35 TEFL Career Milestones

(Article from 2005. Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.)

The following is a list of typical career milestones for a TEFL teacher. How many have you achieved? How many will you achieve? Just tick them off, and see if you can consider yourself a full-fledged master of the game, or just another also-ran. (Note: these are in a likely, but not inevitable, chronological order)

* Your first job

* First time you make a kid cry in a children's class

* First time you are late for class

* First time you vow you won't end up like the losers you work with

* First time going to class without any preparation at all

* First temper tantrum with management over late paychecks or scheduling

* First 'relationship' with a student

* First time student breaks your heart

* First time you return to your home country and experience culture shock

* First angry posting about your employers on the Internet

* Second job

* First time going to class drunk

* First time going to class without any sleep

* First time going to class drunk and without any sleep

* Second relationship with student

* Second time student breaks your heart

* First time you vow never to date a student again

* Second time going to class drunk

* First time you vow never to go to class drunk again

* Third relationship with student

* Second vow never to date a student

* Third time going to class drunk

* Third job

* First time you vow to go home and straighten your life out

* Fourth job

* Second time you vow to go home and straighten your life out

* First time you realize you aren't qualified for or suitable to any other job

* Turning 30 abroad

* Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth job

* First marriage to foreigner

* First child by foreigner

* First divorce

* First realization some of the younger people you work with think you're a sad old drunk bastard

* Second marriage

* Turning 40 abroad and peaceful zen-like acceptance of your lot in life

Score:

1 - 8 milestones achieved -- you're pretty much still a rookie

9-15 milestones achieved -- consider yourself a member of the gang

15 -25 milestones achieved -- you're a total pro, baby

25 - 30 milestones achieved --- man. You poor bastard.