Job Discussion Forums

[OhSverige]

Greetings everyone!

I guess I should begin by introducing myself a bit. I'm in the process of completing my Associates degree at a community college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon completion of my AA degree I will be transferring to the University of Northern Colorado where I plan to obtain a degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in German. After I graduate I then plan to enroll in a CELTA course. In all honesty, I'm not sure if I want to stay in the US and teach; my dream has always been to live and work somewhere overseas (preferably Eastern Europe...but who knows!)

The reason I am finally posting (after lurking for quite some time) is because I need a little bit of help from some of you that have gotten some TEFL or CELTA or ESL teaching under your proverbial belts. One of my teachers is having us interview teachers...teachers that teach what we hope to one day teach. I really don't know of any TEFL teachers here in the Springs and thought that maybe someone out there might be interested in answering a few questions for me. If you don't have time or don't want to I completely understand. I just thought this would be a great place for me to ask a few questions to some experienced teachers who are presently (or have done) what I one day dream to be doing!

I will post the questions below and feel free to answer any that you wish.

1. How many years have you been teaching ESL/TEFL?

2. What brought you into the field of teaching English as a Foreign Language?

3. What factors drew you into the field of teaching in the first place?

4. How effective was your pre-service teacher-preparation program in helping you learn to teach? What would have made it more effective?

5. Are you more or less confident in your ability to help kids/adults learn than you were before you started teaching? Why do you think you feel this way?

6. What are some of the greatest challenges to doing the job the way you think it should be done? Do you have any specific examples?

7. What is the biggest mistake that new teachers make that come into the TEFL/ESL field?

8. What is currently having the biggest impact on students� learning success in your classroom?

9. To what extent do accountability and testing influence what is taught and how it is taught in your school? Is there accountability when you are a TEFL/ESL teacher?

10. Do you have any specific examples as to how accountability is influencing you as a teacher?

11. If you were to describe the process of teaching in one sentence, how would you describe it?

12. Do you have a philosophy of education? If so, in what way does this philosophy impact the choices that you make in the classroom?

13. What are some of the negative aspects of teaching?

14. Do you have any other teaching aspirations?

15. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

16. Looking back, do you have any regrets with the decision you made to teach in a foreign land?

Thank you for reading this. If you have any questions or other comments please do send me a message. I would really love to hear your opinions and views and again, I thank you in advance!

[denise]

[MELEE]

1. How many years have you been teaching ESL/TEFL?

11 years, it's the only "real job" I've ever had, and so many people don't consider it a real job!


2. What brought you into the field of teaching English as a Foreign Language?

Well, studying Spanish as a Foreign Language. After I finished my BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies, I felt like I needed a little more Spanish immersion (I had done a study abroad program in Chile in my junior year) so I started trying to find out how I could make that happen. I found a school in Ecuador looking for people to do language exchanges. Off I went.


3. What factors drew you into the field of teaching in the first place?

I never intended to be a teacher !

4. How effective was your pre-service teacher-preparation program in helping you learn to teach? What would have made it more effective?

Well, that first experience in Ecuador was sans training. It was really hard and I did not really enjoy teaching, I loved every other aspect of my life there, but I recognized I had no idea what I was doing teaching English! After returning to the states and temping for a while I was dying to get out of the USA, go anywhere! I did a TEFL course and applied for a job in Japan. I choose Japan, because back in those days you could still find schools that would pay for your flight over and I didn't have much money. Teaching post training was a whole different ball game, I aslo was working at a school with a very structure program, basically the lessons were planned all I had to do was deliver them. It was a good oportunity for me to try out X teaching method. Which I still through into my mix today, but I have learned now not to teach using only one method. What would make it more effective? MORE practice teaching, using a variety of different teaching methods/techniques with guided group analysis after of how the lesson when and the effectiveness of the method/technique used. I also think it is worth while to try out or at least observe the same content delivered in a variety of different styles.

5. Are you more or less confident in your ability to help kids/adults learn than you were before you started teaching? Why do you think you feel this way?

Way way more confindent. I've never stopped learning in these past ten years and I still have so much more to learn and explore. That is what has kept me teaching. Back in 1999 at the end of my first year in my current position, I decided I stick with the job until I got bored, instead of simply moving on at the end of the contract. I'm not bored yet.


6. What are some of the greatest challenges to doing the job the way you think it should be done? Do you have any specific examples?

I teach university students, and I think the biggest hurdle for me is they and I recieved our formative education in very different ways. Where I work is not a liberal arts college. I believe in Liberal Arts style education, but that is not what the students are use to, or what they are getting across the board here. The hardest thing has finding a way that I can take what I believe about teaching and learning and what the students believe about teaching and learning and meet somewhere in the middle and try to make some learning happen.

7. What is the biggest mistake that new teachers make that come into the TEFL/ESL field?

mmmm, tough question, I been teaching in the same place for 8 years so I don't have that broad of experience. It think, courses like the CELTA are weak in knowledge about how to teach pronunciation. It's more than just you say the word and the students repeat, you exagerate it more and they repeat again, and again until you are all frustrated and give up. A little bit of knowledge of how the sounds are produced goes a very long way.

8. What is currently having the biggest impact on students� learning success in your classroom?

Convincing them that they have to put in a little bit more time outside of class.

9. To what extent do accountability and testing influence what is taught and how it is taught in your school? Is there accountability when you are a TEFL/ESL teacher?

Wow. yes, but maybe not in the way you are thinking since you are studying education in the US. If all my students passed, I would be questioned, but probably not if all my students failed! But my students are working towards standardized tests (The Cambridge lower main suite) and they only really study just before an exam because that is how they have been conditioned to learn. So we give an exam each month.

10. Do you have any specific examples as to how accountability is influencing you as a teacher?

I'm spending more time testing than I am teaching.

11. If you were to describe the process of teaching in one sentence, how would you describe it?

Helping students access the knowledge they need.

12. Do you have a philosophy of education? If so, in what way does this philosophy impact the choices that you make in the classroom?

Yes, I've already alluded to that, the thing is as a foreigner, my philosophy of education is out of sinc with that of my host culture and institution. But I have a lot of freedom in my classroom in this job, and I'm able to make choices that exposes my students to other educational philosophies. I want to make them aware of the differences and let them have a taste of variety and then let them choose the path they want to take. But if they don't know that other paths exsist, how would they know they are on the path they want to be on?

13. What are some of the negative aspects of teaching?

Grading papers! Also in EFL, if the students are not putting time out side of class to study English, you will see little advancement. It can get very discouraging at times.

14. Do you have any other teaching aspirations?

In my current job I have small opportunities to work with the local high school English teachers, who are always hungry for professional development and have so few opportunities for it. I'm working with the university admin to expand our outreach program. If students had better English experiences before coming to the uni, my job would be easier. Besides these teachers are really great people, eager students and a joy to work with.


15. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Not really sure. I have two small children and I'm exploring the possiblity of moving towards giving private classes part time, instead of working full time. To have more time to spend with my two star pupils! Besides, my husband is just finishing up grad school, I've been supporting him, now its his turn to bring home the bacon. I also have lots of other interests that I could easily pursue in the area where we live.

16. Looking back, do you have any regrets with the decision you made to teach in a foreign land?
Nope!
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[Glenski]

1. How many years have you been teaching ESL/TEFL?
8

2. What brought you into the field of teaching English as a Foreign Language?
dumb luck and career change

3. What factors drew you into the field of teaching in the first place?
need to support myself while I looked for other things in Japan, ease of getting into the job

4. How effective was your pre-service teacher-preparation program in helping you learn to teach? What would have made it more effective?
moderately so (TESL certificate, plus life experience); more hands-on training

5. Are you more or less confident in your ability to help kids/adults learn than you were before you started teaching? Why do you think you feel this way?
much more! experience and research

6. What are some of the greatest challenges to doing the job the way you think it should be done? Do you have any specific examples?
resistance by the society (Japanese study English 6 years in HS, yet not for conversational purposes, so it's tough trying to teach them conversation as adults when they don't have as good a grasp as they should.)
language barrier (Trying to deal with staff has its problems at times.)
cultural problems (Too many to list.)

7. What is the biggest mistake that new teachers make that come into the TEFL/ESL field?
Can't think of THE biggest. Here are a few high ranking ones.
Thinking in terms of their western morals instead of the local culture.
Coming not to teach but to party and get paid for just sitting in the class.
Speaking too much in the classroom instead of giving students chances to practice and make mistakes.
Correcting students too often.

8. What is currently having the biggest impact on students� learning success in your classroom?
government standards (for mainstream schools)
dispatch agencies
lack of any worldwide regulation committee on teacher credentials.

9. To what extent do accountability and testing influence what is taught and how it is taught in your school? Is there accountability when you are a TEFL/ESL teacher?
You are as accountable as the system lets you be. "School" is a vague term that covers too many situations to answer concisely here. University? Conversation school (private company)? Kindergarten? Public vs. private school?


10. Do you have any specific examples as to how accountability is influencing you as a teacher?
I am accountable for assigning grades my way, but the university has its quota system on what passes that I think is far too lenient.

11. If you were to describe the process of teaching in one sentence, how would you describe it?
Facilitating the students' desire and ability to learn.

12. Do you have a philosophy of education? If so, in what way does this philosophy impact the choices that you make in the classroom?
See #11. Depends on the situation as mentioned in #9.

13. What are some of the negative aspects of teaching?
Again, this depends on the situation.
Poor textbooks.
Government standards.
Lack of accountability.
Lack of regulations on teachers.

14. Do you have any other teaching aspirations?
I don't understand the question.

15. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Getting ready to retire, or pulling my hair out thinking of how I'm going to survive retirement.

16. Looking back, do you have any regrets with the decision you made to teach in a foreign land?
none, but then again, coming to teach was not my main goal

[OhSverige]

Thank you all soooo very much for answering my questions! I enjoyed reading all the responses; I'm getting so much insight into the TEFL world! It makes me wish I could just start my teaching journey tomorrw!