Traveling to and living in a completely different culture
than your own is a terrific way to experience an inner metamorphosis and
teaching English can provide the means. As an English teacher working in SE
Asia, you may learn things about yourself that may come as a surprise. You may
begin to look at life differently and possibly shape different priorities for
yourself. Your entire personality could undergo unexpected changes. You may
even get over your shyness and conquer some of your fears. Who knows? Anything
can happen on an adventure of discovery into parts unknown as yet. One thing
for sure, you will never be the same.
1.
Get Rich
Yes, teaching English can be very lucrative. An English
teacher living in SE Asia may not become rich by Western standards, but by the
economic standards of the country they reside in, they will be considered very rich! A normal foreign teacher
usually earns 4 to 10 times as much as a local tradesman. Plus, in most
countries in SE Asia, housing is included in the contract or there is a stipend
provided to cover housing costs. That’s the cherry on top. So, as long as one
doesn’t have a lot of heavy debts back home, one’s money is free and clear to
spend on whatever one’s heart desires.
Plus, if one does have any foreign income, it will be worth
3 to 40 times its value. If you compare exchange rates with your native
currency, it will blow your mind how much money you suddenly have. For example:
An American can exchange their American dollar for Thai baht and end up with 36
times as much money. (1 REFERENCE http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=10&From=USD&To=THB)
2.
Fall in Love
I would pretty much guarantee that, sooner or later, if you
have easy access to your heart, you will fall in love with all of your
students. Yes, all. Even the naughty ones are endearing somehow. Although
(don’t get me wrong!) nobody is suggesting that there should be romantic relations
between teacher and student. However, there is a very unique bond that exists
between a Western teacher and his/her students. It’s a little bit like holding
a baby bird in the palm of your hand that draws the love out from every hidden corner
of your being. On the whole, Asian students seem to have a great deal more
respect for their elders than most Western-raised kids and in SE Asia, foreign teachers
are considered to be VIP’s garnering the utmost in obeisance. After all, we are
rare birds who come from strange, faraway places. All that is not to say that
you won’t end up with a real rotter in one of your classes who makes you want
to tear your hair out and beat him within half an inch of his life. These sort
of annoying kids develop our character.
3.
Get Happy
Happiness is: sharing the wealth of your English knowledge
with those less fortunate than yourself.
There is a wonderful satisfaction derived from pouring out the precious
elixir of English to thirsty sponge students. At the end of the day, the
English teacher is happy in knowing he or she has done their best to contribute
real value to the world. And, not only is there that feeling of accomplishment,
but there’s a continual flow of happy vibes and exuberant energy passed on to the
teacher from the students. One is in the position to reap a harvest of joy
beyond one’s wildest expectations. Add to that the gift of a deep sleep that
comes from total exhaustion.
4.
Extreme Learning!
Placing oneself in a classroom in SE Asia automatically opens
new doors that will present umpteen opportunities to learn things you may have
never imagined. A new teacher, in particular, will find themselves being
stretched out on many different levels. Questions will arise. And more and more
questions. Not just questions about English grammar and syntax, but
far-reaching questions that are suddenly affecting your life. For many of these
questions, there will not always be easy answers. The exposure to a different
culture also opens teachers up to new perspectives, practicalities, problem-solving
abilities and mental conditioning. In most cases, there’s only one way to gain
this kind of wisdom and that’s by becoming an English teacher in SE Asia. In my
humble opinion, there’s no better way to acquire a greater knowledge of the
English language and skill to teach it to others than to teach it to others.
5.
Tropical Fruit
Imagine being able to buy fresh tropical fruit every day, straight
from the trees or plants. Jack fruit, rambotan, papayas, mangos, bananas,
pineapples, coconuts, dragon fruit, guavas… My personal all-time favourite is
the durian. You really haven’t lived until you’ve eaten a durian, or two, or
three. They say that durians smell like hell and taste like heaven. It’s just a
matter of getting past hell and into heaven and, sadly many Westerners don’t
venture past the hellish smell. In KL (Kuala Lumpur) there are “All-You-Can-Eat-Durian”
shops, frequented by those who just can’t get enough of that exotic, soft,
pudding-like, pungent delicacy. For the true durian addict, they haven’t eaten
enough unless their sweat smells like durian and every cell in their body has
been saturated in it. If you are ever fortunate enough to have the pleasure of
imbibing half a dozen durians in one sitting, it will change your life.
(Reference 2 https://www.google.com/?hl=my#hl=my&q=all+you+can+eat+durian+kuala+lumpur)
6.
Year-Round Access to Vitamin D3
Not only will an English teacher in SE Asia have access to
all the tropical fruit their heart could possibly desire, but they will also be
able to absorb as much natural vitamin D3 as they like, directly from the sun.
Being a Canadian, I have gone through many a cold winter and suffered the
results of a lack of natural vitamin D3. Some of the usual symptoms are: achy
bones and joints, lethargy, weight gain, even depression. Going for several
months without enough sunlight can do nasty things to nice people. As an English teacher, you can escape sun
deprivation! Of course, ultraviolet rays must be treated with respect,
particularly on sensitive parts of the body, like the bottom of the feet. And,
with all the bad reports on sun screen, I find coconut oil a safer bet.
Besides, coconut oil in combination with vitamin D3 has been known to dissolve
cellulite. (REFERENCE 3 http://www.losecellulitenow.net/does-coconut-oil-reduce-cellulite-find-out-5-effective-ways/)
7.
Cheap Beer
It’s not a rumour. The beer is definitely cheaper in SE
Asia, particularly if you enjoy the local brew. In Siem Reap, Cambodia, they
have a street named Pub Street where a lot of beer-drinking takes place by a
lot of Western and Japanese tourists. At such low prices, there are virtually
no holds barred.
8.
Employment Visa
Never underestimate the value of the privilege of carrying
an authentic “Employment Visa”.
Most SE Asian countries will allow Westerners only a
one-month visa on arrival. That means the tourist must leave the country after
thirty days, which can become an inconvenience and expense if he or she had
wanted to stay for a longer period of time. (The exception, Malaysia, grants a
three-month or ninety-day visa to most Westerners on arrival, at no cost.)
By getting hired on to teach English, you will be granted an
Employment Visa which will allow you to remain in the country of your choice
until the work contract has expired. Most schools require the teacher to apply
for a year-long visa because that’s usually how long the contract is for. The
teacher is not allowed to work at any other institution during that time. At
the end of the year, the visa can easily be renewed if required.
Most schools not only
tackle the complicated hassle of the visa application, but will also cover the
expense that comes with it.
9.
Sleeper Trains!
Have you ever dreamed of traveling by train in a sleeper
car, but you simply couldn’t afford to do so? Have you ever thought about what
it would be like to take a long, leisurely train trip through exotic, tropical terrain?
Well, in SE Asia, you will finally be able to afford to! Trains are much cheaper
than in Western countries. They are even cheaper than a bus. Although trains
are generally slower than what we may be accustomed to, it poses no problem if
one is not in a hurry to get somewhere. Lying down as you travel seems to make
the passing scenery that much more enchanting. The soothing rocking motion
lulls you to sleep like your mother used to do when you were a baby. It’s so
nice to fall asleep in one city and wake up in another.
10.
Adventure!
Teachers have lots of holidays. (In Malaysia, there is a
government holiday almost every month! Tons of Islamic traditional holidays are
upheld by the government as well as Hindu, Chinese, Buddhist and Christian
holidays. That’s a boon for full-time teachers!) That gives you time to go out
and see the sights, pick up a bit of local colour and enjoy the customs and
quirks of the natives. You can either jump on a train or bus or rent a
motorcycle or car and go to the beach, go scuba-diving, rock-climbing or
paragliding, ride an elephant or visit an ancient Buddhist temple, the twin
towers in Kuala Lumpur, or take a ferry to one of Thailand’s gorgeous islands.
And, while you’re at it, taste all the local dishes. SE Asia offers a wide
variety of native cooking to please any palate. It may be a good idea to pick
up a dictionary in the language of the locals to help explain oneself in words
they can understand. It’s a lot of fun to try to communicate, especially when
we have to use our hands in creative ways to put across the message. It can be
imperative to know exactly what it is we’re eating.
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