> I've been reading, with great interest, the numerous complaints
> printed in the teachers forum pages of the various online job
> services, and I am hardly amazed at the number of suckers there are
> among us. Even I -- certainly no spring chicken, and having been
> around the proverbial block more than a few times -- fell for that
> dream job defecation just last summer! Only, I'll make a small wager
> that MY loss went a bit further than that of the average dupe: (A)
> round-trip fares for two (USA-China), local taxi fares due to the
> remoteness of the school's locale, food, clothing, etc. ... all
> amounting to roughly $3,000;
> (B) loss of a comfortable ESL position... loss of the apartment where
> we had resided for 9 years ... loss of my car, TV, and PC, etc., etc.
> And, what's more, we decided to abandon our new dream locale after
> only 9 DAYS following our arrival! Alas, all of that money and our
> prized possessions had gone to the bloody dogs ... all for that
> bloody dream job in faraway China!

> Of course, since last summer, I've been kicking myself in my
> oversized derrir ... so much so that my big toe is practically worn
> to the stump! But, when I'm more composed (which isn't all that
> often), I continue my ongoing investigation into WHY I, a seasoned
> veteran of the international ESL scene, could ever have been taken in
> by such promises of professional satisfaction. Is it my optimistic
> outlook on life? ... my high regard for and trust in my fellow man?
> ... my recognized penchant for adventure? ... or my ego which,
> unfortunately, we all have to support from time to time? Of course,
> such deeply objective inquiries, although very briefly considered,
> are hardly seriously entertained once the contract has been signed
> and the plane tickets are red hot and just begging to be used! No, at
> this time, negativism is hardly within the realm of reality. That
> dream job is awaiting us. We dream of it at night. We talk about it
> incessantly during the waking hours. We can even taste it! My God!
> How reason abandons us ... that is, until we are hit squarely in the
> head with a huge baseball bat! By then, it's usually too late to
> prevent at least a monetary loss, something which is especially
> tragic for ESL teachers, who are dangerously close to the bottom of
> the world's educational pay scales. Happily, not every ESL instructor
> working abroad will suffer the sorry circumstances I have described.
> Fortunately, the majority of us are fairing well, and enjoy
> acceptable relations with veracious and caring employers. It's just
> those nefarious hucksters who must gradually be weeded out of the
> system. Is it also that, in the face of today's circumstances, we
> cannot afford to place faith in ANYBODY's word -- that is, unless we
> have first conducted a thorough investigation of an employer's
> history, reputation, and objectives before ever signing away the next
> one or two years of our lives? In the final analysis, my thinking
> favors the creation of up-and-up, independent international
> investigatory committees, sponsored by both local governments and
> public and private ESL learning centers, to report and resolve any
> infractions of ethical business and/or educational practices. If,
> indeed, public and private ESL schools in the USA can be subjected to
> the constant upkeep of certain national standards of operation, why
> can't an INTERNATIONAL standard -- especially in developing countries
> -- be likewise established? I'm talking about a unified effort in
> each foreign country in which teachers from the west are regularly
> employed. After all, the students who come to the west to study are
> protected by numerous laws and professional codes of conduct. WHY
> can't this principal equally apply those of us who travel eastward to
> contribute to the betterment of English language learning?

> Any ideas, folks? Thanks for your attention.

Well Mr. I agree with one thing you wrote. You're outside the borders of the country you're critisizing. That's a good beginning.

Incheon