Contemplating teaching in Singapore

Greetings, dear readers!

I think this will be the last time I apologize for not posting an entry in over a month. Unless you can be bothered to make it a habit to blog regularly, it is actually very hard to maintain regular updates. Nonetheless I will try to make an effort to put in a post at least twice a month. Let's see how that goes.

Anyway, on to what's been happening. Autumn seems to have taken a vacation this year as the warm weather, which lasted all the way until late April, suddenly gave way to the first signs of Melbourne's winter cool. The first major event of May was the arrival of some of my grandma's siblings from Xiamen (廈門) in South-East China. My nan is the oldest of nine siblings, a normal number for Chinese families in those days (After all, my mum is one of ELEVEN siblings!), and it did a world of good for her to see her second brother (二兄), second sister and her husband (二姊), and fourth brother with his wife (四兄). The five of them arrived in Australia with a tour group and were able to come to Melbourne for a few days to catch up. On the whole it was a joyous time, full of stories and laughter, and naturally they implored us to come to China to visit them. I hope to be able to do that very soon.

After they left, I attended my third wedding for this year - and somehow I don't think it will be the last - between two more church friends, Anthony and Melisa. Their story together, which started in a parking lot, to when they decided to put the relationship on hold in order to mature individually, then getting back together and finally tying the knot a couple of weeks ago, says to me a lot about how much they value each other and also their relationship with God. God put his own seal of approval on the wedding by providing a splendid facility for the ceremony (Holy Trinity Anglican in Doncaster) and turning on a clear blue day.

Now some of you may be wondering how I'm faring with my TESOL certificate, and you'll be happy to know that I have nearly completed the course and have resumed relief volunteer teaching at LMCC. Really the only major thing left to complete now is my practical teaching placement, which I can do at LMCC under the supervision of a qualified volunteer teacher. Besides all that, I have had to think ahead and start considering applying for teaching positions here and overseas.

However, there is a problem with teaching here. If I want a proper teaching post, I either need a Level IV TESOL certificate (I'm doing a Level III) or need to go back to uni and study a Graduate Diploma in Education for one year (Melbourne University's is two years), and much as I love uni, I'm not exactly keen to go straight back at the moment. In terms of looking overseas, I've virtually ruled out teaching in Germany, much as I would love to go back and live there. Germans have a preference for either British or American teachers, and not having an EU passport doesn't help my cause either. In the wake of my relatives' visit from China, Xiamen was yet another option, but that option was put on the shelf after Auntie Patsy voiced her concerns to my parents.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Auntie Patsy a lot, and her concerns are quite valid. After all, I don't really know anyone there, my Mandarin is so-so at best, and of course you have to be careful about what you say and to whom you say it, not like in Australia. But how else am I going to find out unless I actually go there, and how else will I improve my Mandarin? Now that's probably just me being impulsive, but I really hope I do get the opportunity to one day go to the land of my forefathers and give back something in the way of helping improve the standards of English in order for China to become more accessible to the world. I will probably have to consider joining a mission group called CNEC Partners International (Christian Nationals' Evangelism Council), who run short-term English teaching trips to southern China. That may be a starting point for getting a taste of what China is really like.

There are two other overseas options that have crossed my mind: South Korea and... surprise surprise... SINGAPORE!! I have heard the demand in South Korea is proportionally greater than even in China. I don't know whether it's true, but I do know that English teachers are highly respected and well-paid in South Korea. My only problem, according to a friend who taught there, might be my Asian appearance, as Koreans generally prefer people of Caucasian appearance to teach them English.

Now some of you may be wondering, "Don't people in Singapore speak English already?" Yes, people do speak English in Singapore. In fact, they probably speak the best English in the East Asian region. But in recent years an influx of migrants from mainland China and other Asian countries has increased the demand for teachers to maintain Singapore's high English standards. Personally, Singapore looks very appealing to me. It's clean and safe. The food is great. The MRT is a dream compared to the shambles of a train system that we have in Melbourne. I have family and friends there. The weather is warm all year round, although for someone who likes cold weather, that's not so great. Finally, Singapore's convenient location is great for travel, especially for someone who holds KrisFlyer membership. Suddenly, I am really drawn to the idea of teaching in Singapore!

OK, that's more than enough for now. More to follow soon.

Cheers and God bless