You know, at times when I'm between jobs, I have occasion to give serious thought as to WHY I ever got into the @!%& ESL business in the first place. What factor, other than the titillation gained from foreign travel, could have ever induced me to (A)accept substandard wages for my efforts; (B)endure survival in squalid living quarters -- the kind I would have been much too embarrassed to take even one short peek at back in the States; and (C)dealing with ofttimes hostile American-haters ... yes, ALL OF THIS for the sake of attempting to bring a measure of oral cultural exchange to those who are either forced to -- or even think it's chic to -- attempt to learn English. Of course we run across that objective and highly conscientious ESL student from time to time ... the one who will actually give us the impetus to sign up for a second year. However, from reading the various teacher discussion outlets on the web, I gather that many of us have failed to realize any such source of inspiration.

I am certain that in the case of the majority of us, our intentions are sincere, and despite some harrowing circumstances, we remain wholly devoted to our craft. Nonetheless, many of us reach a point whereby we begin to seriously question the merit of our chosen plight. Naturally, many of us will be quick to identify this crisis as "burnout" and the necessity of seeking another line of activity. Yes, that is always one possibility. But for one who is truly aware of the concept of language education, I resent having to accept substandard conditions and attitudes which eventually offer me occasion to question the raison d'tre of my proclaimed dedication and enthusiasm.

As it has been correctly suggested in these columns, many so called "teachers" have caused some foreign employers to be nasty and suspicious of their motives -- so much so, that many of the "up-straight" instructors have had to suffer for the nefarious actions of their misled colleagues. After all, people DO vary in their attitudes and performance ... even ELS teachers! Consequently, even though one signs a one-year employment contract, he/she is actually on probation during the ensuing month or two. This means it is within the realm of feasibility that any contract can be suddenly deemed null and void during its supposed tenure! That's WHY a request that the round-trip fare be PREpaid usually falls on deaf ears. As the late and sadly missed Humphrey Bogart eloquently stated the case in one of his epic gangster movies (I think it was Dead End - 1937), "In dis woild, yuh git nuttin' fer nuttin'!" Oh, yes, there actually ARE dream agencies on this side of the Pacific that both charge and get as much as $900 for the GUARANTEED location of that dream job ... usually in an ultra low-income area where it's damned near impossible to earn over $125 per week! And the dream school won't even pay for the $100+ teaching license for the teacher! MY GOD! What in hell induces us to crave this ESL business so badly? I sometimes think it's a form of psychosis ... but no, it's simply that we who are dedicated to the science of ESL worship human contact, and are the first to take ANY opportunity to create a new relationship via the art of linguistics. To this extent, there is only one powerful and all-encompassing reality ... the spoken word, that wonderful phenomenon which constitutes the sole basis of our steadfast dedication. VIVA ESL!