Tutor conference

In March, the Portland Literacy Council hosted a one-day workshop for tutors and other educators. It was held on the fairytale campus of Reed College, meaning I got only one photo of the event and ninety pictures of the grounds, haha.

How to find work in Kharkov

 

Tomorrow's my first day of work and just like last year, I'm kinda nervous. And haha, just like last time it's rent collection day again, except this time our landlady is a fresh-faced twenty year old who's really sweet and undemanding. Score one point for the new apartment!

This fall I'll be working about the same amount as I did in the spring. My schedule currently has 13 class hours on it but undoubtedly something will be subtracted and other things will be added. The biggest change is the addition of a few IT companies, which means more daytime hours (vs. evenings).

When I first started in the EFL scene here in fall 2011, it was to work at one language school, roughly exchanging 30 hours a week for about a grand per month.

It wasn't until spring 2012 that my first private student appeared. (And then disappeared.)

That December I got my first independent position at an IT company, teaching 2 hours a week.

And then suddenly, this year, it was like a switch was flipped.

In February, D and I took on our first online proofreading tasks, which continue to show up periodically in my inbox to this day.

In March, I left the secure paycheck of the school, dropping down to just a couple hours a week there, and began with 2 private students.

By May, it was 5 private students, 1 private speaking club, the IT company, and one class at the school. Now it's 5 private students and 3 IT companies.

By the way, as far as teaching English goes, my current schedule is a light schedule. Most people work more than that. I've turned down and postponed lots of offers to keep time open for writing on this blog (am. the. slowest. writer. ever!) and designing awesome lessons.

Кит offers to help out with lesson planning!

Since it's fall and the English schools in Kharkov are frantically hiring, there have been a flurry of emails from all over the world asking about what it's like to teach/work here. Here's a couple of the most common questions. If you've got another question, just drop me a line in the comments below!


When is the best time to get a teaching job in Kharkov?

Plan to contact English schools in July and August as they start to plan their fall schedule. Most schools will just take you as you are, but some (American English Center and possibly International House) prefer training or offer it themselves so it's best to get in touch with them earlier to accommodate the training schedule.

metro ad for Green Forest,one of Kharkov's numerous English schools 

That said, the majority of schools are continually on the prowl for a teacher or two. Don't worry too much if you show up at another time of year.


Do I need training to teach English in Kharkov?

What it's like to work at American English Center

A snapshot from training days!

*Note: I'm no longer with this school. This post covers my experiences up to early 2013. For the most up-to-date info, try contacting the school directly. Happy job hunting!! :) *

There's a lot of negativity on the internet about working at American English Center (AEC). Before coming to Ukraine, I scoured the internet for clues about what it's like to work at AEC. Perhaps a similar search query is what brought you to this post. Now that I've spent 19 months teaching at this national chain, I'd like to balance all those venomous forum threads with my experience. After all, lasting 19 months at our local branch of AEC puts you squarely in the "old-timer" ranks, if not the ranks of "ancient elder".

Ukraine Anti-Packing List: EFL Teacher Version

This post is written for English teachers headed to Ukraine. Why is it called an anti-packing list? See all that red? That's stuff that I hope to dissuade you from (or at least make you think twice about) bringing. Meanwhile, things in green are things that have been really useful to me during the past year. Everything on this list came from my packing list, from what I actually brought with me to Ukraine last year.

So grab some tea and read on. May this list help you with your packing decisions and help you plan for a successful stint as an English teacher!

As you read this, please keep in mind-

• I work with adults, not children.
• I live in a major Ukrainian city. It may be a lot more difficult to find some of these items in a smaller city (or village).
• A native-speaker helps me shop. If you don't speak the language well or don't have access to a native-speaker, it may be easier to bring something from home instead of trying to track it down in Ukraine. 

disclaimer: this post contains Amazon affiliate links in case you find them useful!

Also see: The (regular) anti-packing list and shopping in Ukraine


What do the colors mean?

Red = Waste of Space
Yellow = Potentially Useful
Green = Get it!

Take It Outside

It's the final week of the semester. The sun is high in the sky. The playful spring breezes draw all sorts of passerby outside. Why not us too?

This week I experimented with taking my classes outdoors. It's been a longtime goal of mine to do this. We did it back in Alaska occasionally. It seemed especially important for those classes as they were life skills English classes. A field trip is mandatory when you're teaching someone to go grocery shopping, use the bus, or open a bank account. But what about when it comes to grammar? All of the sudden- field trips and excursions are forgotten. Lessons resolve entirely around the classroom. I want to change this.

As English teachers we always try to incorporate the outside world into the classroom: bringing in authentic target language materials, role-playing real life situations, etc. What about also incorporating the classroom into the outside world?

Wait for it

As a teacher, the sound of silence can feel criminal to your ears. If you ask a perfectly good question and no eager student rushes to answer.... what do you do? Often you start thinking "this must not be a good question, no one understands, etc." or WORSE, you rush to fill the silence and end up answering the question yourself. If you do that, you're merely an amusement act. The students learn they can just sit back and wait for you to act.

So, remember this:

For every person who wants to teach...

For every person who wants to teach

 there are approximately thirty people 

who don't want to learn much. 

~ W. C. Stellar

In an attempt to keep thoughts of work from taking over this blog, work is not often the topic.... but it's probably time for a little update.

Sweet, sweet freedom!

Alive!!! I'm alive!!! Yesterday was the longest day ever. There were so many times when I thought I'd never make it, but sure enough, 10 PM eventually rolled around and you know- the day wasn't as bad as I was expecting. AM classes went okay (topic: success). The metro was mellow on the way there, jam-packed on the way back. That afternoon started off with me testing a low-level group of students, practically a mob really since we were on an unusual schedule and a bunch of other students got shuffled into my class. I had maybe 5 or 6 of my original students plus enough other students to create a class of 14. The testing method for the lower-level is pretty complicated; there's a system of 5 speaking tasks that every student must complete (5 tasks to be individually evaluated x 14 students = you can imagine!) but the group was a good group and I started off with a game and fortunately had a large bag of chocolate candies with me. Candy always works. Then, 2 hours of conversation clubs about philosophy which turned out completely enjoyable, small groups and enthusiastic students both times. The evening finished with my fun business English course.
Also, I received a lot of thank yous and some wonderful gifts:

One student brought a little personalized chocolate for everyone in class!

She also gave me this tasty "Happy New Year" chocolate. {Yes, I already started nibbling on it}

Tasty, tasty chocolates!

I'd been thinking of getting a picture frame for so long. This one is perfect!

More yum : )

Then D and I had a quick tea with 2 friends at Coffee Life. It felt unreal by that point in the day- I felt like I just got done with a marathon. This was a really tough semester but now that it's over I can say that I enjoyed most of it (and just survived other parts). The school chose me for the "US Teacher of the Semester" award, which was really sweet, and I got to meet a lot of really incredible students and even befriend a couple. I'm looking forward to going back in January, especially with a class load of 20 hours/week, yeah

The classroom where I taught both semesters. It's in an elementary school...I think it's where little kids take their Ukrainian grammar lessons. The classroom was pretty cute after the teacher decorated for Christmas!

A shot from the ongoing battle between me and the Soviet blackboard.

Back of the classroom

Books from the bookshelf.

"Ukrainian Language, 10th class"....and a biohazard sign?

Happy Holidays!!!

Tips for Teaching English (in Ukraine and beyond!)

My early Christmas present to you, dear readers! (Ahem, specifically those who also teach English.)
Caveat: these are based on my teaching experiences in Ukraine over the past 4 months and loosely on previous teaching jobs in other countries during the past 5 years. I hope you will find these useful when working with beginning to advanced literate adult learners.