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Many English teachers nowadays choose to work in language schools. Better money, students who are there only for your lessons, no other distractions during those 100 minutes (time may vary from school to school)... Moreover, these schools have wonderful resources: multimedia centres, online exercises, interactive boards... basically EVERYTHING that every learner would die for, although most of the times they wont even have time to use! Well, its all there anyway, just in case he HAS the time. What I actually see where I work is that most students – especially teenagers – DO arrive a bit earlier for class, but instead of doing homework in the resource centre, or do a listening exercise, or look for some grammar exercises, or even a book to take home and improve vocabulary, they go straight to the TVs. Watch a film, or even cartoons (these last ones in Portuguese. What a shame.)Anyway, a language school may be the best place to work, I have to agree with you. The only problem is that some of them hire you for more than one position... Soon, usually during school holidays, you will become a students hunter on the phone, a helper at the multimedia center (and dont fool yourself that you will have the great opportunity of getting to know ALL the materials there! You are most likely to be sticking labels on CDs, books, calling students who havent returned materials, changing the place of cassette tapes... - this can be really bad, if you are allergic to dust!) Then comes my question: What is the point??? What is the point of spending four or five years in university, learning all the strategies of teaching, (not) learning how to deal with students misbehaviour problems (which, honestly, I believe should be dealt with at home, by their parents!)... if eventually you will be exhaustively phoning drop out students, to gently invite them to return to school, and if they say they dont want to, ask them why not!!! The other day I had to call this former student. He had left for about a year or so. I phone his mobile and a boy answered. ‘Can I speak to Mr. X, please?’ The boy asked who wanted to talk to him and as I answered he shouted: ‘Uncle, someone from an English school for you on the phone!’, and said back to me: ‘Wait a minute, Miss. He just came back from fishing, he is pulling the boat out of the water.’ I really didn’t know what to say, except that when the man finally came to talk to me, his mood wasn’t the best one. (What a grumpy man!)So, when did I become a salesperson??? On the phone? When did I get a new career??? haha I havent actually, but its part of educating, of knowing the students, of dealing with them in the classroom.... ahn???? Just tell me what have I missed during the last 11 years Ive been...... TEACHING!!!!!
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