What if I am
physically challenged?
Can I still get a job
Teaching
English Overseas?
Will it be a
problem?
It
may be a problem - it depends on what your personal
challenge/issue is. Much of the world is not
physically-challenged friendly.
Physical Problems
Sidewalks are often uneven, may have large holes in
them, or sometimes don't even exist. Elevators are a
happy invention of the developed world. Classes or
schools can be on the fifth floor of a building with
uneven and steep stairs.
I
taught at a college in Korea in 1993-4 where I had to
leave a classroom on the fifth floor of one building, go
outside, walk up a hill, go into another building and
back up to a fifth or sixth floor - all in the ten
minutes between the two classes - and no elevators. I
was younger then - and relatively fit - but found myself
arriving in class out of breath and covered with sweat.
In the winter - the path between the buildings might be
covered with ice - making progress even more difficult.
Adaptability
If
you have physical challenges of any sort, be sure to ask
about the specific circumstances of any school you may
be interested in working at. While at the same college
I wrote about above, the school hired a significantly
overweight teacher. She, needless to say, didn't work
out. Just too much physical strength and agility
required. She hadn't asked about the physical demands
of the job and they hadn't mentioned it. Result?
Unhappy school and unhappy teacher.
Minor or Major Issues
I
worked for a few years at a school with an older woman
who had had knee replacements. She often had trouble
with the stairs being uneven. In many places, stairs
are not built in a uniform manner, one may be higher or
wider than the next. Stairs may also be slippery, hand
rails may not be provided.
Progress
I
am happy to report that the university where I was
working from 2003 to 2005, put in physically-adapted
bathrooms on every floor of every building! Fantastic,
but no elevator to get up to the fifth floor (or any
other floor than the first) to use them! Progress is
being made, but in a rather uneven fashion. Some day -
they will have elevators.
Getting About
Cities in the developing world can be particularly
problematic. Buses jolt about, don't come to full stops
to pick up or discharge passengers - it is a tough place
if you can't move quickly.
I
don't mean to be discouraging - but do look for more
developed countries - or places where everything is on
one floor.
