Steve's Blog - 16th October 2009

Do you have any experience?

That ominous and inevitable question we all have to face

It’s a valid concern. Well, it’s a valid concern in many instances. Teaching English, though, I believe, is a career where teachers have experience no matter what they have been doing before they find their way into the classroom.

As the lead trainer at Chichester College’s TESOL course in Bangkok, I meet folk from all over the world coming from a wide variety of work backgrounds. Some are just out of university, others have been in Iraq fighting a war, some come from banks, others have been in the building industry, chemists, accountants, fitness instructors...

Each of these occupations make heavy demands, require dedication, rely on creativity or an attention to detail. Standards have to be met, bosses have to be pleased, customers make life difficult. Have you had a job like this? I believe you have. If you have just finished university, you also know the madness of deadlines and the importance of making a good impression.

More importantly, we all work with people. I can’t think of a job of any kind that doesn’t require the need to work with people. Am I right? Mature or longstanding staff need to train newcomers; sales staff need to instruct their clients on the use and benefits of the product; farmers need to manage their work teams; computer programmers need to work with people from a variety of departments to ensure that the outcomes are met.

Working with people, regardless of age, is an act of patience and empathy. Have you ever shown someone how to use a power tool? If you have, you’ll know that there are safety issues, and that giving your instructions slowly and with some care will help to prevent confusion or accidents later. Have you taught someone how to play tennis or drive a car? This kind of practical instruction is invaluable in the language classroom where practicing and practicing are as important as they are on the tennis court.

Such people skills are of immediate benefit in the language classroom. It’s what teaching is all about! Not having ‘teaching experience’ is not such a disability, then. In fact, even if you do have experience, employers still like to find out what you did before you started teaching. Your past life as a bank manager, for example, doesn’t work against you. For employers, records of stable employment in demanding positions with responsibility speak volumes for your ability to deal with stress, work to deadlines, and maintain a high sense of work ethic. Your task as a new teacher is not to toss that knowledge and experience out the window because it seems irrelevant, but to bring it into your new life and share some of the skills you have with your students and with the school as a whole.

I remember a young, but vibrant and confident teacher I met while working at one school. He had only recently completed his course, and was new to the English world. In his previous life, he had been a graphic designer, had become bored of the constant pressure and loneliness, and was looking for something more meaningful. With only one computer at the school, there wasn’t much chance of him following up with any graphic designing. Or so it seemed. His students, some of whom had hoped to become computer literate some day, were able to take a lot from his passion for design and skill on design programmes. The school was also a glad to have him around – he helped with the design of a new school logo!

So, starting again as an English teacher in Asia does not necessarily mean you leave your talents behind. Yes, ‘starting again’ can be daunting, but it also means new friends, fresh challenges and a chance to grow and learn. That’s what ‘experience’ is really about!

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16th March 2010

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10th February 2010

What accent should a teacher have?

7th January 2010

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14th November 2009

Teaching English - in English!