Why Teaching English in Asia is the Best Job Ever

Even though my particular teaching placement right now isn’t ideal (Ha! That’s an understatement), I’ve come to realize I love this thing called teaching a foreign language in a foreign country. Here are some of the reasons why.

Teaching is so satisfying. There are many helping professions where you don’t get to see the results of your efforts, where you put in countless hours on faith and hope that it’s worth it and someone, somewhere, has a better life because of your sweat and tears. Though we probably don’t truly realize the full repercussions of our good deeds in general, at least as a teacher I get to see some of the results of my investment. At the end of a unit / term / year, I watch my students use more language than before. On top of learning stuff, students write me notes, draw me pictures, give me gifts, and smile when I walk in the room. Teaching is fulfilling.

 
The best part of this job: the students.

As a teacher, I get to plan, organize and be creative. I get paid to plan 1-3 parties a term! I invent games, make classroom decorations, plan lessons and write tests. The possibilities are endless in the creativity department. I actually use all those Pinterest ideas. Teaching is fun!

Teaching a foreign language is even more fun than normal teaching. The content I am imparting to my students is practical – they can actually use it immediately to communicate with me. They will use it in English classes the rest of their educational careers. They will use it with the foreigners they meet and the movies they see. And if they choose to travel abroad, they may find themselves foreigners in a new land, just like me (though much better prepared in knowledge of the local language). No dull, useless subject matter here.

On top of all that goodness, as an English teacher I get the thrill and experience of living on the opposite side of the planet from where I was born. I get to walk places and see monuments I read about as I child. I’m constantly soaking up new ideas, ways of life, and wisdom. I’m forced out of my safe comfort zone into a new world where I quickly learn how to stand on my own, laugh at my mistakes, and notice beauty everywhere. After only a year abroad, I am a million times more aware – aware of myself, aware of my surroundings, aware of the needs and feelings of others, aware of the bigness of the world, the smallness of me, the significance of history and culture, and the meaning of simple kindness and grace.


There are times when this job, and living in Asia, is difficult and even depressing. No one said living so far from family, friends and anything familiar would be easy. Learning a language and teaching a language isn’t easy. Culture shock isn’t a math problem to be cleanly solved.


Yet, despite all the challenges and lonely moments, despite not the best boss and not the best pay and not the best apartment in my particular situation, I get the joy and honor of a job and a life with a purpose. I’m doing something worthwhile for the benefit of others. And I can’t think of anything better than that.

Comments

  1. Anonymous18 November, 2014 14:46

    I loved this post. When you're bogged down in lesson plans and frustrating communication barriers it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. But everything you said is totally right :) a bit of perspective and taking a moment to remember the reasons this is so awesome can do wonders. Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flirting with Chinese Guys

Image
When you fall in love with someone from a different country, you soon realize that other cultures have different ways of showing romantic interest and love. Their flirting can feel strange or even be a turn off at first, but the deeper you dive into another’s culture, the more you acclimate to and appreciate it. A random Asian guy, courtesy of the public domain. The first thing that struck me when I was dating my now-husband (as I’ve mentioned previously on this blog), was the NAGGING. Or what I perceived to be nagging. Such as: Have you eaten yet? Did you take a nap? Wear more clothes, it’s cold out. Drink more hot water. Don’t drink that! Cold drinks are bad for your health! Go to bed earlier. Exercise more. No ice cream when you’re on your period!! And on and on… As you might notice, most of these statements are related to Chinese standards of health and wellness. I had a quite negative reaction to this form of attention, because 1)...
Read more

The Celebrity Effect: Being a White Foreigner in China

Image
As I walk down the street, heads turn. A woman coming out of a shop does a double take. A group of older men, resting in the shade, openly stare – and keep staring. A student riding a bicycle is so distracted he nearly causes an accident. A mother nudges her kindergartener, saying, “Look, a foreigner! Practice your English. Say ‘Hello!’” The child looks up at me, entranced, silent. “‘Helloooooooo!’” coaxes Mom unsuccessfully. A man waiting for the bus casually lifts his phone – I know he’s taking a photo. Strangers come up to me and offer teaching or modeling jobs. Sometimes someone is gutsy enough to ask to take a photo with me, instead of just sneakily doing it. Whispers of “So tall!” and “So white!” echo as I make my way through the mall or to a table in a restaurant. It’s just a normal day as a foreigner in China. And I am not exaggerating. There are certain places where it’s heightened, such as tourist spots crowded with people from all over the c...
Read more

Planning a Chinese/American Wedding

Image
Exciting news!! I got married!! In two countries! It was crazy! Ahhhhh! I would like to share some of my experience and advice after pulling off weddings in China and America. If you’re getting serious with someone from outside your culture, or if you’re just curious, I hope this post is satisfying! My main advice for those who are probably going to do this in real life is… Repeatedly discuss these two very important questions with your significant other: 1. What are the normal engagement and wedding customs in your culture/family? 2. What engagement and wedding customs do you personally like and want to do? I wish that my husband and I had discussed BOTH of these questions more frequently and earlier on in the wedding process. We did get married, so it all worked out, but there might have been fewer surprises / awkward situations / frustrations if we had communicated more. (I feel like that sentence sums up intercultural relationship...
Read more

Relating with a Language Barrier?? [Ask a Cross-Cultural Couple]

Image
When I started dating a Chinese guy, and then got serious with that guy, some friends and family back home asked, usually in a hushed tone, “But how do you communicate ?” What does that mean, "someone who speaks your language"? With my dismal Chinese and his intermediate English, it was a legitimate question. The first few times we hung out, my now-husband kept a dictionary app open on his phone (despite having studied English in school for many years… but the effectiveness of language education is a different topic). We recently discussed the issue of the language barrier with some of our friends who are also in cross-cultural relationships. Some of the other couples are like us, where one partner uses their native language which is the other’s second (or third or fourth or fifth) language. This gives one person a natural advantage in communication. For some of the other couples, neither partner can speak the other’s first language, so they u...
Read more

Moving Home?? [Ask a Cross-Cultural Couple]

Image
“So, when are you moving back home?” I get this question fairly frequently, and people ask my parents a lot! I think the motivation behind it is mostly innocent curiosity, so I’d like to share a bit here about my life in China and how this particular inquiry comes across.   Shanghai Skyline with Slight Smog   “When are you moving back home?” reflects an American approval of the gap-year (living abroad for a year, usually between high school and college), but a strong, strange feeling towards long-term life abroad. When I (or my parents) answer with a brief comment about me living in China for a long time, it’s usually followed by, “I could never do it! That would be so hard!” Sure, long-term living abroad is hard. Especially the first year, though the experience is largely determined by the amount of local language you know going in and what kind of community you’re going into. For me, I’m approaching 4 years in China and I’ve built up the support systems ...
Read more

Adventures in Asia: China Travel Tips

Image
If you can read this, you probably need a visa. After several friends and family members visited me this year, I thought I’d share some basic tips for those who are curious about life in China or plan to visit this amazing country someday soon! PART I: TIME & MONEY Although China is a huge country, the whole thing runs on Beijing time. There are no other time zones. Money in China is called RMB (which stands for renminbi), yuan, or kuai. You may be able to use your card at an ATM in China to withdraw cash, but it probably won’t work in restaurants and shops. It’s always best to exchange money in a bank (back home or in China), though the airport will do the job too. No need to tip. You can often haggle for a lower price in smaller shops and markets. Start really low and don’t feel bad if the seller acts insulted. Pretend to lose interest and leave the store if they won’t come down – they will once they realize they might lose the sa...
Read more