35 ENGLISH TEACHING CAREER MILESTONES
Every career has its own set of milestones to weigh one's progress against, and TEFL teaching is no exception. The following is a list of typical career milestones for a TEFL teacher. How many have you achieved? How many will you achieve? Just tick them off, and see if you can consider yourself a full-fledged master of the game, or just another also-ran. (Note: these are in a likely, but not inevitable, chronological order)
Your first job
First time you make a kid cry in a children's class
First time you are late for class
First time you vow you won't end up like the losers you work with
First time going to class without any preparation at all
First temper tantrum with management over late paychecks or scheduling
First 'relationship' with a student
First time student breaks your heart
First time you return to your home country and experience culture shock
First angry posting about your employers on the Internet
Second job
First time going to class drunk
First time going to class without any sleep
First time going to class drunk and without any sleep
Second relationship with student
Second time student breaks your heart
First time you vow never to date a student again
Second time going to class drunk
First time you vow never to go to class drunk again
Third relationship with student
Second vow never to date a student
Third time going to class drunk
Third job
First time you vow to go home and straighten your life out
Fourth job
Second time you vow to go home and straighten your life out
First time you realize you aren't qualified for or suitable to any other job
Turning 30 abroad
Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth job
First marriage to foreign woman
First child by foreign woman
First divorce
First realization some of the younger people you work with think you're a sad old drunk bastard
Second marriage
Peaceful zen-like acceptance of your lot in life
Score:
1 - 8 milestones achieved -- you're pretty much still a rookie
9-15 milestones achieved -- consider yourself a member of the gang
15 -25 milestones achieved -- you're a total pro, baby
25 - 30 milestones achieved --- man. You poor bastard.