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Michael Allan Charles

Where to Teach-Part Two

6/1/2016

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Beach or City?
What turns you on...beach or city? If you want to have a beach, go to some place like Phuket where you can go to a different beach every night, just to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. I also worked in places like Singapore, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh where you can walk around every night to the throbbing pulse of city life. You can eat dinner on the street, where they practically pay you to eat their food, to wandering around city streets teeming with street activity which includes watching a volleyball or kicking game under the lights, dancing at the Olympic Stadium every night in Phnom Penh, the nightclubs of district one in Ho Chi Minh or the massage parlours of Bangkok...or do you just prefer rural life which you can find all over south east Asia which is undoubtedly a different experience. 

If you choose a rural existence, you will have to learn the language. I did learn the alphabet in Thai but that was about it. Because of the six tones, it was impossible for me to say anything that resembled anything Thais could understand. At least in Vietnam they use the Roman alphabet, but in my experience, make no effort to try to understand anything you are saying, even in District One, which is full of tourists. They speak more English in Yangon, Myanmar than Vietnam. Of course, if you want to just speak English, go to work in Singapore or the Philippines, although you might not recognize the English they are speaking in either country. The Singaporean janitor used to ask me every night whether he wanted me to have him "off the lights" in my office and you certainly have to get used to the Filipino accent, especially in the south. 

Hey, pretty nice choices to make, right?

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Service

How about how you feel about your work?  Clearly, if you want to feel good about helping other people, I would choose Myanmar, especially now under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi.  I was here when she was still under house arrest and they had   the rule of the generals and the country was clearly repressed in every way, from talking about politics on the street or even travelling where you wanted, which would be out of the question.

The other country where you can really do some good, especially if you are a bit older, is Cambodia. Most of the older intellectuals like teachers were all killed by the Khmer Rouge, so the leadership of the country now  is around 40 years old. They really need and are looking for people who are older and have the experience of people who might be their grandparent's age. 

If you teach somewhere like Singapore, I often feel you might have well have stayed home, since they have such a modern amenities and well equipped schools. Do they really need foreign teachers?

Food
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Everyone raves about the hawker stalls in Singapore, where you can have any kind of food you want at a very reasonable price, unless you want Singapore Chili Crab which is really expensive even in the hawker stalls and a Singapore Sling is out of the question, unless you want to take out a mortgage on your house, if you are lucky enough to own a house!

I felt the food in Myanmar had a very Indian flavour to it and you could go to any corner restaurant and eat with your fingers with plenty of towels provided to wipe yourself clean. I never quite got used to that . if you fancy a Western meal with a knife and fork you can always go to a western hotel for a meal. Of course, you can do the same thing in Phnom Penh but you can always get good and wholesome food down by the river. When I was in China, by the way, if I could not figure out how to eat with chop sticks I would have starved to death because I did not see a knife or fork anywhere.

The best food, in my opinion, where there is the best value for money and good taste, is Thailand. They have a unique taste because they mix the four flavours westerners are not used to. No matter where you are in Thailand, you can always have a good meal, although don't expect to be served in the order you might expect in the west. If the soup is made last, it will be served last, and the fish is served whole. The first time I went to a restaurant and asked the waiter t take the fish back and fillet it, I saw all of the chefs laughing at me. They had never heard of anything so silly. You can also get any kind of food you desire in cities like Chiang Mai or Bangkok which have so much variety.

You do have some personal questions to ask yourself about what kind of experience you are looking for and whatever the answer to that, you can certainly find it in south east Asia. I invite you to write in with your experiences and I will post them here if you do. Again, thanks for reading my blog and I do hope it is useful to you. 

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Getting to Asia

1/2/2016

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Most of you will take an airplane, hopefully a little more modern than this, unless you live awfully close to Asia. I live in Canada and just accepted a job in Cambodia, so I have a long way to go and I do not think this plane would make it. 

A few things other than cost is important choosing the carrier you want to fly.One criteria is the route you want to take., if you are flying from Canada  To Asia , for example, avoid going through the United States because you will have to take you luggage off the plane to have the Americans inspect it. It is really a pain in the "shoulder." Try to only make one stop and it should be in Asia.

Another criteria is how much total time it will take. You should be able to do it within 24 hours if you choose your route carefully even though it can take 30 or more hours with layovers and so on and time is of the essence, ( unless you like airport food!

​Another thing to consider is which alliance you want to use because you can accumulate points quickly and you may as well use one alliance for all of your flights so you get get lunge privileges and ultimately a free trip to Asia if you want to go home for the winter break , for example.

 I choose a company like Eva Air out of Taiwan because they accept two bags for free which most airlines do not. They also, by chance, upgraded me for free on my flight and I got to sleep in first class. What an unbelievable experience. The toilets were cleaned after each use, you were served your meals whenever you requested them and there seemed to be one steward for each passenger and they knew your name!

I have also been upgraded on Air Canada and had a similar experience but certainly not the same, just similar. Asians know how to pamper. So pick your airline based on cost sure, but also on service, route, number of flying hours to Asia and type of plane. You simply cannot go wrong with an Asian carrier and it will be a great way to start your adventure in teaching in Asia. 
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And, of course, as I always remind you, don't forget to buy my book It All Started in Mandalay directly from the publisher or your favourite online source or bookstore ( Asia Books). Although it is a novel, it will give you pretty good insight into the characters you will meet overseas and for a few online dollars it will be an enjoyable and insightful read for you.
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Sharing Your wealth

12/28/2015

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If you are a western teacher with teaching credentials you will be at the top of the pay scale in terms of teachers at the school. There will be a few Filipinos at your school because they speak English and the school can get away with giving them less money. They will probably make half as much as you and the indigenous  teachers will probably make half of a Philippine teacher's salary. That is just the way it is with very few exceptions such as the Vietnam Australia School which pays their Filipino teachers the same rate of pay as the western teachers. 

Having said the above, if you teach a specialized subject like art, music or swimming, you can negotiate for more money and probably get it. 

The key point I want to make is you will be getting a gazillion dollars more than your contemporaries in that society and as a westerner you will be expected to share the wealth. It is sort of an odd phenomenon I find that the indigenous population feels almost "entitled" to ask you for money and almost demand you to give it to them.

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It is, of course, more subtle than this, but in every occasion you will be expected to give more 'generously' because of the colour of your skin or the clothes you are wearing identifying you as a 'westerner' Of course, when you go out with your non western colleagues from the school for a drink you probably should pay in all fairness since, as I explained above, you are making literally twice as much money as them. And , of course, you should go out with them. If you were just going out with your western colleagues, why bother to move to Asia? You could just stay home and go out with as many westerners as you like any time of the day or night.

In regard to this picture on the right, you will be harassed more than the rest of the population when you go to tourist sites, especially if you get off of a tourist bus, for example. You are fair game and I accept that. Give or not as you like but I assure you if you do not give it will not be pleasant. 

What I personally do not like  is the service people that you deal with on a continual basis such as a barber or cleaning person who gets to know you on a personal level. Although Asians are shy people as a group, once a few individual persons feel comfortable with you they will feel no hesitation to ask you for money because someone in their family is injured or they were sick this week and short of money and so on. It is just an expectation that you will give them the $100 they need because you are 'western.' This is the sort of situation I find most uncomfortable on a personal level. When you give them the money the first few times it never stops. I guess, in essence, I do not like the feeling that I am just expected to share my "wealth" no matter how limited it may be.  

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Family is everything to an Asian family and even if the street sweeper has nothing or next to it,  they will automatically send whatever they have to their parents keeping very little for themselves so I do understand where they are coming from when they ask me for money. 

I remember one time in Myanmar, where banking is very difficult,  asking a colleague how I could send money to my son in Canada. He looked at me really quizzically for a few long seconds and I thought he was thinking about the mechanics of how to send or wire money, Instead he asked me to repeat the question about sending money to my son. Why would you send money to your son, he asked? It was such a foreign concept to an Asian since it is just the other way around in Asia. A child will always send money and support to his or her parents, no matter how rich or poor the parents are. If the parents are rich they will find a way to give the money back to their children in presents or other things, but the money always goes ONE way and never the other. 

Asians, once you become friends, will just see you as extended family. If you are comfortable with this situation there is absolutely no problem. You will help them to the extent of your ability and everything will be fine. If you are not all right with this, you will have to stay a bit aloof in your relationships or learn how to say no and then live with yourself afterward! It is tricky line to walk and you will figure out your own answers.

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References or Be Careful What You Ask For

12/25/2015

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Be careful what you ask for!  It is true that some hiring committees do not even check references, but in any school you would want to work for they do. When I was a professor at OISE, every student asked me if I they could use my name as a reference. If I thought they were great, I told them so and often said something like it would be my pleasure and here is what I would say. 

If I did not think they would be a good teacher I also told them that. I said something to the effect that they could use me if they wished, but here is what I would say and I told them exactly what I thought of them as potential teachers. I assume they did not use my name. 

Now on the other side of the coin, I am asked to write reference letters for teachers I have had when I was the principal and it is often a difficult task. After all, my integrity is on the line as well as the teacher's future livelihood. I have to walk a very fine line often but an experienced hiring person knows what to look for in a letter and can often determine the quality of the candidate from what is not said as much as what is said so I am not too worried about what I don't say. 

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Here are the challenges for you. If you are a new teacher wanting to work overseas, who do you give as a reference?  I guess the best bet would be to ask your teachers where you have student taught. A novel idea, I think, is to get a few students to write some words about you because they are so much more telling than any teacher would write and certainly more truthful if you can stand the truth. 

If you are in mid career, they always need t see the name of your present principal but if that is not going to be so good, you can ask your department head to write something for you or some of your teaching colleagues. In fact, I would actually get them to write something ahead of time and keep a file of reference letters. that you can show or send if they are required. Please read what I said previously about resume writing, because if your resume is no good no amount of letters will help you.

If you are retired and you have no immediate supervisor ( other than your spouse!) you have a challenge. This is where you keep all of your notes and letters that you accumulated over your career and use them explaining that you are retired. 

If you want to teach in Asia, the older you are the better it is because age is respected. If you look at TIE online, they actually tell you which countries there are age restrictions so this is a helpful web site. 

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Good luck with those references. You will see and experience things you simply could not experience in the Western World. Let me know how it goes and if I can do anything to help. I am always available to help and/or hear your stories. 
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Creating a CV to impress

12/15/2015

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I found this on Linked and thought it was useful.
A CV for the 21st Century;  Advice from an international Principal 
Guest blogger and experienced Head Teacher/Principal Jane Knight offers practical advice to job seekers

As a Headteacher and Senior Leader for the past fifteen years I have read through many CV’s in the search for new staff members. However, recently I found myself in the position of rewriting my own CV as I began to look for a new leadership challenge – but where to begin? From an employer’s perspective the last thing I wanted to create was a document that was more a testament to my ability to insert pictures, use colour text and a range of different fonts. Neither did I want to write a CV that was ten pages long documenting my life history in great detail. Keep in mind that your CV is your professional advert and you want to interest your prospective employers just enough to want to meet you and interview you further. So whether you are applying for your first job, twenty-first job or a promoted position in the UK or overseas, here are my top tips for creating a CV that will be remembered for all the right reasons.


  • How do I get in touch with you? These should be the first things on your CV. Your name, address, landline and mobile phone numbers, email and Skype ID areessential.
  • Who are you…briefly? Much favoured is the short personal summary. I say short and I mean short but to the point. Written in the third person stating your years of teaching, highlights in terms of skills, experience and what job/role you are looking for. Maximum 100 words. This can easily be tailored for each application if needed.
  • What have you done so far? If you are newly qualified list your teaching practices stating the school, role and dates. Go on to list your duties or responsibilities. If you are an experienced teacher list a maximum of the last two schools you worked in. Make sure to include extra-curricular involvement.
  • What makes you special? List a maximum of ten key strengths you have as a teacher or leader. Consider attributes and attitudes and make sure you mention children somewhere.
  • What have you done that has had an impact? Highlight your professional experience related to Learning and Teaching and if you are moving towards a promoted position Leadership and Management. Include any initiatives you have implemented and can show impact on learning. Mention any recent internal or external or personal professional development that you think is relevant for the role you are applying for. Do not list every course you have ever attended.
  • What else can you bring to us? List five to ten of your hobbies and interests making sure if possible there is something that could enrich a school’s extra-curricular activities.
  • What else have you done? List any previous school roles stating the school name, your role and the dates you were there. Include any summer jobs or previous careers that may demonstrate a wider range of skills. There is no need to include teaching practices.
  • What are your qualifications? Although you might feel you want this section at the beginning of your CV. It will very much what you want to highlight and is relevant for the role you are applying for. List, from most recent, the university, college or awarding body, the dates of study and the qualification gained. Only list your A-levels or equivalent if they were achieved in the past five years. Make sure you include your Teacher Reference number or GTC registration number.
  • Who will vouch for you? Your two or three referees must include at least one previous Headteacher/Principal and line manage and if you are newly qualified, a tutor or mentor teacher. Another can be a personal referee, someone who may be linked to one of your hobbies or interests. This may seem obvious but please make sure that all your referees are happy to take on this role and that their contact details are up to date. It is well worth contacting them prior to sending out your CV or completing an application form to forewarn them as completing a reference can take some time.
 
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Insurance

9/28/2015

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Thankfully, I never had any sickness or accident when I taught overseas, but you should be aware that insurance is part of your compensation package. Quite frankly, if you are teaching at a school that is not large, you may only get covered for accident insurance and that is so cheap is Asia it is hardly worth taking. 

I remember falling off of a motorcycle in Vietnam and scraping my leg. I went to the hospital, saw a doctor within five minutes, and she charged me something like $5.00. She prescribed some medicine and as walked to the pharmacy I was sure this was going to be the "big" cost. I was pleasantly surprised when  the medicine was about $2.00 so frankly accident insurance is not such a terrific benefit. 

However, I have heard horror stories of individuals who come and work overseas and have a heart attack or some other terrible tragedy within the first few days of arrival. This is not so surprising considering you are excited to be going, you are not eating or sleeping properly and the food is different. 

Most insurance policies will not cover you before the first  30 days and if your new employer is not sympathetic you are out of luck UNLESS

you get insurance coverage from North America before you leave. I always double covered myself with insurance both from the school and coverage from my home country ( Canada). I would do the same if I were you! 

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Hope I did not scare you off talking about insurance. You have scenes like this 365 days a year to say nothing about great students and new friends!
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Way to Avoid Jet Lag

6/27/2015

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Jet lag seems to be a major challenge for most people but as long as I have been travelling and working in Asia I don't seem to have a problem with it  travelling either way. There were times when I got off the plane and was in a school giving a workshop within two hours.

Similarly coming home to Canada I immediately spend time with family at dinner or breakfast or whenever I happen to arrive in Canada

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Why? That is a good question and I think I at least have a partial answer. I do not wear a watch ever, either at school or at home. When the bell rings, like a trained seal I simply go to the next class. On the plane, even though I generally have to change planes at least three times, I often do not know what time it is or even what airport I am in. I simply get off the plane, trudge with the next person to the the transit area and do the normal stuff like taking out my computer from the bag and taking off my belt. I do not know what time it is or even the day. I just know I am heading to the next plane wherever they tell me to go. 
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ON the plane, I eat when they bring food, watch movies and walk up and down the plane for hours. There are usually other old guys like me in the galley chatting up the stewards on the plane and gaining valuable information. For example, on my way to Singapore I found an apartment to rent from having a conversation with the steward. Don't forget , they are as bored as the passengers and when they are not serving food are anxious to chat. 

I think of the trip as one long cocktail party. I get a chance to meet so many people form all walks of life and have great snacks and drinks. By the way, I do not drink alcohol any time but especially not  on a plane because it tends to dehydrate you I have read. 

I guess what I am saying is have fun on the plane, talk to everyone and enjoy the company. They will be as anxious to talk to you as you them, although it is not advisable to wake up your seat partner to start a conversation!

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One word of caution. I wanted to change my ticket but I was told over the phone by the airline that I had to go through my travel agent where I bought the ticket. When I called them they told me it would cost about $800 to change the flight. 

When I got to Bangkok, I went to the airline office and when they told me again I had to go through my agent I just smiled and asked them to "work with me on this one"  This line always seems to work and two hours later was walking out with a changed and better ticket for $60 and a flight that only took about 20 hours s opposed to the one  closer to thirty hours. 

Moral of the story? Book through the internet and not a travel agent. Much easier if you want to change the ticket later which you will invariably do. 


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Enjoy your colleagues!
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Getting robbed

3/6/2015

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Luckily, I have never been robbed in Vietnam with a motor bike or any other way, but  I do remember a teacher last year who had her backpack stolen the first day she was out walking about. She was simply strolling down one of the streets when a  scooter roared by ( if a scooter can roar) and cut the shoulder straps of her backpack and made off with her passport, purse and so on. 

This was a tremendous problem for her getting all of the documents back but to her credit she stayed on and had a great year. 

One of the guys was telling me that he used to keep two wallets. In the wallet closet to the road he used to keep no money whatsoever and in his other pocket on the street side he placed his wallet with the money.. Others kept a purse of sorts underneath their shirts or around their waste with the zipper to the front. 

I was never robbed in all of my time in Vietnam ( Ho Chi Minh) but keep your wits about you at ll times. Hard to avoid moped traffic in Ho Chi MInh City since they come up on the sidewalk and all kinds of other crazy places.



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However, I am on an island in Thailand right now and money was taken right out of my safe in my serviced apartment. I lived in a serviced apartment in Bangkok for years without a problem. I guess the moral of the story is that getting robbed can happen anytime, anywhere and we simply have to be aware of our surroundings and potential dangers. I think in Asia most crimes are probably crimes of opportunities rather than intent. I suspect I left my safe door ajar and the cleaning person simply opened the door and helped him or her self. . 


Be safe, be careful and be lucky but take the chance. Explore the world. Teach abroad. You have nothing to lose but adventure and making a difference!  If you lose some money so be it. It is only cash and you will still have so much to smile about! Look at the pictures. And take this advice. Even if money is stolen, you have one more story to tell!

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Some countries are definitely safer to live than others, I suppose depending on the degree of wealth in that country. 
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I remember seeing a big bill in the men's washroom on the sink counter when I worked in Singapore. I waited for at least a week and no one would take it. The janitors left it alone as did the other sink users! 

I spent the money, I admit, since no one wold take it. Thank you to whoever was the owner! The paradox, of course, would be if it was mine.

Take the chance, come and teach abroad, have fun, have adventure, do a good job teaching and if you lose some money just one more experience you can tell your grandchildren about and much less pain, I will say, then falling off a motorcycle which every teacher seems to do at least once in their career. 

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All Teachers are English Teachers

3/1/2015

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Sometimes when we are teaching in Asia, or for that matter anywhere else in the world, we tend to forget that we are not teaching math or science or art...we are teaching kids and the reason the parents want us here and pay the big money is not just our handsome white faces but our ability to teach their children English.

A few tips if you are teaching in Asia:
 use key visuals when you are teaching a concept
 always use English in class
 write a glossary of key words on the board before the lesson
talk at a n normal speed...do not speed up
and the 1000 and one other techniques you can find at places like Dave's ESL cafe at http://www.eslcafe.com/ideas/

Never give up on kids. If you are reading this blog, you can certainly read English and probably speak and write. How did you learn? Are you soooo smart? Don't you think you students can also learn by listening and practicing? Learning a foreign language is tough, especially the older you get, but NEVER give up on kids! 

They can and will learn English if you force them to speak English in your class.
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Don't forget the train!

2/22/2015

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As a teacher in Asia, you are generally taking a plane to anywhere you want to go on week-ends thinking you do not have enough time for other modes of transportation. This is, of course, not true.  If you look at a map of Thailand, for example, you see that there is a beautiful city in the north called Chiang Mai. If you happen to be living in Bangkok, for example, you leave school on a Friday afternoon and catch an overnight train to Chiang Mai. The train is a lot of fun and you can buy a sleeper with a private room and bathroom or a room with bunk beds and have a great trip north, save the cost of hotel room for one night, spend a full Saturday and Sunday in the north and come back Sunday night and make a beeline right to school. Hopefully you are either the principal or have an understanding principal in that you might be a few minutes late to class Monday morning. 

The same thing can happen in Ho Chi Minh when you can take a train to almost anywhere in central Vietnam like Da Nang. If you are in Ho Chi Minh City you can also consider taking a bus to Phnom Penh for the week-end and even though it is only five hours away you can take the night bus and end up in Cambodia in the early morning. The only problem with the bus is that you could end up being woken up at the border to do paper work just as you are trying and probably beginning to fall asleep!


Airplanes are also great and quick and cheap but you do have alternatives that might end up being more fun and cheaper. 
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    Michael Allan Charles is the first time author of It All Started In Mandalay

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