Id have to say even the most frugal would have a tough time making a living teaching full time. Many of the places you would be teaching at are spendy to live in. It is a nice side line thou... Good luck!
Are there any academics who...
- Thread starter namabiru
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OP
Ha ha ha, side note. Wildcard, I love your avatar and signature.
Yeah, I Googled around looking at schools and such. If I went to Phuket, for instance, there's a large ex-pat crowd, hence a local desire to learn English for better jobs. Not a lot of these schools have pages. It's probably a case of finding advertisements up or watching the local rag.
Yeah, I know. Better to have enough money to pay for everything. But also better to use savings sparingly, as you never know what will happen to you.
Yeah, I Googled around looking at schools and such. If I went to Phuket, for instance, there's a large ex-pat crowd, hence a local desire to learn English for better jobs. Not a lot of these schools have pages. It's probably a case of finding advertisements up or watching the local rag.
Yeah, I know. Better to have enough money to pay for everything. But also better to use savings sparingly, as you never know what will happen to you.
The requisite caveats, before commenting: I don't qualify for the 'chucked it all' credential (at least I don't think I do). But, I definitely qualify for the academic piece (26 years as tenured faculty), so I may be able to comment on the future employment question. I also have an expat brother-in-law who has spent most of his adult life teaching ESL outside the US (in Libya, China, UAE, Korea, etc.) and has never had a moment's regret for doing it - his needs are simple and his life is interesting and exciting.
Such would be the assessment of my brother-in-law as well. Personally, I suspect it is as much the travel bug as the expat life, though. But, that may just be what I like.
I had a graduate student who, after finishing her Master's, decided to go live in Colorado for two years, skiing. She returned to an excellent position in a non-profit foundation, and the people who hired her were positively swayed by her independence and self-direction, for taking the time off. I don't hear you saying you really want to abandon your training and work, just approach it in a different way. Any 'employer' who would view that course negatively is someone for whom you do not want to work, anyway. There are always plenty of jobs for good people - intelligent, energetic, mentally agile. And, good people often find that their career leads them, rather than the other way around. Who knows where you will end up? But, enjoy the ride, particularly if it involves diving.
Of course, to 'chuck it all' is not necessarily a bad thing for some. I had a friend many years ago who, after completing his graduate work in psychology, did chuck it all. Went west and became a ski instructor. Then took a vacation in the tropics, fell in love with diving, moved there, became an instructor and is still (happily) there several decades later. There are worse things in the world than waking up in a warm, sunny place, and getting in the water each day.
Then move to a place where you can dive, where you can even teach diving, perhaps, AND where you can become involved in doing just what you say you want to do - 'I want to build services in places that don't have them'. Even if you do it as a volunteer to begin with, the credential you add to your resume is invaluable! I far prefer to hire people who have tasted life than people who have great academic credentials and no zest for living. In fact, one of my standard interview questions for prospective project manager hires is, 'What do you do outside of work for fun?' If they say, 'I like to be with friends.' I am somewhat less enthused than if they say, 'I play with a woman's lacrosse club in the evnings and weekends after work.', or 'I like to jump out of airplanes.'
Actually, 'BORING' is a term that also comes to mind. And that has nothing to do with your discipline. I left academia after a long stay because I was terminally bored. I was succesful, rather well-paid by academic standards, particularly compared to the arts and sciences faculty, but bored to tears (except for the teaching, which I loved). So, I ended up in an enviroment where I use my original professional training, and have both the time flexibility to dive and the income to support it. There is no magic formula.
I cannot speak for OWSI and ESL work in Thailand. But, you ARE only young once. (If you are of the right mindset, you are also always young, but still only once. )
On the 'Banana Wind' CD, Jimmy Buffet includes what he calls a hidden track. One of the lines from the refrain to that track may have relevance to your plans - 'I don't do bidness that don't make me smile!' Go diving, see the world, experience lots of people and places (and dive sites). A career will find you.
namabiru:
Such would be the assessment of my brother-in-law as well. Personally, I suspect it is as much the travel bug as the expat life, though. But, that may just be what I like.
namabiru:
I had a graduate student who, after finishing her Master's, decided to go live in Colorado for two years, skiing. She returned to an excellent position in a non-profit foundation, and the people who hired her were positively swayed by her independence and self-direction, for taking the time off. I don't hear you saying you really want to abandon your training and work, just approach it in a different way. Any 'employer' who would view that course negatively is someone for whom you do not want to work, anyway. There are always plenty of jobs for good people - intelligent, energetic, mentally agile. And, good people often find that their career leads them, rather than the other way around. Who knows where you will end up? But, enjoy the ride, particularly if it involves diving.
Of course, to 'chuck it all' is not necessarily a bad thing for some. I had a friend many years ago who, after completing his graduate work in psychology, did chuck it all. Went west and became a ski instructor. Then took a vacation in the tropics, fell in love with diving, moved there, became an instructor and is still (happily) there several decades later. There are worse things in the world than waking up in a warm, sunny place, and getting in the water each day.
namabiru:
Then move to a place where you can dive, where you can even teach diving, perhaps, AND where you can become involved in doing just what you say you want to do - 'I want to build services in places that don't have them'. Even if you do it as a volunteer to begin with, the credential you add to your resume is invaluable! I far prefer to hire people who have tasted life than people who have great academic credentials and no zest for living. In fact, one of my standard interview questions for prospective project manager hires is, 'What do you do outside of work for fun?' If they say, 'I like to be with friends.' I am somewhat less enthused than if they say, 'I play with a woman's lacrosse club in the evnings and weekends after work.', or 'I like to jump out of airplanes.'
namabiru:
Actually, 'BORING' is a term that also comes to mind. And that has nothing to do with your discipline. I left academia after a long stay because I was terminally bored. I was succesful, rather well-paid by academic standards, particularly compared to the arts and sciences faculty, but bored to tears (except for the teaching, which I loved). So, I ended up in an enviroment where I use my original professional training, and have both the time flexibility to dive and the income to support it. There is no magic formula.
namabiru:
I cannot speak for OWSI and ESL work in Thailand. But, you ARE only young once. (If you are of the right mindset, you are also always young, but still only once. )
On the 'Banana Wind' CD, Jimmy Buffet includes what he calls a hidden track. One of the lines from the refrain to that track may have relevance to your plans - 'I don't do bidness that don't make me smile!' Go diving, see the world, experience lots of people and places (and dive sites). A career will find you.
ams511
Contributor
To be honest, every one has there own opinions on the best candidate to hire. In academia the egos are very large and even more fragile. Someone may interpret your leaving the field as lack of commitment. So I would caution you on this.
I have 2 cousins (sisters), one who became a teacher while the other went to NYC to do stage design on broadway. Well the teacher has a very comfortable salary and retirement benefits while the other one now wishes she went into teaching. The artist is now an adjunct instructor at local universities and does some freelance painting. She earns no where near what the other does and has little retirement benefits. Neither has children. While it may be fun now living with no money, in the future it may not be as fun. The teacher travels extensively, the artist cannot because she has no extra money.
It has been almost 10 years since I was last in Hawaii, but from what I remember there was quite a few Japanese tourists there. I would suggest you maybe look their for a job if possible. That may be the lifestyle you are searching for.
I have 2 cousins (sisters), one who became a teacher while the other went to NYC to do stage design on broadway. Well the teacher has a very comfortable salary and retirement benefits while the other one now wishes she went into teaching. The artist is now an adjunct instructor at local universities and does some freelance painting. She earns no where near what the other does and has little retirement benefits. Neither has children. While it may be fun now living with no money, in the future it may not be as fun. The teacher travels extensively, the artist cannot because she has no extra money.
It has been almost 10 years since I was last in Hawaii, but from what I remember there was quite a few Japanese tourists there. I would suggest you maybe look their for a job if possible. That may be the lifestyle you are searching for.
Join the Peace Corps namabiru. That's what I'm doing. It's not as chuck it all as you probably think. It is a hell of a thing to do, though. Bottom line, I'm not doing it as an escape, or using it as a time to reflect, or any of the reasons that might have become stereotypical here in America. The Peace Corps actually frowns on the "wandering" thing. I'm doing it because I want to dive and surf in Fiji, and that's what I'l be doing. The side package is living in a hut with no electricity, no running water, and some natives that have never left that tiny island for their entire life as my neighbors. I have to say, if you're looking for something more, you might find it in a situation like that. It's a full package. Also, everything you need for food, shelter, money, etc is all provided and when you return you get a 6,000 readjustment fee and any available government job your qualify for. I just don't see a reason not to do it. Let's face it, Corporate America sucks! It's good to have some time on your own away from the man! Just tell the Peace Corps recruiter, and I hope you get to meet one, that you have a OW certification and you want to use it somehow in the Peace Corps. They'll set you up. It's a volunteer position after all, not a job. Then, again, though, being your own person in Thailand, making your own hours (completely, as opposed to some minor commitments to the Peace Corps) as a diving instructor, sounds pretty damn chill. If a resume counts for something, on the other hand again, I might still go with the Peace Corps. Anyone will hire you after that, which means continued flexibility and relaxation later. Either way, you sound like a really healthy person for not accepting the 9 to five, 30 year to retirement, cattle prod in the side. What makes you happy is extremely valuable. I wouldn't underestimate it.
OP
Wow. Everyone, thank you so much for your support and very constructive comments. I am really moved to know that I'm not looked at as lazy, or a crackpot for wanting to do something different, and being ready to get out. I've thought about Peace Corps, and you know I may just fill it out and see what happens. That's how I got on the JET scheme. That's it, I'm shopping around for an alternative ending to this 'get a job' thing. Something will work out.
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