My ESL Travels, Part 2. The job

I had a tough demand for myself after finishing the course – I wanted adult education, and if possible higher education environments. I was not able to find immediate employment as a result, but waited and found the perfect start in a University in China. It allowed me to save money – the pay in teaching when you begin, can be disheartening, there is everything to work for, as the more experience you develop, the more you can earn. So, I took a blind plunge and flew to the other side of the world – which was terrifying I hate flying, OMG, and then some, because when you first face Chinese immigration you kind of wonder if you will every taste the freedom of an apple pie, or proper cup of tea again.

Suddenly though, I was guest of honour, and still am, being a Brit here is like celebrity, they marvel at the accent, idolise the style, offer the warmest welcomes and smiles. I was immediately — to my horror – given the IELTS student courses to teach – CELTA had made my ability to teach first class it seems, I have had to adjust it slightly to fit, but receive nothing but encouragement and compliments on my delivery. I had to begin to learn the ins and outs of IELTS, and I’m still focused on this, it is a continuation of the learning I began in Saxoncourt. However, I realise it is a route to a successful career, and hopefully, to some future financial rewards.

Aside from University classes, came the requests for private tuition, and I have to fend them off. Here I can use CELTA method to its fullest – using inspirational resources, and combining all the skill sets into one lesson. I love to see the exhaustion on the learners faces after our classes, both in and out of uni, I see the success of the delivery in this, they are used to teachers just doing a job here, not having a passion – CELTA and Saxoncourt really gave me that feeling, and it is an inspiration to keep going, I am looking forward to where this journey takes me both physically and mentally.

Trust your tutors, they will arm you with the best language resources to carry on the job, they will also highlight the strengths and weaknesses you possess and encourage you to work with them for success. Enjoy the process of learning CELTA, it’s a seesaw of emotions which are unforgettable and full of self development, above all keep the hope alive, the tutors at SC will tell you as much, you can do it, and you are a great teacher.

Remember that you also learn a lot from your students – listen to them – think about their hurdles, and strengths or weaknesses, when you connect with your classes you discover more about learning and teaching than I could have imagined before I took CELTA. Most importantly – be open to be flexible, and learn to be fast thinking, make mistakes, even in front of a class, just trust that you will recover from them, and watch yourself grow. The best thing to carry you through a lesson, or CELTA course is to think about the individuals you are teaching, what they need, where they want to go – focus on the real objectives, you will worry less about your performance.