Job Discussion Forums

[El Llama]

Thought that title would attract some Aussie interest.

OK, here's the thing. I'm about to start teaching an Indonesian girl one-on-one who's going to an Australian high school in November. She says she wants help with school-related English. My current game plan is a brush-up of the basics (she attends one of my regular classes too) with some formal writing thrown in.

My question is: are there any peculiarities of the Australian school system that we need to know about? I mean, what sort of thing will she be required to do in class / for homework?

Also, it might be fun to teach her some colloquial Aussie banter. Does anyone know of a website where I could find some examples?

Cheers.

El Llama.

[sojourner]

Llama,

Where, exactly in Australia, does your student wish to attend school ? There are eight education systems,one for each of the six states and one for each of the two territories.Do a search for info about the various systems.

Will she be attending a state or a private school ? Primary or secondary level ? If she'll be attending a private school,or one of the few prestigious (or selective) state schools, do a web search ,and ask about the teaching programme. If your student wishes to complete her secondary education in Australia,she'll probably have to prepare for her Year 12 certificate examination (depending upon the state or territory, it'll be called the Higher School Certificate,Senior Certificate,Victorian Certificate of Education,or Matriculation).However,some private and selective schools are now offering students an alternative to the normal 12 Year examinations,viz.The International Baccalariate (sp?).

You mentioned that "it might be fun to teach her some colloquial Aussie Banter".Most well-educated middle class Australians cringe at the prospect of their kids learning "strine" or "ocker" English - thus,probably accounting,at least in part,for the growing popularity of private school education in Australia.Your student's future career prospects will depend upon her command of Standard English,rather than having an "ocker" accent or demonstrating a command of increasingly passe colloquialisms.Possibly,there might be a need to know,say,twenty or so,common words or expressions;but certainly not the sorts of things expressed in the "Barrie McKenzie" movies ! Leaving aside the more philistinian aspects , there is much that is positive about Australian culture,especially with respect to the putting down of pretension,as well as the relaxed and informal "rules" governing social interactions - although,unfortunately,there is still a tendency to exhibit a "cut down the tall poppies" mentality in existence .

BTW,where actually are you now in Indonesia ? I'm currently in China,but am toying with the idea of working in Indonesia next year.However,I'm a little concerned about the possibility of widespread anti-Australian attitudes.Also,have you ever worked in any Indonesian universities ?Any feedback would be most appreciated .

Regards,

Peter

[Winmar]

Teaching a few expressions like "g'day mate", "how's it goin'?", "good onya", "bugger that for a joke" etc wouldn't go astray. Doesn't mean your student has to use them, but it helps to be able to understand them when others do....

[Ctrl Alt Defeat]

Yeah bloody oath mate, nothing wrong with learning a bit of the real shit. Sure she'll need a good comand of the proper English but if she doesn't know what her mates mean when they ask her if she wants ta smack piss with em then she'll think it's some kind of rude come on and not the kindly offer of a beer that it is.

Bazza

[august03]

As a way of greeting most Australians will say

"Hi/Hello/G'day, how are ya/how ya goin"

You reply

"Yeah not bad/ok/great/good, yourself?"

They reply

"Yeah pretty good/good/not bad thanks"

Then you get down to business. I have come across quite a few people who don't understand the importance of this. Also note when someone asks 'how you are' all they want is the above reply; they do not want to know that you are ill, sad, etc. Even if you just lost your job you should still reply "Yeah I'm ok, yourself?" then after they have replied you would say "Yeah got f***ing sacked today"

[Aramas]

I agree that it might be useful to understand what people are saying. Communication is, after all, the purpose of language, and contrary to the blatherings of some very unhappy people on this board, language is defined by usage - not semantic or grammatical correctness.

As an example, "Bugger me!" is not a solicitation, but rather an exclamation of surprise. When someone claims that someone else gives them the sh**s, it is not an indication of a communicable gastro-intestinal disorder, but rather an expression of dislike. Claiming that someone is an a**e-licker is not an indication of their sexual orientation, but rather an indication of sycophantic tendencies.

The majority of Australian colloquialisms are shared with British English - particularly Cockney (<- lol - C o c kney) English. There are relatively few expressions that would mystify a Brit, but Yanks and other non-native English-speakers probably need a little help.

[BradS]

"Chucking a sickie" = not going to school, pretending you're sick.

[El Llama]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the feedback. My aim in teaching my student a few common colloquial phrases was just so she could understand what was going on when her classmates were chatting. Having her arrive as a 16 year-old, female, Indonesian version of Paul Hogan wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Mind you...

re sojourner's questions, she's off to school in Melbourne (pronounced "Melben," right?) and will do her year 12 exams there.

I'm working in Jakarta now. Anti-Aussie feeling is NOT widespread, far from it, but you cannot fail to notice that it does exist. The bomb at the Aussie embassy shook my floor (it was just down the road). I went out to see what was going on and all the Indonesian bystanders came up to me asking if I was ok and apologising for the terrorists.

I haven't worked in a university, only the franchise school salt mines. I don't know offhand any addresses, but if you're interested in International schools, all the contact details are listed at:

http://www.expat.or.id/orgs/schools.html

Hope this helps.

El Llama

[Winmar]

Yep, Melben or something like that is correct. Definitely not Mel-born!!

Where in Melbourne is she going to be studying?

[thelmadatter]

[Aramas]

[BradS]

I've never heard that one. Pretty suprised considering how racist it is.

[Aramas]

[El Llama]

What a "ball-tearer" of a website! I used to be so clueless that you "wouldn't use me for ammo in a sh.it fight!" Good on ya, Aramas.