Do people ever scoff at your career? How do you react when they do?

You’ve been talking to some ignorant and rather rude people, or very rude, if they are actually scoffing. Come talk to us. We won’t act like that.

I’m in the military.. being scoffed at is just part of the job these days.

That’s very commendable, juniper. It’s quite valuable. I agree with Jeruba, it is very rude.

Perhaps people are confusing it with a seemingly popular trend for recent college graduates to teach English abroad for a year as a means to make travel? Which in itself is a great thing to do.

Do you describe your job as teaching English composition at a university level, or as an ESL teacher?

I’ve been scoffed at for where I practice my profession.

I’m a graphic designer working at a farm

Rude and judgemental people are everywhere. Avoid them them like the plague.

I’m a stay-at-home mom. I get it all the time.

@Jerbua: Why, thank you. I think I shall. :)

@AlfredaPrufrock: I usually just say that I teach ESL, because I’ve always been proud to identify myself as a teacher. But a lot of the people who comment like this are people who know perfectly well what I teach—they are my acquaintances and even my friends! This really distresses me, and I have trouble responding without showing that I’ve been offended.

in your case it’s cause people scoff at anything even mildly immigrant related which is what they assume ESL classes have to do with…these are prob the same people who wouldnt be able to recognize a written composition if it unfolded on their head…figures…but how great, you love your job, thats great and rare – kudos

in terms of myself, people never really know what public health means as its so broad so they just assume we all work for the CDC, lol

From what you stated in your question, I did the mental translation that you teach university level English composition to students who are not native English speakers. For some reason, this seems to me to be more complex than teaching ESL.

Congratulation on being an ESL teacher. When I first came to this country I met my inspiration ESL teacher who not only encourage me to improve my English but also to go to university even when my counselor thought I would need to go to junior college. Keep up the good job and remember that what you do is not a job but a life changing career. It seems that you are doing what you are doing because you want to do it not because wealth or glamor.

I’m a Soldier in the US Army. I catch crap all of the time for my profession.

@FGS Go Army! Well… except with football… we kinda suck at that so far…

I think that people look down on the teaching profession because it is notoriously stressful and underpaid. Some people cannot see the personal benefits one gets from a job like that, and therefore, they believe that there should be something ‘down the line’, a grander goal, if you will.

I am, at this point, doing my MPhil (UK equivalent to an MA) in Linguistics, and people react the same way to me. I usually just shrug it off or make a crack about how it’s more useful than my undergrad (in Philosophy), and leave it at that.

@Juniper I would never scoff at your career. Why are people like that?

Also I am so proud of our Military and it really ticks me off when they are given crap when they sacrifice so much.

My career- as an artist- seems to have a pre-conceived set of false assumptions with many people:

We are basically unemployed

We are eccentric

We cannot do anything else and are supported by parents or family

We do not make money or do not care about making money

Making art is easy thus we are charging too much

We have all the free time in the world and are desperate for work

Being a woman I also occasionally get a chiding look from a man when I say I am an artist. I can see them pigeonhole me as a hobby painter- the same look they would give to their wife if she took up knitting.

These types will try to “help the girl out” and ask if I will paint a (copyrighted) Disney scene on their kids room wall or their pet etc. They are genuinely shocked when I politely tell them truthfully that I am too busy to take on consignments.

@juniper & @jonsblond You two do really important work. People can be morons.

It’s not my career (I’m in grad school for a masters and teaching license ), but it has been my job for over 5 years- I’m a nanny. I am a mix between a teacher, nurse, playmate, psuedo-mother, chauffeur, personal shopper, maid, therapist, chef, and secretary.

Even my dad asks, “how’s babysitting?” sigh.

I just tell people what it is I actually do… some people don’t get it. My job is great most days. I get to play, be outside, laugh, see the “lightbulbs” go off, get hugs and sticky kisses. But it sure ain’t easy.

@juniper, I can’t even imagine what prompts the “after that” questions, but you might head them off by responding first (to a presumed question) by saying how delighted you are to be working in your chosen field at last and that you are looking forward to a long and productive career in teaching ESL. Is there any chance that your customary language in responding to people implies a temporary assignment?

As to how to reply when they do make disparaging noises, if these people are your friends and associates, it shouldn’t take more than your saying, once, and straight, that you are very well satisfied with your choice of a life’s work and have no plans to move on. If they don’t respect that and take you seriously, they cannot be very worthy friends.

@juniper those people who are ignorant and rude enough to scoff at you for providing a needed and valuable service to the community aren’t worthy of you being concerned about. You keep up the good work and hold your head up high. You Rawk!

My sister took on the job of teaching ESL classes at a junior college to Hopi, Navajo and Pueblo students. No one else really wanted the job but she found it very rewarding. It was especially appreciated by her students.

Ignore the silly people who fail to appreciate what you do.

I am not in my chosen field yet, I am still at school, but I get a lot of flack from students in other majors. I am a media production major and the running joke at my school is that we don’t do any work. Most of the time, it is said in absolute jest and an equally harmless joke is tossed back at the person speaking. However, sometimes there are people who actually think we do no work. This is so very untrue. As a media production major, I do a shit-ton of work. The difference? I enjoy my work. When I’m hauling a camera around campus, I absolutely love it. When I’m stuck in an editing booth for 3 hours, I couldn’t be happier. I’ve figured out that those people are jealous of my major. We enjoy what we do and they don’t.

@juniper: I think being a teacher of any kind is one of the most wonderful things in the world. The people who scoff at any kind of teaching job are sad stupid people.

Yes, it happens occasionally when I tell them I work for a large multinational bank. When I point out that I’m part of the information technology division and didn’t invent credit default swaps and quarterly shareholder reports, some of them seem to relax a bit.

Very seldom I’m also scoffed at because of being a computer scientist. We’re the evil people who destroy jobs because everything gets automated. When I tell them to hand in their pocket calculators, some get strangely defensive.

A few folks also object to my part-time career as a science fiction writer, because they feel that future technology will ruin us even more. They think of science fiction as being cold and very depressing. I tell them that I have a more optimistic outlook of the future, but some remain dubious. Yes, there might be other genres which could be more appealing. It’s a matter of taste.

It’s sad how our culture treats teachers in general. My daughter taught English in Vietnam and she said the best part was how they revere and respect teachers.

I’m a librarian; need I say more? It’s more the images in the media than direct reactions from people that bother me.

@mattbrowne – What in Heaven’s name is wrong with writing science fiction? I may read more fantasy now than I do science fiction, but very few SF books have seemed to me to be cold and depressing, except things such as 1984.

@Darwin – Don’t tell me. I love science fiction. Even some of the dystopian flavors. Science fiction is wonderful. But there are indeed people who don’t share our views, which is fine, of course. Same for people who scoff at banking or the computerization of the world. The question was about reactions to my career choices.

I suggest the next time you are asked about your profession, you simply say “I am doing EXACTLY what I have always wanted to do: I teach ESL and hope I can do so forever. It is a very rewarding and underappreciated job, but one I wouldn’t trade for anything!” That should head off some of those rude comments about “what next?” and also let the asker know that you have no desire to do something other than what you are doing. I am lucky like you in that I love my job, love my work, and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else!