Well folks it looks like it is back to the old drawing board for Old Man Robb again... why this time? Well i will tell you.. drumroll.. OK.. Well ever since i received my TESOL Certificate from Acadia University this past June it has been an up and down road for me. The whole genesis or should i say whole idea behind me getting my TESOL certification is so that i could stay and teach in Canada, my home country instead of going back overseas, to Asia and to Japan and South Korea. Originally that was the plan so to speak... what has happened.
Actually according to the directions, besides your Acadia TESOL Certification, what else you need is your TESOL Nova Scotia and your TESOL Canada Certifications. Well getting those was like pulling teeth my friend.. there is no real TESOL Nova Scotia website.. no building in Halifax.. no phone number to call and see if they got your stuff or not.. no no no that would be too damn easy.. finally weeks later i received a message back from this person saying My TESOL Nova Scotia Certificate was finally on the way.. mind you it was the size of a business card.. not something you hang in the den or as we call it nowadays, the Man-Cave.. i actually went to Kingston and had it blown up so it would fit in besides my other certificates.
Keep in mind you need your Nova Scotia Certification in order to apply for your TESOL Canada Certification.. of course my TESOL Nova Scotia Certificate came w/ an expiry date of Oct 31st and so i received it ..ummmm.. oh with two weeks to go before that.. and then i had to mail that, along with $94 dollar money order along w/ my marks from Acadia U.. of course my A+ from my TESOL practicum at Acadia U was not on my transcript.. so it was another runaround and finally i got it all together and went to the Middleton post office... and the fun began again.
I took someone's advice and decided to be a cheap ol bugger and didn't send it priority post or put a tracking number on that damn thing just to save some $$$ being it was Christmas time and i needed to save some $$$ for something else which i will get to in a little bit... i mailed this thing around oh... the 20th of so of October and they said it would take two weeks to get to Burnaby, BC.. so i thought ok.. not a problem. Then it started.. the good ol waiting game... my oh so absolute favorite... tick tock tick tock.. November goes by... not a word from BC... Two weeks into December.. notta...
I finally phone TESOL Canada.. turns out that Acadia U didn't change their information.. the TESOL Canada offices switched to Calgary, Alberta last July and well they never bothered to inform nor tell me about this... the lady on the phone from Calgary was very nice and told me to cancel my money order.. pronto! Of course the post office was no help whatsoever and so it was another trip to Acadia to get my marks which were finally straightened out by that time and everything was sent... again.
Of course TESOL Canada calls me to tell me that i didn't send enough cash on my money order and so i got out the ol Mastercard and sent them an additional EIGHT FUCKING DOLLARS!!! I am serious.. they would not look the other way for EIGHT measly f'n dollars... so finally they get it stamped and sent back to me and it finally arrived some three months after the whole ordeal took place... Old Man Robb gets to thinking.. is this really worth it? Are these TESOL Certificates worth the paper that they are written on?
Why does Old Man Robb think this? Try getting a job w/ the TESOL Certificates.. it has been a long road folks let me tell you that frigging much. Shortly after receiving my Acadia TESOL Certificate, which no one else in my family came along with to get up at Open Acadia.. not that it bothers me too too much.. but i just know that my Father would have been the first one to get in the car to go along with me for the ride.. to share in my joy at an accomplishment that has taken me three yrs w/ 108 hours of course work and a 20 hour practicum which had its ups and downs... to me this was bigger than just getting my Bachelor of Arts in 2002-03.. this was bigger than that because i thought it was actually going to lead me to something.. especially once the TESOL Nova Scotia and TESOL Canada Certificates were there along with it.
The first job i applied for was right here in the Valley.. i do not kid... i thought how awesome.. esp with the school right up the street from me in Middleton.. i wouldn't have to drive anywhere.. i can walk to work and i would be hands on, available for whenever i was needed to be. I was and still am ready to work. My Father always told me call, e-mail, show up to a place you are interested in working at.. your possible place of employment will see this spirit that you have and will remember you. Well.. sorry Dad but i was told stop showing up... stop calling... stop e-mailing... don't call us.. we will call you... well.. i waited and waited for that Monday to see if i had a potential interview... i waited and curiosity killed the proverbial cat so to speak.. i called and the job was gone.. they hired some well.. how do i say it.. have respect for your elders Old Man Robb.. fuck no i won't... they hired some Goddamn old fart to teach.. so much for giving the young generation a chance in the classroom eh?
I walked by the school and peaked in... there was Old Man River babbling and babbling w/ his back turned to the class and everyone behind him was texting under their desk.. lesson learned.. i tried at a school in Dartmouth and lo and behold i get a call in for an interview.. Old Man Robb fills up the tank, packs a lunch and goes on up... for nothing.. the interviewer whom was a very nice lady by the way, forgot to put in the ad that the ad was for substitute ESL teachers... nothing permanent nor a term position.. she was very sorry and i believed her.. it was a setback, but a learning experience to be sure as while i wouldn't mind subbing.. they are not going to call me up from the Valley just to sub for a day.
However my optimism was renewed as there was a job opening at a school which is just a few yrs old.. about a good six hours away from me.. but there was hope.. only a few of their teachers had my TESOL certificate.. no one else.. and no one else had my certificates from TESOL Nova Scotia and from TESOL Canada that were on the way... supposedly. They told me there were going to be openings in January w/ a Skype interview in December. So i enjoyed my fall.. had $$$ coming in and i played the waiting game... December came and the $$$ i had coming in dried up... no matter i had saved a few dollars and this job was coming up...
And i waited... and i waited and i waited... and you know what? It almost seems too too good to be true.. i have a place to stay w/ relatives lined up some 15 minutes from the school and a family member has promised me their car if i get the job telling me who they will lease one for themselves and give me their car.. i get it inspected and spend $$$ getting the suspension fixed.. my GST check arrives and i don't cash it thinking this is gas and Tim Hortons money for the trip! Old Man Robb is set to drive six hrs in crappy crappy Maritime weather conditions just to teach...
I called this school and they were like Oh! Thank you for reminding me about our Skype interview! I was displeased a wee bit at first ya know... i had to remind you? If you are professional about things you have these things lined up ya know.. on your computer.. a daily planner.. post-it notes but you remember.. even though you are supposedly busy as ol hell.. you remember this stuff ya know? Anyways we do our Skype interview and it goes great! They tell me it was a strong interview and so i am told to enjoy my Christmas and they are going to contact me in exactly three weeks.
I enjoy Christmas and all that good stuff and then comes my favorite part.. the waiting game... and i wait.. and wait and wait... three weeks since the interview passes by.. everyone is wondering what is the scoop.. the millions.. the people are waiting.. frig.. i am waiting! And nothing.. i call.. and i call... nothing.. answering machines.. time and time again... my heart sinks folks.. shit... i call the secretary on the phone and she tells me to email and she will email and five days go past...still nothing.. then an old pal tells me to pull an old trick by calling w/ the cell phone which will come up unknown name... unknown number...
Lo and behold... my contact picks up the phone...
Drumroll.... and nothing...
The position is just not there i am told... the students are just not there and they are fully staffed and the only thing available is substitute teaching (Again!) And they are not going to call someone in from Middleton to drive six hrs just to substitute for the day. Because i caught her by surprise, she was stumbling over words and all the rest.. they had no intention of calling me.. she said she was going to send me a letter telling me there was no job.. why not just call like you were going to? People! Keep your word! I was looking forward to getting out of here and onto my ESL teaching career.. so what if you only had two month terms.. i didn't care.. i was willing to come down to your neck of the woods and teach... i was willing and i still am.. they said the usual... if something comes up.. blab blab blab.. no need to do a second interview.. blab blab blab...
Whatever...
So now it is back to square one.. what do i do? Volunteer they say is good on the resume.. but what about the constant bugging about student loans? The constant bombardment on the phone? Volunteering is great for the soul.. it is nice and you feel like you are giving back.. but on the other hand i need $$$.. the job banks are a constant source of frustration.. ads are there that have been filled months ago and the ads haven't been taken down.. more email rejections...they say oh do you have five yrs of teaching experience? Well its hard to get experience when no one will give you the experience is it? Do you have your Masters or your Bachelor of Education? I swear the lady who told me that has a stache thicker than frigging Lanny McDonald and slagged me off in front of her secretary right here in the Valley... power tripping eh? Then there are those people who don't answer phones nor call you back.. i mean for shit sakes.. is it no wonder people go bonkers? Go postal?
No no no... Old Man Robb hasn't gone postal..yet... kidding...maybe.. no i am kidding...too many people put in authority and co-workers think you are after their spot.. i don't give a damn about your spot.. i just want to teach. They think it.. they see the resume and see all the diplomas and think omg he is coming to take my job.. oh no! But why would you think that in the first place? Are you doing your job? Or are you like people i know at certain educational institutions who have become fatcats.. they say.. i got this job.. perhaps i didn't earn it.. but my uncle/ aunt/ mom/ dad/ brother/ sister/ cousin Larry/ cousin It or whatever got me this job.. its not by your merits boys and girls.. it is who and what you know... unfortunately.. whose ass you kiss.. or whatever....
What is one to do? I can go get my Celta in Halifax and be out $2300 and the $$$ to stay up for a month.. i can volunteer locally but that is not going to pay ..sorry that is honesty folks... don't get all oh im heartless and all that... another thing i am told to get is my First Aid cause it looks good on my resume.. but that is another $120 dollars.. scraping it folks.. really scraping the ol bottom of the barrel here folks... something has soon got to give or it is like this.. either i change my dream and or my profession or it is back to going overseas to teach.. back to schools in Japan that are ran like a business or a Hagwon somewhere in S Korea where the boss is going to can you with oh.. a month left in your contract so they can bring over another..teacher.. lovely..
However folks that is the reality that i face. Nice eh?
Have a good one folks...
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