Is teaching a job or passion?

Seneca (expat in China)

You have to love what you are doing for a living, if not you should find a different line of work. Teaching is for people who like to interact, to feel other people's moods and help improve them. If you have passion for your work, your class and your subject, you can make a difference. Foreign teachers bring more passion to this profession because they studied relevant courses at a university of their own decision.

I have met many Chinese teachers who were in it for the job stability and the easy working conditions. Passion just is not their forte but they make up for it by planning their lessons down to the last 3 minutes of every class. They are well prepared for the lessons they are giving on the same day or maybe the same week. They are often exhausted from a day of work because of the long prep work and the attention to minute details required of them.

A foreign teacher interacts with her students at an English training center in Hangzhou on July 8, 2014.[Photo/IC]