I am 60. I mention that first since there are many people who for some incredibly stupid reason don’t want to hire people that age or older. I come from a family where we learned respect for our elders (I can’t be one of those elders). In the teaching game (6+ years experience), I learned that age means nothing. I’ve seen young people who are excellent teachers, and also young people who are terrible teachers. The same holds true for older teachers. I’ve worked mostly in China so I’ve seen that many schools don’t care about the quality of the teacher, but only that their skin is white.

I worked for 10,000 years in I.T. and then switched to teaching (I have a M.Ed) overseas to see and learn about other parts of the world. I love the interaction with the students and I find that I learn a lot from the students. To me it’s a wonderful trade. They get English and some culture (you can’t avoid throwing off some culture), and I get their culture.

I believe in respect. I don't follow the “you have to earn my respect” school of thought, I’m from the “you get my respect from day one and you have to lose it”. I find that if you show the students respect (any age) and give them responsibility there is a good chance you will succeed.

Younger people like me. I’ve been trying to figure this out and all I can come up with is that I’m just myself around them and they can see I’m not trying to trick them. If I have a personal problem, it stays outside the classroom. My problems are not the student’s problems and they should never be. I see my job as more than teaching English, but passing on lessons about life, being a good listener, and having time to discuss things when the need arises.

I’m a Canadian and I come with a wife (a Chinese National). I will work anywhere in the world for the right challenge (and a decent salary doesn’t hurt). Currently I’m in China so I can stay here, or go elsewhere. Life is truly a journey and that’s what I’m on. To be able to work with young people on a daily basis is a gift to me.