPIDER to fake out immigration than "just" a job.

Honestly, I was under the impression that the place to do this now was South Korea.

Other little obstacles: it's hard to buy a one-way ticket (to most foreign destinations) without permission to stay, and in either case a ticket to BKK form the Eastern US will eat into "a couple grand" quickly.

caddis is right though - if this is really what he wants to be doing, plan ahead a bit, be honest with the school, etc.
posted by whatzit at 6:05 PM on October 15, 2006

Sounds like a good Idea to me too. Thailand is a wonderful country with friendly people, who realy do have a passion for learning English. Your friend will have a wonderful time, meet many interesting people. And learn many new things.

Few things broaden the minds quicker than total immersion in a foreign culture.
posted by gergtreble at 6:15 PM on October 15, 2006

whatzit. I found that it was definately not difficult to purchase a one way ticket to Thailand. I infact did it three times. Bi I was flying from the UK perhaps it is different...
posted by gergtreble at 6:17 PM on October 15, 2006

Having lived in Thailand for nine years, I think this is a great idea. He will have few problems finding work, although he won't get paid much. He'll learn an extraordinary amount about the world outside the US, and he'll most likely return with a much greater appreciation for a further education. I wish I had done the same instead of stumbling through college drunk and learning very little. Tell him to email me if he wants any info on re-locating there.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 6:18 PM on October 15, 2006

Isn't that what the guy who "confessed" to the Jon Benet Ramsey murder was doing? He was teaching english in Thailand.

Definetely should be reasonably easy to get a job at a small private school. I am not sure he even needs to fake the diploma thing. He should try a few schools with his real credentials. Mention his college without indicating a degree.

College can be finished later if and when he wants to. Going to Thailand or a foreign country to teach and enjoy is a great experience that I wish I had the cojones to do when I was his age.

If you are trying to disuade him talk about the HIV rates among the locals and the drug and sex trade. Maybe that will change his mind, maybe it will encourage him.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:19 PM on October 15, 2006

I'm 23 and I teach English in Indonesia. No one's mentioned it so far, but is he aware that he'll be at work at least 40 and maybe 50 hours a week? Finding a job which will take someone with little experience and few credentials beyond some ho-hum web certificate and a fake degree is asking to be exploited.

I mean, I have the CELTA, which is a widely recognized TEFL certificate administered by Cambridge University that took four weeks full-time of actual day-long seminars and teaching practice with real students at a real English school and nearly $1500 US to obtain, and four years of college under my belt, and even with these qualifications I still couldn't find many places that were both willing to fly some unknown native-English speaker 10,000 miles and not extract their now-tiresome pound of flesh (in the form of lower-than-desirable salaries, lackluster resources, constant cost-cutting, and shady business dealings - visa runs to Singapore, anyone?, crappy vacation time and crappier health coverage) for it.

If your friend has any illusions about helping the poor or working for development, I think he'll be very surprised to find that the cost of taking an English class, especially at a school which is focused on its profits first, will be probably beyond the reach of all but the most affluent members of society, which can make your class a little like teaching at some prep school in the tropics.

Furthermore, even if he finds a school that will take his fake diploma and risk a fine or something from the immigration department, does *he* really want to live with the thought of violating Thai immigration law - which actually forbids foreigners from teaching English unless they have a bachelor's degree, I believe - and being deported, wageless and degreeless (and maybe banned from ever visiting Thailand again on an easy visa-on-arrival), back to the States?

I don't know how many TEFLers there are here on AskMe, but I know that stavrosthewonderchicken works/worked in South Korea for a while. He seems to be the go-to guy for most of these queries eventually. Perhaps an e-mail his way would illuminate your friend.
posted by mdonley at 6:22 PM on October 15, 2006 [4 favorites]

I have no doubt that he'd actually make an excellent teacher, but that's beside the point.

So what is the point? You haven't said why you think this is a bad idea. That makes it hard to tell you how to make your argument.
posted by winston at 6:23 PM on October 15, 2006

If you really want to dissuade him, tell him it'll be hard work, and there is a distinct possibility he won't return to education, both of which I believe to be true. But why would you want to dissuade him? Thailand is a very safe place, with wonderful people, and he's likely to have a great time if he has the personality for teaching, and learn at least as much about the world as one would on a degree course. Rather than dissuading, why not just make sure he has throught through all the factors, and let him make up his mind? And I can't see much reason for him to do the whole thing unofficially, get him to spend a few weeks sorting it out, and avoid a lot of potencial hassle.
posted by MetaMonkey at 6:27 PM on October 15, 2006

Oh, PS - I think it's an OK idea, but it sounds like he needs to do a lot more research; I just trend naysayer in my responses to this, and I'm teaching at an (ostensibly) reputable school which, along with the Indonesian government, made me jump through hoops. Thailand could well be different. 19 sounds a little young; he'll have some students who wonder how experienced or qualified he is, and that might be a liability in a place with lots of competition.

If he really wants to teach, why not do it a little closer to home first, to get his feet wet in the profession? Perhaps he could set up some sort of summer job where he volunteers his time instead of seeking payment? Or perhaps his university could pay him to do this as a field study of some sort under the supervision of a professor?

And why only Thailand?
posted by mdonley at 6:28 PM on October 15, 2006

I'd ask him what he's running away from, and maybe he'd like to fix that first, because if it's an emotional thing, it's gonna follow him around for a while.
posted by plinth at 6:42 PM on October 15, 2006

I'm really concerned about the amount of money he's starting with. He'll chew up something like half of it just for jet fare. He has to live on the rest until he gets enough income, by hook or by crook, to support himself.

I would feel a lot better about this if his starting bankroll was about $10K. $2K sounds like a prescription for starvation.

In particular, if he gets in trouble, he's not going to have enough money for jet fare back home again.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:42 PM on October 15, 2006

As someone who spent two months teaching english abroad before realizing what a horrible mistake it was, I suggest you direct him to this blog post and let him know it'll be the same anywhere in asia.

Here's how I see it: Throughout Asia, there are offers of huge salaries and bonuses for anyone with a pulse and english fluency. They are DESPERATE for teachers. Why would they be desperate for teachers? Because it's a SUCKY place to teach and job conditions are horrible. Most people who are actually qualified to teach will not want to put up with the bullshit involved and very few actually qualify for the year-end bonuses- you either quit or they run you out at the 11th hour.

If he wants to teach abroad, it takes careful planning, lots of reference checking, possibly finding some kind of national program with a decent reputation, and the willingness to accept that it's not an easy, fun job, no matter what the schools try and tell you.

Maybe I'm a little biased, but teaching abroad = not fun.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 7:02 PM on October 15, 2006

Reasons *not* to drop out of school to teach English in Thailand:

1) A good percentage of people who interrupt their schooling never get back to it. And frankly, he won't even be the most wordly and traveled individual at his eventual McJob.

2) He will be discriminated against as a foreigner. The US state department says: "At many tourist attractions, including national parks, foreigners are charged admission fees up to ten times higher than those charged to Thais." It's not limited to those.

3) Also from the US state department: "...Thailand has been experiencing almost daily incidents of criminally and politically motivated violence, including incidents attributed to armed local separatist/extremist groups."

4) And more... there have been "reports of scopolamine drugging perpetrated by prostitutes or unscrupulous bar workers for the purpose of robbery. (Scopolamine is a powerful sedative.) Tourists have also been victimized by drugged food and drink, usually offered by a friendly stranger, sometimes posing as fellow traveler on an overnight bus or train. In addition, casual acquaintances met in a bar or on the street may pose a threat."

5) Avian Influenza: The CDC, WHO, and Thai authorities have confirmed human cases of the H5NI strain of avian influenza, commonly known as the "bird flu."

6) Freedom of speech: It is a criminal offense to make negative comments about the King or other members of the royal family. You'll get three to fifteen years in prison for it -- and the law is regularly enforced.

7) Lack of civil liberties: Thai police occasionally raid discos, bars, or nightclubs looking for drug users. During the raids they usually make each person provide a urine sample to be checked for narcotics.

8) The Thai Government isn't shy about executing people for drug related offenses.

Most of these, and other reasons why no sane, right thinking individual would ever leave their house are here.

The U.S. State Department: The Reason Most Americans Never Leave Their Own Country.
posted by tkolar at 7:05 PM on October 15, 2006

I don't think it's a bad idea at all.

If he wants to teach in legitimate, as opposed to fly-by-night places, he should get a CELTA. They're issued by Cambridge, will cost you a month and 2 grand, and, as I know from watching my best friend get one, are ass-kickingly hard. However, they actually do teach you how to teach.

I may be biased- but adventure in foreign lands is more educational than college any day.
posted by juliarothbort at 7:09 PM on October 15, 2006

I mostly think it's a great idea, having spent a year in S.K. teaching English. My only problem would be with faking a diploma. In Korea, at least, many foreigners got deported for having faked a diploma - graduation from a higher education institution is required. Maybe Thailand is less strict but I don't know.
posted by shokod at 7:14 PM on October 15, 2006

Hey, that blog post is mine!

For my part, I am always pro-travel, pretty much.

That said, however, I harbour a great deal of animus towards the 'cowboys' who show up here in Korea and elsewhere with fake degrees and no training or experience. It's a problem that is allowed to exist by the governments involved, because they just want warm bodies on the ground, but it reflects badly on those of us who actually are professionals by muddying the teaching gene pool. Good teachers are not always those with the most certification or even the most experience, but it's heartbreaking how low standards are (and scandalous how easy it can be for native speakers of English to find work, no matter how dodgy they may be). As shokod says, though: you'd be very likely indeed to get caught in Korea with fake doco -- they are very aware of it these days -- although Thailand may be different.

Because it's a SUCKY place to teach and job conditions are horrible. Most people who are actually qualified to teach will not want to put up with the bullshit involved and very few actually qualify for the year-end bonuses- you either quit or they run you out at the 11th hour.

True, often, and this is what someone like the OP's friend would be looking at, more than likely. But there are good jobs to be had, particularly in Japan and increasingly in Korea. I personally love where I live and work (but it took years of climbing the ladder to get here), and have no plans to return 'home' anytime soon.

The other essay of mine I offer as a stock answer in these kinds of questions is here.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:15 PM on October 15, 2006

A friend of mine dropped out of college and moved to Vietnam to teach English for a bit.
He got addicted to heroin while he was there. He also got addicted to sex with prostitutes.
After returning home he was jobless for many, many months while he crashed at our house. He decided that he liked Vietnam better so he bought a gun and robbed a bank nearby.
They captured him at the Canadian border with bags of money and crack coccaine. Now he is in Jackson Prison.

And thaaaaat's my overseas teaching story. Ba-dum.

Also, if you drop out of college, you likely won't finish your degree. Statistically.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:26 PM on October 15, 2006 [2 favorites]

And thaaaaat's my overseas teaching story. Ba-dum.

Well, that's quite a story, you have to admit. And he got all the way to Canada before being caught? Don't tell me he tried to get through a regular crossing point...
posted by delmoi at 7:45 PM on October 15, 2006

I don't get the question. There's something you're not telling us. Why do you think there are flaws in his plan? Why do you want to dissuade him? What's so terrible about this idea, apart from the recent coup? It was a bloodless coup, to the extent that a number of tourists didn't even know it had happened.

If you'd asked "Are there flaws in his plan? Should I dissuade him?" that would be a better question.

You think it's a bad idea, and either you won't tell us why or you assume that everyone agrees with you.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 7:54 PM on October 15, 2006

I don't think it's a bad plan. The fake-diploma part is iffy, but I knew a guy who made fake diplomas in Japan (including his own) and never got in trouble for it, to the best of my knowledge. Other than that, it'll be a good adventure.
posted by adamrice at 8:10 PM on October 15, 2006

Has he had previous experience abroad? Living on his own?

Because if he's just some 19-year-old kid from Podunk, Midwestington, I can definitely see why you'd be worried about him spending his last couple thou on a ticket to Thailand and a fake diploma with the dream of becoming an English teacher. I mean, Jesus, people, a fake diploma? How is everyone here not calling this just stupid?

There is a huge difference between a worldly kid who knows Thai, has spent his time traveling, and has studied the culture, and a kid bored with college who decided his next rebellion is going to be hopping on an airplane to a country halfway across the world in an area not known for its warmth to foreigners or ease of language. Which one classifies your friend? It would make a world of difference.
posted by schroedinger at 8:16 PM on October 15, 2006

I think the only flaw in the plan is the fake diploma issue - I don't know anyone here who has gotten away with it here (Japan) - but on the other hand a know a few people who were able to get working holiday visas (but I don't believe Americans have that option) without a degree.

Also as someone who has had the experience of wrangling with immigration when she was completely legitimate I tend to look at people who try to scam the situation with scorn as it makes it harder for the rest of us doing the right thing.

I also agree with stavrosthewonderchicken to some extent - teaching English is a profession, and for those who are professionals it certainly doesn't help the reputation.

One the other hand living in another country is a great experience. Perhaps your friend is lost as to what he wants to do in life - and the answer to that is not continuing in his current course and racking up huge education expenses towards a degree in a field he is not interested in.

Another alternative you might want to suggest is the peace corps. They don't require a degree and it is a lot more of a protected environment than just going somewhere alone.
posted by gomichild at 8:49 PM on October 15, 2006

There is a huge difference between a worldly kid who knows Thai, has spent his time traveling, and has studied the culture, and a kid bored with college who decided his next rebellion is going to be hopping on an airplane to a country halfway across the world in an area not known for its warmth to foreigners or ease of language. Which one classifies your friend? It would make a world of difference.

Many thousands of western 19 year olds go to Thailand each year, I would wager 99% of them know little of the culture, and less of the language. And most of them probably had a great time. The language is tricky, but that isn't really relevant. The most important factors are having enough money, sorting the teaching out officially, and doing a bit of preparatory research.

There are few other reasons he should have problems in Thailand, unless he doesn't deal well with new cultures, or is likely to react badly to not having the support of friends. Most moderately bright 19 year olds would probably be fine, as long as they know how to make friends and learn the lay of the land, and don't make a habit being an ass.

Oh, and Thailand is noted for its warmth to foreigners.
posted by MetaMonkey at 8:52 PM on October 15, 2006

>an area not known for its warmth to foreigners

He said "Thailand", not "Iraq".
posted by AmbroseChapel at 8:56 PM on October 15, 2006

Well, you might point him to this thread for starters. That's me there in your friend's shoes - minus the degree fraud.

The good news is that faking the degree is probably possible. I do have an actual degree - in English, actually - and the school never asked for my diploma until after I'd already been teaching for a week. I hadn't brought a copy with me, so they said never mind. And that was that.

So here I am, teaching at the best school in the city (supposedly), and for all they know, I'm a convicted felon. If Thailand is anything like this area of southern China, I'm sure your friend will be just fine.

That said, however, the jobs are fairly easy for a reason - they're terrible. As mdonley warned me and you in both threads - they may say 24 hours a week, but it turns out that I have more like 45 that are tied to work. And that's not prep time - that's down time spent sitting around in my "office" waiting for the two hour gap to end so I can start the next class.

If your friend is planning on having a lot of free time and fun, tell him to just drop out of school, work for a while, and go out every night. He'll have more fun that way. Or he can do the traveling to Thailand thing - but it won't be as easy as he thinks.

Also keep in mind that if your friend is anything but White - say, if he even looks remotely Asian - people are going to turn him down for jobs. I've seen this happen more than a couple of times.
posted by dihutenosa at 9:12 PM on October 15, 2006

I think this is a terrific idea, as long as your friend does his homework as described above, and grabs some sort of traditional TEFL certificate of some sort.

I wish I had done something like this when I was your friend's age. Give him my best wishes and tell him good luck for all of us here who wish we were in his shoes! What an adventure!

Just remember - this is the kind of thing you can't do years later with a house payment and a boss who needs you 6 days out of 7 and kids who need a pickup every day after school.
posted by luriete at 9:18 PM on October 15, 2006

Some of you are looking for why I think it's a bad idea:
1. His parents are paying for college for him, there's no guarantee that they'll do it once he comes back (they'll likely be very upset that he leaves)
2. As other people have suggested, he might not come back
3. I think he's being shortsighted in leaving without a degree
posted by matkline at 9:36 PM on October 15, 2006

Since you asked "how can I dissuade him?" and not "Is my friend's plan a good idea?" I'll refrain from commenting on the latter issue and concentrate on the former:

You've obviously tried direct, logical arguments and they haven't worked. Three other possibilities:

1. Point him towards examples of people who've done this and wished they hadn't. The problem here is that, if you find these examples, say, on a web forum, he might be able to peruse the same forum and find examples of people who had very positive experiences. And if he's inclined to believe the good and discount the bad... well, then the plan might backfire; it might reinforce his belief that this is a good idea.

2. Be sneaky. Stop trying to convince him not to go. Start helping him make plans. In your new role, you'll be able to suggest precautions such as "Make sure you have the number for the American consulate on you at all times in case the military arrests you." Or, "Here, I printed out this information on drug and prostitution laws in Thailand. You want to make sure you don't get caught doing anything." If he starts to think about the risks involved, maybe he'll get cold feet. Obviously this tactic will work much better if there actually are dangers to warn him about. If you lie or exagerate and he's not a doofus, he'll figure it out and then probably hate you. If you lie or exagerate and he's such a doofus that he doesn't figure it out, then he probably isn't smart or mature enough to handle being on his own in a foreign country.

3. Rat him out to his parents/family. This might also piss him off quite a lot, but there's a pretty decent chance it will work.

Now, of course, there are ethical questions raised here. Like, do you have the right to selectively present information in order to convince your friend not to do something you think is a spectacularly bad idea? These are questions I hope you will ask yourself (and answer) before proceeding.
posted by Clay201 at 9:36 PM on October 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

Look, if he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, this is actually a great idea. I went to Korea and a year of teaching kindergarteners there straightened out any existential questions for me.

And it paid 2500 US a month for a guy with just a BA in English. That's it.

Your buddy, with 300 bucks, can take a TESOL class pretty much anywhere. It's two weeks, tops, and you get a certificate. And that lets you teach anywhere that's hard up for teachers. Some Korean schools are even letting you use em now. Tell him to apply for gigs with the TESOL on Daveseslcafe.com on the job board. And, if accepted, one of the schools will pay for his flight over, his apartment and give him a little walking around money in many cases.

Here's a little info on the time I did it

That's the way to go. And if he's still itching in another 365? Then tell him to take the Korean route for a year and then, once he's built a little bank and collected the Korean 1 year bonus money, he can go to thailand or vietnam or wherever. And now, with cash in pocket, he can go on his own terms.

RR
posted by rileyray3000 at 10:10 PM on October 15, 2006

Crap. The link didn't post. Trying again.

LINK
posted by rileyray3000 at 10:11 PM on October 15, 2006

To dissuade him from going to Thailand:

Tell him that the supply/demand equation is not favorable enough to make it an easy job for a 19 year old college drop out. Unless he is dumb as a stone, he will find a job, and he will make enough to live a decent lifestyle. But unless he is lucky in Thailand, he will need to work a lot of hours, and live a life perilously similar to the native Thais, and he probably won't enjoy that. He may have difficulty scrounging enough money together for a plane ticket home after spending money on his ticket to Bangkok, rent, deposit, phone, visa, etc.

Don't bullshit him with stories about how unsafe it would be. If he stays away from prostitutes and drugs, he will be fine. He may be scammed, he may be robbed, but Thailand is not a crime-ridden hell hole.

Suggest China instead, they are more desperate for teachers, and he can make a comfortably upper-middle class income with 20 or fewer hours a week, even without training (if he is resourceful and pleasant to be around).

Then he can go on holiday to Thailand during his wonderfully long vacations. Thailand is such a fantastic place to visit, why would he want to live there? (Just kidding, I'm sure it'd be a good place to live if you were in the right situation)
posted by bluejayk at 1:12 AM on October 16, 2006

Here's an article regarding some of the problems you can run into teaching English in China. And while China is certainly not Thailand, it might serve to make your friend think twice.

Really though, the main thing I would point out to your friend is that he can go teach in Thailand at any point in his life, but getting an education on someone else's dollar isn't something he should pass up, especially in light of the statistics on people who actually complete their education after "taking a break".

Do you know why he's become so dead-set on going to Thailand? Is it simply teenage romanticism, or is there some other underlying issue here? If he's failing all of his college classes, or has just had a bad break with a girl (or a boy, depending), he might be having an urge to throw himself into some big, dramatic, crazy thing to compensate. If you think this is the case, you should try and help him see that he's doing this as a form of escapism and is only going to do himself some damage in the long run. (If he's just sick of college, encourage him to do college part-time and work part-time or something along those lines for a year or two.)

However, if he's spent his entire time in college talking about how much he wants to go overseas and teach English, and had just decided he doesn't want to wait until he gets his degree to follow his dream, then the most you can do is try to convince him to wait until he graduates, because shit can happen and he's going to want a degree to fall back on.
posted by internet!Hannah at 9:20 AM on October 16, 2006

Re: Because it's a SUCKY place to teach and job conditions are horrible. Most people who are actually qualified to teach will not want to put up with the bullshit involved and very few actually qualify for the year-end bonuses- you either quit or they run you out at the 11th hour.

Having worked as a teacher both stateside and overseas, there's definitely MUCH less "bullshit" in my TEFL experience. Last minuteness in everything business related? Of course. But I don't have a single file on any of my students. I don't have admin breathing down my neck, I don't turn in lesson plans a week early, and I sure as hell don't have parent-teacher conferences and phone calls. I walk in and have fun with my kids. I get paid to run around the classroom as an English-speaking Ninja asking 11 y/o's questions about their weekend or the weather and go home for an amazing dinner with great company for about $1 every night.

I've been working in China [Shenzhen and Tianjin] for about four months now teaching English with a company called ACES. I couldn't recommend it more for those who really want to do something like this.

People here definitely get year-end bonuses, I teach 20 classes a week, and the company pays for airfare [reimbursement after 6 months, upfront for back home]. It's by no means a tropical paradise, but the living conditions are top notch and the pay is decent.

I cannot recommend enough talking to people who've already worked for your prospective company so you know what's up [a good company will give you a few stateside phone numbers from alum] so you don't wind up in a crap situation far away from your support network like BuddhaInABucket or mdonley.

/ derail
posted by trinarian at 9:58 AM on October 16, 2006

If this person is your friend stop trying to sabatoge their life.


Tell them that you are supportive of anything they want to do (although i suggest as a friend you owe it to him to dissuade him from making a very illegal fake diploma.) If you stop him from something that has become his dream, he will always wish he had done it and he WILL resent you for it.
posted by trishthedish at 12:19 PM on October 16, 2006

i also meant to say, lessons are learned from making mistakes, assuming it is one, which i dont think.
posted by trishthedish at 12:20 PM on October 16, 2006

I'm not having a crappy time in class. The teaching is great, and the students are cool; they sound a lot like trinarian's I get paid to run around the classroom as an English-speaking Ninja asking 11 y/o's questions about their weekend or the weather.

But then, the 11-year-olds aren't in staff meetings where we spent 20 minutes talking about facilities issues and 2 minutes talking about new classes we have to develop, aren't commuting 40 minutes in each direction in a rickety communal-van-taxi-thing, and probably have more time at the end of the day to relax than I do. I love teaching, just not in this very stressful, not-financially-rewarding-enough context, and I'll be looking for a more structured/supportive/trinarian-like scenario when my contract here ends. The crappiness stems from other things it would have been basically impossible to know before working here.

I'm not isolated from a support network, either, though it's taken a while to build, just like anywhere new.

OP: Your angle here is one of time management. Tell your friend that he'll have different, but probably no less initially demanding, responsibilities than he does in college now. If he thinks it'll be more relaxing, it just might be - after a few months of it seeming really tough.

(Gah, can't stop talking! Sorry! Good luck!)
posted by mdonley at 6:33 AM on October 17, 2006