Featured Tutor: Alex Herrington
Posted by Erin MacKenzie - 09:09 on 20 May 2010
How did you get into teaching English as a foreign language?
I had just finished a Business and Law degree at Southampton Uni and the last thing I wanted to do was start work at a law firm in Central London. After a few trips to Spain during my degree I decided to give it a go living there for a while... the sun, sea and sangria mix is a pretty big draw. Seeing as this was back in the day when Internet was the big new thing (and nobody really knew how to use it yet) I bought a book about living in Spain and quickly worked out that the only practical way of doing it was to teach English. So I signed up for a course in Madrid due to start a couple of months later, packed my bags and headed off. Madrid was great... but freezing cold... so I moved to Barcelona straight after my course, got a job within a week of pounding the pavement giving my CVs in to language schools I came across...and ended up staying for 6 years!
Where in the world have you most enjoyed teaching?
It has to be Barcelona. The students tend to be motivated, good fun and the lifestyle is fabulous. I remember finishing work most nights in my first year there at 10pm (just about dinner time in Spain) and all the other teachers and I would head off to a bar for tapas, beers and a chat about our day.
What do you enjoy most about teaching the TEFL course?
Meeting such a wide variety of people, all with different plans, backgrounds and reasons for doing the course.
What is your most memorable experience from a course?
Bad experience - the guy who ignored everything I said and did a powerpoint presentation for his teaching practice.
Good experience - I guess every time somebody manages to overcome their nerves about the teaching practice and comes away from it a) happy they got through it and b) realising that it's not that scary after all.
What is your best TEFL experience?
Teaching kids in Spain. When I started I didn't speak any Spanish at all and the kids were used to a bilingual teacher so it took some adjusting for them to get used to me. By the end of the year though we had developed a really good rapport (one of the kid's parents had even signed me up for private lessons) and we all went on a trip to the cinema for the last class - great fun!
What is your worst TEFL experience?
A group of teenage boys from France. I had no control over them whatsoever and their group leaders (they were in London on a study trip) couldn't care less. Their "behaviour" ranged from them all taking it in turns to hum when I was talking, to throwing things around the classroom, then lobbing the tables and chairs around. I quit when they chucked a clock out the window (only day 2) and actually ended up getting paid for the whole week I was supposed to teach them, with them having to explain to their parents why they didn't get their lessons.
Do you have any good advice for anyone who is about to head out abroad to teach English?
Do your research about where you're going. I found a job quickly in Spain because I literally walked around visiting the schools - I might not have had so much luck relying on email and phone calls only.
However, in some countries just turning up at a school might see your CV put straight in the bin. Make sure you know the going rate for newly-qualified teachers but don't think school owes you the earth for you accepting the job with them. Your first year's experience will be the most important, so it's well worth working for fewer "perks" than you might think you're entitled to, particularly when it comes to the hours you work - I had the early morning and late shifts each day for my first year which cut my day in half but made me much more employable - and in a better bargaining position - the next year. Don't throw anything away (handouts, flashcards, etc) - you'll be surprised how you can put them to use in other classes and with different levels.
And ask other teachers for their ideas - we've all been new teachers, terrified before our first class, so do understand and are usually very willing to help!
Find out a bit more about Alex here
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