Job Discussion Forums

Grahame · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 11

Hi, I am new to this forum - so be gentle! Smile

I have seen a couple of earlier posts re schools in Bogor. Any updated info would be appreciated.

Having spent many years in Indonesia (incl. three months this year) I am about to do CELTA at TBI in Jan 2011. Accordingly, I'm contemplating work in Bogor.

One other question: are all contracts for 12+ mths or are they are shorter ones?

TIA, Grahame

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

I doubt you'll find a contract shorter than 12 mths anywhere in Bogor.

Here are the options:

1. EF. Owned by Swara group. Do google search. Always vacancies.
2. TBI. Mixed reports about that lot - though no real horror stories. Think they just had a crap DoS for a while.
3. Eden - small independent language school. Friendly bunch.
4. SBR - national plus school not language school - tend to employ more experienced teachers for various subjects not just English. No vacancies likely soon.
5. International School of Bogor - tiny expat school employing tiny number of qualified expat teachers. Virtually no chance of vacancies.

I think High/Scope kindergarten may employ expats but I'm not sure. At nearby Sentul there is SPH but they only employ those who bow down and praise the Lord.

Grahame · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 11

Thanks Malu - good info indeed. As a result I will contact Eden first esp. as they are near where I was staying - and presumably can stay in the future.

Cheers, Grahame

scuba066 · Joined: 03 Oct 2010 Posts: 34

Hello Grahame, I am sure you are quite busy with your course at the moment. I hope things are going well. I would very much like to hear of your experience with TBI once you have a chance to catch your breath.

Grahame · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 11

Hi Scuba66, the course is still three weeks away. I'll try to remember to give you feedback in almost two months when I have finished.

Thanks for your interest.

Grahame · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 11

scuba066 · Joined: 03 Oct 2010 Posts: 34

Congratulations!

Sounds like it was a tough course but, you enjoyed it. How many students were taking the course with you? Was it hard to find accommodations? What are your opinions of TBI as a language school? What are your follow on plans?

jaybet3 · Joined: 15 Dec 2010 Posts: 140 Location: Indonesia

Grahame,

I'll be taking the same TBI CELTA in May. I have about two years teaching experience and have been studying the terminology on my own.

You said the course was extremely difficult. Can you provide some detail?

For you, was it getting in front of a class, the terminology, theory, the amount of work that needed to be produced?

As an experienced teacher, I'm curious what challenges I'll encounter.

Thanks.

Grahame · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 11

Hi, yes it was tough and I can in a curious way say I enjoyed it - but like banging your head on a wall it is good to stop! Smile

There were eight CELTA students (normally 12?) with only one Indonesian (normally more). This meant that we had a few more 'unassessed' teaching pracs. (That is, no lecturer in class - a good time to try a few things out without the 'pressure' of being assessed - and without having to do a formal lesson plan.) However, with more students the amount of unassessed TPs would diminish.

Accommodation can be found nearby. TBI Fatmawati gave me a list of a few places and I just randomly picked one. Admittedly, small rooms and unreliable wifi but near to the school - and with wifi and food nearby. I would definitely stay near the school (the Jakarta traffic jams are legendary) as you can go back any time to do work with their good wifi, room to spread out, library, photocopier, printer etc.

The difficulty was the amount of work and, for this absolute novice, the complete unfamiliarity with what is involved not only with teaching but also with teaching English.

Each day is 8-4 plus lesson planning and essays, so 10-12 hours days were not uncommon (plus weekends). I really can say that all my waking hours for the whole month were focused on the course.

Getting up in front of class was difficult but I think it was just the volume of work and the never-ending terminology (plus I don't have much of an idea about grammar - in fact less so than my rote-learned students).

When I say terminology I mean not only grammatical terminology but also e.g. that 'can implies ability' or 'may implies possibility or permission'.

For me now unfortunately I will not be working in the area as another job (with refugees) has come up, however, I would hope to use the skills to work possibly in a less formal way.

For a complete beginner the CELTA prepares you well to walk into a structured setup where the coursebooks are decided and where the students have already been graded for proficiency. (I'm not sure how it will go trying to translate across to adult learners with no English e.g. refugees. I am currently looking for printed materials to assist in such a scenario.) And for someone with experience I'm sure it would also challenge their teaching methods.

As far as my impressions on TBI as a language school, I am afraid I can't really give any ideas. We were looking at it as teachers not students, plus our students were 'freebies' - I believe the others pay quite a bit.

Any more questions - I'll do my best to answer them.
Cheers, Grahame

scuba066 · Joined: 03 Oct 2010 Posts: 34

Thanks for the info Grahame