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To school... abroad
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U.S.-based Global Teachers Research & Resources Inc. has opened up vistas for teachers
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FOR A year-and-a-half, students of urban schools in Georgia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in the U.S. have been gawking in wonder at their new teachers. In their oddly-assembled clothes and peculiarly accented speech the teachers must look more than strange to the middle school students. But no one sniggers at the quality of knowledge that comes down. The teachers are the best, chosen from a group of applicants from several cities in India.
Facilitating this teaching talent import is Global Teachers Research & Resources Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia. With help from immigration law firms on either side of the International Date Line, the company has been recruiting and processing the passage of teachers for the last three years.
In Chennai, its recruitment-in-charge, 70-year-old Kamala Radhakrishnan, refuses to look her age or slow down the pace of her business drive. Having been an award- winning teacher, Assistant Professor, SCERT, Principal of the Presidency Girls' Higher Secondary School and, at retirement, Inspector of Girls' Schools, Tamil Nadu, her telephone book is crammed with top numbers in the field. Her experience in writing curriculum, advising educational institutions in Tamil Nadu and her UNICEF work go into her current assignment in educator emigration. "I use my contacts in education circles to get the right groups to apply," she says.
"We help software engineers find jobs in the U.S. With the dotcom downturn we moved to recruiting Science, Mathematics, Special Education and Montessori teachers." Respond to a newspaper ad and a committee will evaluate the candidate and the certificates. "What we look for most are communication skills."
Then U.S. school district officials visit India to interview them. "Rarely is anyone rejected after our scrutiny. An orientation course and processing of the H1B visa later (six months) you fly to the company guesthouse. You get your social security number and a feel of the place, learn to drive, to shop, handle credit cards and apply for a job. Within weeks you will be placed," assures Kamala.
"Teachers get three to four weeks' training," says this Manitha Neya Chudar Award winner. But I must tell you teachers from Tamil Nadu cope extremely well. They are enterprising, have superior language ability and fit themselves in the U.S. The only problem is the accent. Also, we lack application and flexibility in the choice of subjects. This severely limits our capacity."
At the DPS Centre (Nungambakkam) sister Paddy (American for Padma) Sharma is making a multi-media presentation to the 11 teachers looking westward. An Indian - born, non-confused American, she straddles the two cultures effortlessly and has placed 40 teachers without trouble.
While her combination coat is American the jewellery is obviously Indian. "Dress for success," she begins crisply. "Do your home work. Use the Internet. Prepare your portfolio. Highlight the projects you have done, conferences you have attended."
The major thrust is on personal habit-breaking. "A majority of kids in these areas come from difficult homes. They are playful and sometimes sleep in class.
Don't give in to prejudices. Ignore your culture shock when they address you by name, advise them gently. Help them complete assignments. Do not lend money at any time.
"Every teacher has a mentor. Take help if your lesson doesn't work well. Enrol in staff development courses. Tell yourself `I can make a difference in the life of a student. I am an ambassador to my country'. Stay clean. Don't touch the students. Get an international driver's licence and don't ask for the school bus."
Advice follows on renting apartments and keeping them clean. Any questions? "When can I call my family?" "When you get your first pay cheque."
At lunch, Ms. LR (ex?) teacher from a Royapettah school is clear about her personal and professional goals. "I can teach well. And I want to earn money." For GC (33) from Coimbatore, the ad in The Hindu was god-sent. "District officials from the U.S. have asked me to teach Science in middle school," she informs. "I taught an ethnic/racially sensitive school in the U.K. My husband will join me for a postdoctoral fellowship in Georgia." Dollars sparkle in the eyes all around you.
"The total cost comes to upward of three-and-a-quarter lakhs," says GC. "We have paid half of it. The rest when the visa comes. I've checked this firm through my sources. Paddy seems open and honest. And I have faith in god." For 33 year-old LJ it has not been an easy choice.
"I have sunk my life's savings into the unknown without an appointment letter," she admits. "It is a gamble. May be I should have gone to the cheaper outfit in Anna Nagar." She perks up when she talks of the benefits to her seven-year-old son. "I'll make my pile and come back. I love Chennai. I'll give myself a year. I am young and qualified."
"There is a dearth of qualified Math and Science teachers in the U.S.," insists Paddy. "Our teachers have a great opportunity." She obviously hasn't dwelt too long on the brain draining aspect of the business.
Contact Raji Govindraj at 2821 2926 / 2824 1628.
GEETA PADMANABHAN
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