h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Actually, one of the other ideas I'd had was helping people who have No Experience of Computers At All to get online. ITC Access Courses.

(I am really grateful to you guys, this is very helpful indeed in kick-starting the old braincells).

I wasn't thinking fiction, actually. I was thinking: Ben = her previous life as a Burlesque dancer, including her sex life it would be a best-seller.

Seriously, I've read JK Rowling, and your article on stockings. I know which I prefer

He he he he. I'm no Belle de Jour, but I do take your point.

I've just registered with Do It, which seem to be an agency co-ordinating volunteers with organisations needing help, and have asked for more details about helping out with an after-school club for children learning about ITC and for helping out with the web site for the local hospice and for some sort of sports club.

It makes sense to build up experienc outside work if I'm contemplating a career change.

I know almost nothing about your field of expertise. I'm not even comfortable with the vocabulary. So any suggestions I'd make in that area are useless. But...I do know how talented you are and how creative. So my vote would be for you to find something that capitalizes on that.

And there was me about to say training of some kind too. Learn Direct are the people down Saaf who do a lot in that area of hooking up the computer illiterate through libraries and such. I am not sure it pays all that well though. Still, you could end up running the joint, and that's be fun.

Do a tefl course, sell the house and buy a language school. I'd do that if I had more money and a bit more capital and a lot more balls.

Or buy a pub.

You'd probably have to rebrand the area as a tourist mecca to get the punters into the school though. Forgot you're Oooop North.

Yes, but then you'd have to teach TEFL.

I think let your shiney new husband support you whilst you experiment by trying lots of things and deciding what you want to do...

Not a pub. I don't like drunks and I don't like housework.

TEFL's a thought. It's not one that appeals particularly, but I did say I'd consider anything (drunks and housework excepted).

Hmmmmm....

Tell me what's good about TEFL Sol.

Have you ever considered teaching in a prison? If you ever wanted to reach a group of people that were failed by the system and often have desperately low levels of education and knowledge of computers, they are the ones.

No advice. It is dawning apon me that my woefully limited experience of the world of work has pretty much unfitted me for anything but the wee hermit-crab niche I already inhabit. But I am lurking in this thread because I find it fascinating.

(Also, I wouldn't recommend librarianing. It's really poorly paid unless you do a professional qualification, and then it's merely poorly paid. Higher paying jobs are all managerial with very little actual 'librarianing', which seems to me a highly unsatisfactory state of affairs).

TEFL would be fun - meeting interesting people from all over. You could do it in the Dales or somewhere, and pitch it at adults rather than snotty, rich Eurokids.


I think the way to eat this elephant is one piece at a time. Add elements to your Portfolio as opportunity arises. Besides my main job, I also have (unpaid) Children's Paneling*. I'm starting to add Academia.




* But my main employer covers that.

Thinking about it, Probation might be good too. Helping people back into the real world and helping to prevent re-offending is both a huge challenge and rewarding when it works, I gather.

I've often thought of teaching in a prison, Vip, and I'm just plain chicken.

Ag, please do lurk away! Z asked me if the suggestions in this conversation was useful, and I am, but what I am finding *really* useful is the thinkng it's making me do.

I think you are right, Edward, I should add strings to my bow while the sun shines. Or something.

B

TEFL:

EFL teaching in private language schools to paying customer. In London, for eg, a lot of them are young [Spanish] people who are over here for a few yaers and spend their afternoons and evenings tending bars and coffeehouses and their mornings in English classes. some other people who are on a sort of 'study holiday'.

There is a big business English market, which might interest you, who tend to be people sent by their companies and who are paying top whak. To the school, not to you.

Quite a lot of people, from China for eg, are here to attend a university, but first they need to sort out their academic English. Anyway, all sorts. All levels from beginner to nearly native speaker level. The Ss tend to be educated, self reliant and and in some ways low maintenance.

It's a good area to work if it turns out you like teaching per se, because it's the best place to develop really top notch skills, because you aren't having to concentrate on anything else and the whole paying clients thing does, in fact, seem to drive up standards, although it depends who your are working for too. The bigger names are very good indeed.

ESOL is teaching in places like colleges to people like asylum seekers and refugees. It used to be any immigrants but they've just changed the funding so really only people on benefits get free classes now. This seems to have got rid of the Eastern Europeans, for example. Low level classes to people who are frequently not well educated to start with. That's the area I've just started in. I'll let you know how much fun it is.

In this area, though, there's a big market in 'English with...' courses. 'English with IT' is particularly popular, for eg. If you enjoy the volunteer kids thing, it is something to think about. I know a few people whose primary subject isn't ESOL but who have done a course in it because of the way their college is expanding its training.

Anyway. Either way, you won't get paid particularly well. ESOL teachers, if you ever manage to get employed directly by the college, which I'm not, for eg, are paid about as well as state school teachers, which is to say, reasonably well. EFL, the going rate in London is about 12 - 18 pounds per hour. It gets a bit better if you move into management or teacher training.

In addition, it's very flexible. Total hours wise and times of day wise. And there's nearly always work somewhere. This is why it is now reccommended, I gather, to people on acting courses.

The training courses are also an excellent intro intro teaching without having to do something really time intensive like a PGCE. Even if you ended up doing some other kind of teaching/ training, it is probably the best thing out there for genreal teaching techniques anyway. Very practically oriented, pretty rigourous too.

If you really were interested in it, they do weekend 'taster' courses so people can see the sorts of thing it involves. If you signed up with the same training provider for the full course, you might get some money off.

There. Well, you did ask.

Another benefit: you get to paddle around in the English language all day.

Sorry, I was supposed to be doing benefits really, wasn't I?

>>I've often thought of teaching in a prison, Vip, and I'm just plain chicken. chick


Let's analyse this. What are you afraid of?

On the whole, prisons are not dangerous places. It's the Prison Officers' job to keep them that way. Yes - *some* prisoners are dangerous...but these, on the whole, be segregated into Special Places For Dangerous Prisoners. Further...those prisoners who are seeking an education will tend to be those who are least likely to be violent.

Many of the prisoners I've met have been just ordinary people who made pathetically silly decisions in difficult life circumstances.

My sentiments exactly, Edward. I'll be the first to admit that I was tentative to go onto the wing initially, but, by and large, the men are alright.
If you were to volunteer, I'm sure a prison would snap you up. Ask for the Toe by Toe reading scheme for starters - a lot of prisons offer that.

One thing though - don't let them see you're afraid. That's when bad things happen, if they think they can get away with it (there's always one who will push if they think they can).

>> One thing though - don't let them see you're afraid. That's when bad things happen, if they think they can get away with it (there's always one who will push if they think they can).

And that's supposed to be reassuring, VIP?

Edward, to answer your question, I'm afraid of the rough kids: we're talking about being 6 years old again and very alone in the playground. There's nowhere exposed than a playground and no-one more isolated than a lonely 6 year old. My primary schooling didn't scar me, but it's left me diffident in some situations and that would be one of them. I should get over it and over myself, but I've never had to.

Is it prejudice? Probably. Is it fair? No.

No, it's not reassuring, but then I wanted to be fair. Prisons aren't a walk in the park, but they are not nearly as scary as most people think they are, that's all.

They're also not for everyone. They got through two temps before I came and stayed. It's a weird place and doesn't suit everyone. Sorry if I was pushing a bit too hard.

>>One thing though - don't let them see you're afraid.

Bit like dogs, then.

You get that with a lot of things. For example...once you find yourself talking a bunch of psychiatric patients, you find they're disturbingly normal.