Never too tired for professional advancement.

Question to answer: Buxiban teachers are too busy, too exhausted, over-worked yet underpaid? Should any of these be a stumbling block for your learning and professional advancement? Should you give yourselves a little nudge and say, 'It's darn hard, but I've gotta do it for myself'

First, I would like to point out the not ALL Chinese teachers in Buxiban are over-worked and underpaid, yet I agree that MANY teachers are put in that situation. I feel they choose to accept such unfair deals mainly because they lack confidence in themselves. They might think that they do not have much teaching experience and therefore it’s ok to start with lower pay when having to a lot of work that should not have been listed down on their job description as a “teacher”.

I used to be one of “them” when I started my first teaching job more than 5 years ago, but that fact that I was busy and exhausted all the time did not stop me from seeking self-improvement. In contrast, it motivated me to make myself a better and better teacher every year. I’ve realized since then: the only way to earn myself a better/more fair deal in the future is to prove to the schools that my work/performance is definitely worth the salary that I expect them to pay me.

Of course, higher salary/better treatment at work should not be the only reason for one to improve him/herself. As an English teacher, I see how important it is for children to keep progressing, and I believe it is equally important for the teachers to keep progressing—both in teaching skills or the language itself. Not only will this help the children’s learning be more effective, but also guarantee them better quality teachers.