Maybe because we run into people with attitudes like Connel’s a few times too often?
Seriously - what gives geeky engineers and small-time hustlers (ahem, businessmen) and bar/club owners the right to act so smug and superior to lowly English teachers? Oh yes, that’s right - back home if they tried to the “superior social status” act they’d get laughed at. But in Taiwan they’ve finally found a group of people they feel they can look down upon.
I mean, really…it’s not like the non-English teacher expats in Taiwan are, except for a small percentage, exactly big-timers themselves. And the ones that are big-timers, as in pulling down the really big bucks, are…ex-English teachers who started their own schools. I mean, c’mon, I didn’t fly halfway across the world just to start a pizza joint in Taiwan. I’m sorry that you couldn’t make it as a small businessman in your own home country, or that you were in the bottom of your engineering class so they sent you to a hardship posting like Taiwan because they didn’t want to risk your kind building bridges in your own country, but that’s no reason to allow your inferiority complex to rage out of control and take it out on the likes of us lowly English teachers.
Disclaimer: That last sentence wasn’t entirely serious, I was just playing on the often heard sneer, “Foreigners only come to Taiwan because they couldn’t make it in their own countries.”
914: The best defense is a good offense. Us lowly English teachers have to put up with ignorant stereotypes all the time. Sometimes you have to respect yourself enough to stand up and hit back.
BTW, the “pizza joint” had nothing to do with the guy on this site that sells pizzas (who seems like a nice guy)…just a random example. I have respect for anyone who does an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, including the people who clean toilets and dig ditches…but I have zero respect for people who act as if their station in life entitles them to look down on others. People who act like they’re better than others get my contempt, not my respect, and I don’t care how much money you make, a condescending prick is still a condescending prick.
[quote=“Connel”]You came here to teach English and now you do something else I guess would fall under “I used to teach English, now I do something else”,
Suppose if I wanted to be 100% correct I would have added “I primarily do something else, but have been know to dabble”[/quote]
Um… but, I didn’t come here to teach English. But, I did teach English when I came here.
For the most part I see it as the opposite. As the time spent here increases I believe many foreigners transition from teaching to non-English teaching jobs.
[/quote]
I think you missed the last 3 words: at some point. I wasn’t saying all long term foreigners will end up teaching, just there is liklihood of involvement at some point.
Anyway, I’m not into a english teacher vs non english teacher debate. On the most part, the teachers I’ve met are a smart bunch and are a credit to their profession. There are some sorry ass losers around who are here for the money only because they can get a job teaching here which is much more lucrative than a job back home, and that’s IF they could get a job back there. Those are the people that annoy me. That, and non-teachers that think they are above teachers by definition.
2). I gave up my nice, well paid job to come here.
3). I wear a shirt and trousers and I try to look smart where I work.
4). I am respected by the people I work for and work with.
5). I get job satisfaction with my current occupation.
6). I don’t do my current job to make a quick buck.
7). I still learn from my current occupation.
Wow. I am an English teacher. Perhaps I should grow long hair, wear sandals and screw all the local birds just to fit in with the stereotypes.
I won’t be an English teacher for ever but at the moment it suits me fine and I enjoy it.
Although I respect thier respective professions, you won’t catch me being an engineer or running a bar; and you certainly won’t catch me looking down on them.
RE: Truant’s post, do you dislike white South African’s that much? Other than them due to their country’s present political I’ve never met anyone teaching here who couldn’t get a job of some sort in their home country.
[quote=“Connel”]You came here to teach English and now you do something else I guess would fall under “I used to teach English, now I do something else”,
Suppose if I wanted to be 100% correct I would have added “I primarily do something else, but have been know to dabble”[/quote]
Um… but, I didn’t come here to teach English. But, I did teach English when I came here.
See?[/quote]
That covers me too, El Tigre.
Actually, I really loved teaching – it was the most enjoyable job I’ve ever done. Unfortunately, it doesn’t pay well enough to keep doing it for more than a few years at most, so I had little choice but to move on to something else when the chance came along. But I still look back fondly on the buzz I got from teaching, especially those classes full of lovely xiaojies, and often feel some pangs of regret at having had to give it up.
Whoa, where’s THAT coming from? Of course most people can get work of some sort back home, but I’m referring to people who consider teaching here to be the soft option rather than pursuing their chosen career.
Geez man, what’s it got to do with any particular country/race? I have some great south african friends.
Truant: sorry, I probably misinterpreted your post, but I’ve read it time and time again on internet message board that ESL teachers are generally those who couldn’t POSSIBLY get a job back home and thought that was your angle too. I’ve yet to see living proof that these people exist.
Please read carefully. You got posters mixed up, not cool.
You didn’t just misinterpret truant’s post, you totally got posters mixed up and accused truant of typing something he applesolutely did not.
But anyway, were you referring to this post?
But then Rubicon Bojador wrote this afterward:
Even though you apologized, it wasn’t for the right reason. It still wasn’t truant who said that about the white South African guy who opened up a pizza joint in Taiwan.
Don’t mean to be a jerk, but I needed you to see that. Carry on now!
Anyway, I’m not into a English teacher vs non English teacher debate. On the most part, the teachers I’ve met are a smart bunch and are a credit to their profession. There are some sorry ass losers around who are here for the money only because they can get a job teaching here which is much more lucrative than a job back home, and that’s IF they could get a job back there. Those are the people that annoy me. That, and non-teachers that think they are above teachers by definition.[/quote]
This is what I was reacting too, in both my posts.
Got it wrong again.
