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It’s going to be a short week because we have an extended
weekend for All Saints Day, which falls on the first of
November every year and thus is a public holiday. I have
a few more lessons this week and cannot wait for the next one because
I’m going to get paid for the next month. Yay!
Leaving for Oslo for the extended weekend. Mwuahahhahhar!
When browsing the Internet, I’ve come across the term
‘backpacker teachers’. I think you know what I mean:
an American on tour of Europe for 4 years, teaching
English here and there while the real profession is a plumber, a
car mechanic or no profession at all. But
today I’ve come across another posting which shows that
this is progressing. It’s a string of many posts by many people
who overly agree that one does not need a Bachelor’s degree
in English/teaching English to be a good teacher.
Well, that’s the first step to become a backpacker teacher.
what went on, was a list of countries that do not require
a degree to give visas. I suggest people check how visas and
work permits differ in the first play, perhaps, they are too
backpacker to do that.
Next, I agree that it’s not the degree but practice
that makes one a good teacher, but I would still insist on
getting basic qualifications in the field. Self study, maybe not
backpacker’s favourite, is a good idea, too.
Imagine I start repairing cars or doing brain surgery without
having qualifications. I could watch TV, surf the Internet,
have a surgeon boyfriend to gain experience and off I
would go. Sounds idiotic, and it really is. I wish some people
would shut their mouths and open their brain to the world of
how proper things should be done in a proper way.
It’s been a long day, particularly due to the fact that I
had to work two split shifts today. I am happy that I
make my own money but it is still tiring. I have spent
4 hours preparing for the lessons and I think I will still
need more time.
The good thing is that one of my students came
because I was recomended by another student
of mine. I hope the word spreads and I will have more
people coming. I could do with 2-3 more to say
that I earn decent money.
Leaving for Oslo in November for 4 days due to
an extended weekend. It will cost us an arm and leg
but I still hope to enjoy it. I hope it will not snow!
Yesterday I spent half of the day trying to get into my Yahoo! email.
They asked me to confirm my password again and again and again.
It drove me crazy! I ended up changing my passsword (HOW can a
person log in to change password BUT not be able to access email?!)
and waiting until now for it to update. I don’t know what solved the
problem but now I am happily cleaning the spam. I gave the email
address on different leaflets and adverts advertising my services as
a freelance teacher, so if I were unable to read my email, it would be
NOT good.
Today I have only one lesson in the afternoon. If I had to get up at
6 a.m. daily I would not survive! I love having some freetime, even
if that means earning less money. I earn enough. I am thinking of
paying a visit to the bookshop for getting my classroom books, but
also laziness is getting in the way.
Craving for coffee, good morning!
First of all, I would like to talk about why I decided to
leave a secure teaching position and start arisky job of
a freelancer. To begin with, working conditions for teachers
in private companies are far from being the best. Companies
offer slimy work contracts that include only an hourly pay
but not sick leave compensation or holiday pay. In this way,
a company pays only their part of taxes and the teacher is
left without social guarantees. Also, working hours tend to
stretch for too long, involving split shifts, and during the
meantime you cannot do anything proper because soon you
have to run to another in- company lesson. And the pay itself
leaves a lot to be desired. That’s why I decided to go freelancing:
I pay for my own social security, I work according to my preferences,
I have some free time and I am my own boss. As for the business
itself, it is the very beginning and I don’t have as many students
as I wish. People call or email but my rates probably scare
them off. But I cannot afford to work for less because I have
qualifications and experience. It is high time people stopped looking
at teaching as if it were a kind of charity! With more free time,
I can concentrate on writing my articles. I am a scholarly type of
a person. Currently I am working on a piece called ”Using Translation
in a Foreign Language Lesson”. I need teachers to answer a
questionnaire because it’s a kind of a research. Please contact
me if interested. I also created an Internet group at Yahoo! for
freelance teachers. Please join it and let’s share our experience.
