The trading card game that features ForeignOr types found all over the world! Check out the sixth card released from our Foreign, Or Basics pack:
see more on card anatomy here
Ahhhhh. The rewarding profession of teaching.
Because this is for the professionals. The career teachers with degrees, who are trained in scholarship, who are committed to the game. Whatever your feelings about formal education are, those teaching abroad deserve special recognition.
For those brilliant academics, singular in their field, tucked away teaching in some uni town. That genius Econ professor, the brainiac astrophysicist, that one dude keeping the capital-C Classics in rotation, the guest lecturer of that niche art history-cum-ancient archaeology relics class that counts for some miscellaneous school credit… here's to you. A+.
For those of the Institutes, the disciples of Cervantes, Goethe, Confucius, et. al. Missionaries of culture, these Teachers have direct access to the youth as well as the power to shape young minds. Sure, maybe they’ve got a bit of propaganda to lay on you, and hey— who knows— they may be part of a larger international espionage network. But their orgs usually put on pretty good events, and serve great snacks. So... gold star.
For those who teach their native tongue. Some teach because they love language, and they want to connect people in that language. Some teach because they are traveling transplants— dependent spouses and the like— and it’s the only work available to them. But N.B.:
Turning the skill of speaking one’s native language into a lucrative career is not an opportunity available to everyone, everywhere.
When’s the last time you took a Quechua class? Brushed up on your Khmer? Hindi is the third most spoken language in the world but you’d be hard pressed to find a Hindi-as-a-second language instructor in many places. Thus, to the second-language Teachers of mother tongues, both common and rare: 10/10.
To the English teachers. TL;DR: you lucky ducks.
These second-language teachers belong in their own category. Because:
Not all language teachers are created equal; teaching Korean in England is not the same as teaching English is Korea.
ESL jobs are ubiquitous. They are often well-paid. And since ESL teachers are in such high demand, sometimes employers set the barrier to entry quite low. College-educated? You're hired! No degree but have a native, neutral accent? Not a problem! Not a native speaker, but have a white face? Close enough, welcome aboard! These days Mr. Johnny-teach-English is giving The Teacher a bad reputation— not only as an unqualified, overpaid fraud— but as someone who is dedicated not to his students but to making money and traveling. Not to say that all 'temporary teachers' are bad. Many do educate, engage, and most importantly learn about the world they live in. And TBH, this website would not be possible without English, our modern-day lingua franca. Ergo, to all the competent ESL folk: 💯
Whatever the subject matter, thanks to all those who dedicate themselves to making the world a smarter place! And, as the title of this podcast implies: Teacher Needs a Drink, so next time we'll buy The Teacher a beer instead of that shiny red apple.
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