Job Discussion Forums

[DavefromWandsworth]

[Guy Courchesne]

[MamaOaxaca]

Sorry Guy,
I shot that post off two minutes before I was scheduled to give an speaking exam. One based on the UCLES exams by the way. I think at the Proficiency and CAE levels, if you were going to sit the Exam in England, you would definately want to study under a Brit. Over the past couple of years UCLES has made moves to make the exams more international, but as an American, I think they still have a long way to go to make the exams international English, if that is even something they care to do. At the KET, PET and FCE level, it doesn't really matter whether your teacher is a native speaker from any They are Brisith exams after all. country or a non native speaker. You just need a good teacher who is familiar with the exams.

[cangringo]

Ok having trouble posting but just to clarify ( I saw the smiley Samantha don't worry)

The Mexican teachers are good teachers and have a good rapport with the students although we can have that too with a few laughs but they aren't experts at the language. They may be better able to explain the grammar better by using Spanish in class but I think it's important to use as much English as possible. I have noticed that some of my students that are used to having things explained in Spanish have trouble speaking. They can read very well and they know most of the grammar but they have trouble listening and speaking.

It's akin to how you learned Spanish I suppose. If you learn Spanish from a non-native in Canada then come to Mexico - well you still have a lot to learn. So if a Mexican person wants to learn Spanish to go to Canada and have a job or to sit in a call centre and take calls from Americans then it would be better for them to learn from a native speaker particularly Americans or Canadians. If they want to go to Britain and get a job or go to school then a British speaker is better. If they simply want to have basic conversation so they can go to Dallas and speak English then it doesn't matter. If they are a high paid executive and be able to travel adn converse with people all over the world then maybe a mix is best.

[ls650]

[cangringo]

thanks...duh...I had a brain fart there...

[Guy Courchesne]

Nothing about seaing the see, but a little to extend the tangent of natives vs locals, along the lines of my field.

[guty]

Melee,
'standardiSe' was an ironic reference to the fact that there isn't even agreement on how to spell the word which describes the act.
I didn't mean to cause offence, but I didn't realise it was the thing you hated most in the world.
What I hate most in the world is when people exaggerate

[ls650]

I've noticed that irony and sarcasm tend to be concepts that aren't conveyed well in casual writing. To another reader it can be difficult to know where the humour ends and the backbiting begins.

[DavefromWandsworth]

[MamaOaxaca]

[PlayadelSoul]

[Guy Courchesne]

[DavefromWandsworth]

[mapache]

It's easier for Mexican teachers to teach grammar in Spanish. The problem comes when the same teacher explains everything in English followed by an explanation in Spanish. I also do not allow repeating what I say in English to the other students in Spanish. The minds of the students take the path of least resistance so, instead of learning to listen and speak English, they just wait a few seconds for the inevitable explanation in Spanish that follows. After basic, where Mexican teachers may be more effective, learning English is better done in English.