They all had college degrees, and some even held Masters, so the idea that they were failing back home is easily debunked by their résumés. Some taught in regular schools back home, while others gave up good middle class lifestyles to teach and travel in said, seeking something more than a cubicle job. There are a few teachers that I was more than a little wary of from the moment they walked into the staff room, and their behavior often spoke louder than their lesson plans ever could. It wasn’t about their qualifications, because the paperwork was flawless, but rather the way they carried themselves when the sun went down and the work day ended.
Many of these difficult colleagues treated the classroom like a temporary holding cell, where the rules of society were merely suggestions rather than laws to be followed. They complained about the food, the schedule, and the heat, yet they refused to pack their bags and move on to a city that suited their mood better. Meanwhile, the rest of us were out there trying to navigate the subway system, learning to order dumplings without pointing at the menu, and generally trying to make the best of the cultural shock. The contrast between those who adapted and those who resisted was stark, almost like watching someone try to swim upstream in a river flowing at top speed.
Then there were the ones who took the “expat life” to heart in the most unhealthy ways possible, turning every weekend into a marathon of partying and drinking. They would show up to the next day’s class looking like the night before had been a war zone, their eyes red and their energy depleted, yet they still expected full respect from the students. It was a difficult dynamic to manage, especially when the school administration had to step in to mediate disputes that arose from their intoxicated antics. Some of these stories became legendary in the expat community, told with a mix of horror and amusement over late-night beers.
But let’s talk about the travel aspect, because that’s where the real divide happened between the good and the bad. The best teachers I knew didn’t just stay in the expat bubble, drinking pints of cheap lager and complaining about the local food; they went to Xi’an, they climbed the Great Wall, and they took high-speed trains to the countryside. They used their time in China as a launchpad for exploration, whereas the worst colleagues treated the country like a hotel room they were forced to rent. While one group was posting photos of ancient temples and street food adventures, the others were posting about how hard it was to find a Starbucks that didn’t taste like cardboard.
This lack of curiosity often led to a toxic environment where negativity became contagious, spreading through the staff room like a virus. When you have a colleague who refuses to engage with the culture, they inevitably create a barrier that isolates them from everyone else, including the local staff they are supposed to be working with. This isolation isn't just social; it’s professional, as the burned bridges they build often follow them from school to school. It’s a bit like walking on a tightrope without a net, and eventually, gravity always wins.
The consequences of these actions were rarely immediate, but they were certainly lasting, often resulting in blacklists or negative reviews that haunted future job hunts. Schools have a way of talking to each other, and a reputation for being difficult to work with can close doors before you even knock. It’s a harsh reality check for those who think they can just show up and demand special treatment without putting in the effort to be a team player. The damage done to one’s professional reputation can take years to repair, especially in a community as interconnected as the ESL world in Asia.
Ultimately, the experience taught me that the quality of your colleagues often depends more on their mindset than their passport. While the worst ones stayed stuck in their complaints, the best ones grew, learned, and left with stories that were worth telling. It’s a reminder that teaching abroad is less about the paycheck and more about the connections you make along the way. So, if you’re planning to join the ranks of foreign teachers, remember that your attitude will define your time here far more than the curriculum you follow.
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