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[dundee]

baka, my two-body problem is like yours to an extent. We are from different countries and are both academics living in the home country of one half of the couple.

All the dissing of Ajarn is pretty pathetic. The kind of education that takes place in refugee camps on the Thai/Myanmar border is far more important than any education most of us engage in at Western universities with privileged students, regardless of the qualifications of the educators.

And while I would never argue that Capella is a good institution, Ajarn must have some strong credentials to land a position at an Australian university, since there are only about 40 of them, jobs are scarce, and Australia does not have institutions like Capella.

Good luck down under Ajarn. Hopefully you won't run into any wankers like windchimes.

[windchimes]

Ajarn must have some strong credentials to land a position at an Australian university, since there are only about 40 of them, jobs are scarce, and Australia does not have institutions like Capella.

Another one of 'em "thorough" readers.

I have a good (my definition of good) offer from an overseas branch of a well-respected Australian university and will begin next month,

Ajarn is staying put in Thailand/Cambodia and will work at "bamboo and thatch" outpost for one of 'em neo-colonial outreach programs that Aussie government/private industry offers as help to "native savages."

Still doesn't count as a traditional academic position anywhere in the Western world.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Either way, he blew it, and then came here to cry how nobody understands him -- when in fact it is him who did not understand the others (aka "the process".)

Actually, he has done very little complaining, and he expresses himself exceedingly well for someone who apparently has a rubbish education.

He is also doing better w/r to academic employment than some people on this forum who have degrees from so-called "elite" schools. This is no doubt a testament to his personal abilities, and not those of Capella. - DvF

[windchimes]

Actually, he has done very little complaining, and he expresses himself exceedingly well for someone who apparently has a rubbish education.

Not true. His complaints and whining was noted exactly a year ago. He showed that most of his problems stem from the facts he did not know or chose to ignore. Or both.

I do not know if your attitude is typical of those in academia in America, but it is obvious that “brand name” of school means a lot to some. I am not stupid, obviously I knew this when making the decision to pursue a PhD

guess your suggesting I should have known my degree would be considered worthless in US academia struck the wrong nerve. How should I have known? I have never been at a university in the US.

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,36319.0.html

He is also doing better w/r to academic employment than some people on this forum who have degrees from so-called "elite" schools.

Comparing apples and oranges. Those who are competing in the (cutthroat) U.S. academia, and those who work for NGOs in developing countries and teaching a little ESL on the side.

This is no doubt a testament to his personal abilities, and not those of Capella.

True. That was my point all along. He didn't need PhD from Capella (whatever that is) to work at the bambo and thatch outpost in a developing Asian country.

[jonesey]

I'm curious as to what windchimes is doing with his obviously elite, Ivy League, R1 PhD?  Oh, that's right, he's busy not getting hired at BU and hating white people (even though he's white). 

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Not true. His complaints and whining was noted exactly a year ago. He showed that most of his problems stem from the facts he did not know or chose to ignore. Or both.
http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,36319.0.html

Hey, I remember that thread (though I wasn't a registered member here yet).  I see that just_dave had a lot to say there...too bad he isn't around any more to chime in here... - DvF

[windchimes]

Hey, I remember that thread (though I wasn't a registered member here yet).  I see that just_dave had a lot to say there...too bad he isn't around any more to chime in here... - DvF

Oh yes he is around. He chimes in here alright. Just under the different moniker:

baka_bourke

[daniel_von_flanagan]

And here I was thinking that baka_bourke was really danny_boy.  Gee, am I ever naive and unobservant! - DvF

[dundee]

I also thought baka_bourke was the artist formerly known as danny_boy.

I have no idea what windchimes is referring to with hu's comment about "thorough" readers. I happen to know a great deal about Australian universities and the job market there.

[baka_janai]

I also thought baka_bourke was the artist formerly known as danny_boy.

I am Legion.

[ajarn]

Winchimes

You seem obsessed with my career. Why?

I concede there are many (maybe most of the) posters here who have had more success academically than I have. Congratulations to them.

I also concede that I will probably never get a tenure track position at a top flight US university. Actually, this has never been a primary goal of mine.

But, the world is a huge place with countless opportunities. I have been enjoying the ride, and hopefully my work can be of service to some people and students. There is nothing wrong with being an Ivory League scholar; there is also nothing wrong with being a teacher in some of the least economically developed areas of the world.

I am not sure what you are attempting to accomplish with this tirade of yours, but I have always found it more beneficial to focus on achieving one’s own personal goals as opposed to focusing on tearing down the reputation of others. But it is obvious that you disagree with me on this point.

[baka_janai]

In terms of my own field of Second Language Education (where I have my feet in both ends of the pool) going back to the US to teach theory in a grad program strikes me as similar to a fighter jock leaving the action to go back home to be a flight instructor.  If what you're interested in is EFL and language learning, why wouldn't you want to be overseas and living in an L2 environment. 

Now of course there are other interests in the field, for example, L2 literacy in immigrant populations.  Testing is also big -- thanks to current bean-counter perspectives on education.  But in terms of EFL (vs. ESL or EAP) I'm in the frontlines here and a step up to a tt job in the US might actually be a step down.

However, very few academics in the US are likely to see it this way.

I also wonder why it isn't possible to get a tt position TEACHING ESL in the US.  Ditto for any other foreign language.  Is teaching a language supposed to be somehow less demanding than teaching freshman biology?  "I have a body so I guess I can also teach biology."  There are some very deep (and erroneous) assumptions here.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

I also wonder why it isn't possible to get a tt position TEACHING ESL in the US.  Ditto for any other foreign language.  Is teaching a language supposed to be somehow less demanding than teaching freshman biology?

I know very little about ESL in the US; is it commonly taught at the same institutions that offer tenure for teaching-only faculty?  At my University, tenure is given for research record, so someone who only teaches biology without publishing wouldn't come within a mile of tenure.  I know this is not the case at some other types of institutions, but I don't know if these have ESL programs. - DvF

[ajarn]

Back to the original topic

Where I work, we use of a variety of categories to classify “expatriates” as far as HR purposes goes.

First we have the “real expatriates” or also called expat expats, or just expats. These are individuals who are sent by the home office and have pay and benefit packages that are inline with those working at the home office. These expats will stay with the organization after their stint overseas is over.

Next we have one class of “Locally-hired expatriates” or also called Northern expatriates” as we come from Western (Northern) countries.  This is the category I fall into. In this category, we are locally hired but paid in the currency of the home office (Euros), but we do not have the same benefits as “real expatriates” and we don’t have any expectation of employment with the organization outside of the country in which we were hired.

We have another classification of locally-hired expatriates; they are hired-locally and paid in local currency but are paid at a higher rate than are local staff members.

We also have “southern expatriates,” who come from “southern” countries but not the country we are located in. These individuals are usually mid-level managers and paid at a slightly higher than local rate.

We also have foreign local staff, or expats on a local salary. We have a number of individuals, mostly from Burma/Myanmar, but also from Canada and England, who are working on the same conditions and salaries as local staff members.

I don’t usually refer to myself as an ex-pat, but what other terms are there? The term expatriate brings to mind a well-heeled business executive and this is often the definition used within the academic literature. It is difficult to come across a article in the academic business literature where the term expatriate is not used synonymously with foreign manager.

What about all those working abroad (like university faculty and ESL teachers) who are not highly paid and have limited managerial duties? Are they expatriates too?

Actually this use of the term expatriate was an issue I brought up in the book I wrote on expatriation, which was mentioned before this thread was hijacked.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

I don’t usually refer to myself as an ex-pat, but what other terms are there?

Resident alien?  It is interesting that in the US we usually apply the word "expat" to someone from England living and working here, but if they come from Mexico we tend to use a different set of words. - DvF