A says she's headed for Singapore. Quantity surveyor. She says she has to start working somehow. I say yeah, you can't expect to land an ideal job as your first job. Pragmatic. Good.
I realized that language students are usually put on a spot. It's hard to decide what you want to do if you have linguistics under your belt.
For example, B's plan is to marry a millionaire who is 98 years old.
C says, he's not sure. Maybe he's gonna continue with Masters.
2 more guys from an older generation, D and E, did the same thing. They continued with Masters.
Hmmm... Maybe it's the nature of employment in our country. Jobs don't come by easy for linguists. And it's not easy to decide what you want to do with a language degree. Yes, the options may be really wide. But you got to get creative with your options to come up with a job you'll be happy with.
Compared to language students, I think tech graduates, finance graduates and communication-based graduates have it easy. You more or less know what you're being shaped out for from the very start. After you've got your paper qualification, you can pull out a hit list and start going through them one by one.
It may not be true for everyone. But I guess generally, it is.
There are also those who did not graduate with an education degree, but they want to go into teaching. Well, F and G... Here's my advice to you. Real advice.
Number 1. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Schools vary from place to place. You may have grown up in a good school. You may have even taught temporarily in many schools, but all in the same vicinity. Based on that, you may think that all schools are generally the same. You may start to believe that it ain't so bad to be a teacher.
Many people have fallen prey to that line of reasoning. They start to regret by the time they start practical training. They say they never knew students (or schools) can be that bad.
Number 2. Make sure you have what it takes to stay in there. A majority of mental patients in psychiatric wards consist of school teachers. I can't quote you the stats. But it's true. I've read about it a few times already at several places.
Here's why. You walk into classes of 35+ students each. You have to face 3 or 4 such populations each day. That makes an average of 123 "clients" a day.
You must remember that you don't get commission for each "client" you meet. There's no motivation for taking more "clients".
You can't meet them one by one. You have to meet all of them at once.
You cannot turn down your "clients". You don't have the privilege of choosing to make do with less "clients". You must take them all.
Your "clients" may not like you. You have to see them. Your "clients" have no interest in your product. You have to see them. Your "clients" may give you trouble. And you have to see them. Your "clients" may mock you or irritate you or publicly defy you. And you still have to see them.
You can't deal harshly with your "clients". If you go one inch too far, you'll get into trouble. If your "client" comes from a rich background, you'll have a lawsuit coming after you. If your "client" comes from a poor background, you'll have vandals coming after your property.
Do you have what it takes to face your "clients" and be indiscriminate about them, every working day?
Number 3. Make sure you can face yourself. You will feel that you are getting older, but you are not getting any smarter. Your intellect is limited to the sphere of a 17-year old kid.
No matter how good you are (or think you are) in your job, you may feel that what you do doesn't matter to anyone anyway.
You know that's not true. But your feelings will tell you otherwise. Be ready to feel constantly unappreciated and undervalued.
Number 4. Make sure you can live that way for the next 30 years. Can you live by the bell?
No flexibility here. You wake up like the schoolboy. You go to work like the schoolboy. You have your breaks like the schoolboy. You have to wear proper attire like a schoolboy. You have to do the same things over and over again. Like a schoolboy.
Number 5. Make sure you can be steadfast. If not, turn back while you still can.
What is the initial reason that inspired you to take this road? Freeze that memory in your mind. Because doe-eyed moments don't come every day.
There will be good days. There will be bad days. But you must stay the same. Because you are the cikgu. Like it or not, people still come to you for answers. You must not, cannot, and should not, betray them. No matter how much you may not like them.
* * * * * * * * * *
Anyway, of all the people I asked, this guy's answer is the most interesting...
H is one of those Math guys. Or is it Physics. And he says he wants to be...
A piano tuner.
He wants to travel around Malaysia, tuning pianos.
Here's to you, piano man...
Listen to the isi tersirat. It's hokey.
9 comments:
that's very good advice for aspiring teachers. i'm still thinking about teaching, myself. will take note of what u've written here.
What "channel" do you intend to use to "masuk" the profession, if you're gonna do it?
im a language grad. and really, it's not really a specialized thing unlike acct or engineering etc. unless one wanna be in teaching or takes up another course in relation to language therapy or specialize in foreign language and work as a translator.
otherwise... our own skills depends on non-academic activities to be able to handle projects and sorts at work.
i'm still in the midst of confusion therefore i decided to hold on a year to rethink where i am the next 10 years at least. great advice really, so thank you very much!
A friend's friend of mine married a French old man. She talks about shopping and life in France and etc, never about the love part. She met him online and talk to one another for 2 long years before they decided to hook up for real
I know from experience what you mean. There are good & bad days.
Not sure how long I'll stick to gov schools.
But I've learnt that patience & showing concern go a long way in getting students to do what I tell them.
Plus praying everyday that God would shut their mouths like how He shut the lions' mouth in Daniel's time.
Anne: As for me, I have at least 3 years to go, if I do intend to jump ship.
Some teachers jump ship from government school to private school. Then from private school to their own tuition center.
Why not jump from "A" straight to "C"? :)
Hahahaha! I like the part about the lions' mouth! :)
My "lions" are dropping out from school one by one. Either by free will, or by force.
In a way, I feel GREAT to catch a glimpse of how they look when they're getting thrown out of the den! It happens in the male staffroom every time, right before my very eyes.
When called to testify, I offer them no defense. I give their parents no reason to smile. Hard truth will be respectfully told. No frills, no laces. Let the lions to the lions. To the jungle they go.
But on the other hand, I know the memory may haunt me if they catch up with me again in 10 years' time.
Language grads don't HAVE to teach after graduation. There are many more dynamic fields out there such as publishing/writing/editing, public relations, mass communications etc. I wish I had the passion to teach, but try as I might, it's just not there in me. It's the same anywhere; it makes no difference whether we're teaching in high schools or colleges, because nobody appreciates teachers any more.
which channel, good question. kpli's only open for primary school, so no go... maybe start teaching in a private school first, and see how things go.
but these are just ideas... have to wait and see where God leads la =)
thanks for ur advise... the scene u describe sound very like my GSR.. and i can truly recognise this advise applied very much for me. Maybe i can say God is really really gracious to me, i was so stress up initially cause no goverment school wants to recieve me... not even my own MGS.so i try out for Malacca International School(MIS).By God grace, i got the job, the employer ask me to have a trial teachin for principal to observe... and in my heart was thinking that sure die tis time... the RICH kids here must be all SPOIL brats..."DIE lah.. die lah". but the kids are not that bad YET... YEt, principal lovely, some teachers lovely.. tomolo is my second day of school.
I can say that those scary scene u describ and had prepared my heart will soon appear in no time... thanks Bro....
sinyee
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