My Amazing Personal Teaching Experience
My teaching experience started back in 1988 where I was working for a company called Bryco Windows. They are a UPVC window and door manufacturer where my position was Sales Trainer. My job was to teach new staff and train them to understand the sales process and how to close the sale. This was a hard job to do as a salesman as the sales people got a lot of knock backs (no sale). Part of my job as sales trainer was to keep them motivated. Sometimes this got very hard with some sales people and many people left. The employee turnover was very high as not many people actually could master it. I worked there for four years in this position and met some really good people who did very well.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate James M.
Then I was offered another position doing the same thing but for an international company called Cannon Ink. Basically doing the same job but it was teaching a different style of sales. Bryco was more direct sales closing the deal on the first visit. Where as cannon the sales can take months to close so more passive and keeping a good rapport with the clients was very important. So it was a different teaching approach. I worked there for another 5 years.
Also read: 10 Tips for Teaching Grammar to EFL Students Abroad
Teaching English in Egypt
Then in 1997 I left to start travelling. Travelling and working through 39 different countries over the last 22 years. When in Africa (south Sinai 2004) I worked as an English teacher for Sheik Trawler; teaching two of his young boys to speak English through play and games and using a study book called Solutions. The book was used more as supplement to the games and play. The boys were very young when I first started but learnt extremely quickly. I did this for nearly 6 years until I was told by the Sheikh I needed to leave as there was going to be a lot of problems in Egypt and it’s best to leave. So, taking the Sheikh’s advice, I started to make arrangements to leave. I made my mind up that my next place would be Russia. Ten days after landing in Russia The Egyptian Revolution started, so the Sheikh was right. Leaving was the right thing to do.
From Egypt to Russia
On 27 September 2010 I landed in Moscow Russia. My first issue here was that no one spoke any English at all so there was a real need to learn the language quickly. I found Russian to be a very easy language to learn. I found myself a teaching job with an English centre called British academic centre teaching at secondary schools in Moscow, and teaching business to groups, some were investment companies, banks and insurance companies. This was a very interesting position; teaching young learners and business people including one to one lessons with the directors of companies. I worked for the company for nearly 5 years. They were very good to me and I really enjoyed my time in Russia. I would recommend to anyone who wants to meet some good people and earn good money and teach, try Russia.
Vietnam via Cambodia
Then I moved to Asia and started teaching in Cambodia, for me not such a good experience. So I didn’t stay there working as a teacher for long. Before I moved to Vietnam in Jan 2018 Now in Vietnam and found a very good job working for a centre. I have been here for a year now and it looks like I will be here for a very long time.
Teaching around the world is the best experience I have ever had. You meet some very cool people and you have a lot of fun on the way.
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