I give up

I have no desire to go to the (icy) barren wastes.

I wanted to switch to the IB programme for a couple of reasons. One is the lack of intellectual depth in EFL programmes. Another is the lack of motivation among students. A third reason is the opportunity to teach some real English (or to put it another way, teach English as an academic subject).

But that’s not going to happen because I was wondering whether one of my esteemed colleagues would be making the switch to teach business or English. Since another of my esteemed colleagues has been approached to teach business, Colleague 1 would be teaching English. I can’t compete with Colleague 1 because he has a wife, family and home here. I cannot imagine that I’d be appointed ahead of him even although moving is such an enormous pain i’ th’ arse for me. (Possibly, though I don’t know for certain, I’d have to pay for the move myself.)

There is an added complication because one of the centres in the programme is leaving it, and the teachers there all want to come here. The teachers from a second centre are also clamouring to come here because, perhaps, they don’t want to be sent to some remote outpost of the school in question. Thus, Colleague 1 may not be in the frame, but the outside interest in this school doesn’t help my chances either.

I could still apply to switch to the IB programme, but then I’m at the mercy of the Overlords, who might send me to some frigid outpost or a remote one or one which is both.

Wuxi has not been as bad as I originally feared. It’s a bit dull and boring; it’s quite polluted; but it’s not entirely devoid of things which keep foreigners happy (cheese, wine, proper bread, bars, an international airport). However, it’s also possible to end up somewhere which has none of these things. I have no desire to be dispatched to a place which is wanting those things which make life here just that little bit less intolerable.

[25.08.14. I was getting overwrought about nothing, having been teaching English B for the past couple of years. In fact, I now no longer teach IGCSE ESL, leaving that to two of my newer colleagues.]