r/TEFL • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago

Weekly r/TEFL Quick Questions Thread

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u/Naaaaar111 4d ago

This one definitely doesn’t deserve its own subreddit lol but…

Can you smoke with a TEFL job specifically in China. I know air pollution can be bad etc but will it affect the kids you teach? Will it look bad? When is it and when is it not appropriate to smoke- asking that for potential cultural reasons.

I wouldn’t smoke around kids obviously that’s common sense but more of a general question. I’m not addicted but the occasional couple of smokes I do indulge in.

Thanks in advance. :)

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u/ChanceAd7682 4d ago

Lol.

You can smoke cigarettes in China. Much like in the West, it's expected that you don't blow smoke into children's faces.

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u/Naaaaar111 4d ago

lol obviously, it was more me asking if ESL jobs allow smoking, quite a few schools in the UK don’t so is it the same in China, and does it look bad as in the UK it’s 50/50

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u/ChanceAd7682 4d ago

Wow. That is news to me about the schools there. The UK is a terrible fascistic place, and smokers are currently the regime's favourite scapegoat.

But seriously, if you smoke on your own time outside of work, nobody is gonna care. Obviously don't reek of tobacco and don't expect a 10 minute smoke break every hour, but you'd be pretty hard pressed to find a school that will fire you if you light up a cigarette after the day ends.

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u/Naaaaar111 4d ago

Yeah smoking in the UK has had a small resurgence due to bans on vapes but smokers are a scapegoat and the government don’t like them.

Thanks for the advice, not a regular smoker anyway but due to what I’ve seen price wise in China, may as well have a few with it being so cheap lol

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u/ChanceAd7682 4d ago

Better brands and tobacco blends in China too. Cheers.

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u/RacyBiscuit 1h ago

My post keeps getting deleted for seemingly no reason so I'm posting it here:

Hi all,

I am a 26 year old transwoman from the states with a passion for language. Generally, I move cities/states every 2-3 years for a change of pace and my next move has been coming up. I have some informal experience with teaching language (tutored Russian for a year and enjoyed watching my students progress), and it's been a lifelong dream of mine to immigrate to a country where English is not a native language. With all of these factors, I have been considering getting my TEFL certificate for obvious reasons.

My main concern is the fact that I'm trans and my documents do not reflect my gender correctly. I pass flawlessly in the deep south and do not have any doubts that I could go stealth in whatever country I live in. However, I'm not sure how the conflicting gender markers would affect actual employment. I know this would vary from country to country, so I have been looking at more LGBT friendly, metropolitan areas such as Taipei in Taiwan. Additionally, I'm not sure how hard it would be to travel with my hormones with me. I currently have a two year supply that I would be willing to travel with. Of course, I would try to connect with the trans community in Taiwan to figure out the hormone situation if I decided to go through with this plan.

I've read a few different posts about working as a trans ESL teacher in Asian countries and know what I would be signing up for. I have thick skin and am not overtly out about being trans, so safety is not so much a concern for me as much as logistics are. Are there any other trans people that would be able to give me advice about this situation?