Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
strange feeling
It is a dreary day here in NE Tarrant County. Cool weather, rain off and on. Things are feeling kind of surreal right now. Sitting in my room trying to organize things to store away in the closet. I want to get a few empty boxes to fill with things I won't take on the plane but might want my family to send them to me later. These are the somewhat mundane logistical realities of moving.
An emotion that I haven't felt in quite some time (though it is familiar) seems to be creeping up, I think partially the because of the weather, partially because of my situation and recent events. It is a mixture of desperation, nostalgia and uncertainty.
An emotion that I haven't felt in quite some time (though it is familiar) seems to be creeping up, I think partially the because of the weather, partially because of my situation and recent events. It is a mixture of desperation, nostalgia and uncertainty.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
foreign expert
So...somehow over the past month I wound up magically transforming form mere American citizen into a foreign expert....
In case I don't know what this means, it means I GOT A TEACHING POSITION!! Yes, the theory of hard work and persistence paying off has now been confirmed to be occasionally correct instead of just being anecdotal. That is, of course, unless this was all just a coincidence and there is actually no correlation between diligence and success. Either way, I signed a contract with Hángzhōu Diànzǐ University in Hángzhōu, Zhèjīang Province. I feel a great sense of relief having secured a job but I also have realized the exigency of my final pre-trip responsibilities.
In case I don't know what this means, it means I GOT A TEACHING POSITION!! Yes, the theory of hard work and persistence paying off has now been confirmed to be occasionally correct instead of just being anecdotal. That is, of course, unless this was all just a coincidence and there is actually no correlation between diligence and success. Either way, I signed a contract with Hángzhōu Diànzǐ University in Hángzhōu, Zhèjīang Province. I feel a great sense of relief having secured a job but I also have realized the exigency of my final pre-trip responsibilities.
Friday, April 1, 2011
fruit time!
JOB OFFER!!
Straight from contact with a university in Hángzhōu. The offer seems OK and I have talked to a few people from the school who say it is a great place and teacher friends at other schools envy them. Of the handful of schools I've talked to, this one has had the most and most prompt communication with me. However I would still like to see what other schools might offer. The offer I received is good for two weeks so I have some time to decide what I want to do, maybe even longer depending on whether or not the deadline was a tactic of some sort or if it was legitimate.
Either case, I feel pretty good about it. Always though, it could be psychological, wanting it to work out, wanting to think I received a decent offer. Harder to be objective when you are really hoping for something. Man certainly has the capability to delude himself.
Hopefully I can eek out some more later, maybe it will be more interesting instead of such a straightforward account.
Straight from contact with a university in Hángzhōu. The offer seems OK and I have talked to a few people from the school who say it is a great place and teacher friends at other schools envy them. Of the handful of schools I've talked to, this one has had the most and most prompt communication with me. However I would still like to see what other schools might offer. The offer I received is good for two weeks so I have some time to decide what I want to do, maybe even longer depending on whether or not the deadline was a tactic of some sort or if it was legitimate.
Either case, I feel pretty good about it. Always though, it could be psychological, wanting it to work out, wanting to think I received a decent offer. Harder to be objective when you are really hoping for something. Man certainly has the capability to delude himself.
Hopefully I can eek out some more later, maybe it will be more interesting instead of such a straightforward account.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
no thanks Wendy
The past few days I have felt I'm starting to make another breakthrough concerning my move to China. I have been applying to numerous university positions, pretty much any locations where I have been able to find direct contact with the school. I'm very excited.
The "direct contact with the school" thing has become more important to me as people have repeatedly warned to be wary of dealing with recruiters, companies schools hire to find teachers. Recruiters are known to use bait-and-switch tactics to lure potential teachers in with a nice-sounding job but when the teacher arrives that job is no longer available...but the recruiter has a different job available. The replacement jobs are where many teachers' horror stories come from...small towns away from civilization, bug-infested apartments and salaries nowhere near the original quotes.
The "direct contact with the school" thing has become more important to me as people have repeatedly warned to be wary of dealing with recruiters, companies schools hire to find teachers. Recruiters are known to use bait-and-switch tactics to lure potential teachers in with a nice-sounding job but when the teacher arrives that job is no longer available...but the recruiter has a different job available. The replacement jobs are where many teachers' horror stories come from...small towns away from civilization, bug-infested apartments and salaries nowhere near the original quotes.
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