The TEFL News Network

This time we have an interview with The LA Job Guru. Most of you know here on the TEFL forums as NatureGirl321. She has been a fixture for years on various forums and has gotten quite the reputation for providing quality job information for TEFL teachers around the world. Now is our chance to get to ask her some questions.

Q) How did you get started in TEFL teaching?
I actually went to uni thinking of being an English teacher, but ended up declaring a different major. However, during that time I got the chance to do short-term teaching in China, Venezuela and Taiwan and realised that it was what I wanted to do when I graduated. So upon graduation in December 2002 I went to the Czech Republic to do my TEFL Diploma with the Boland School.

Q) What is your most memorable experience teaching?
Watching students’ faces light up when they play games. Or watching children tip their head and try to think of what they want to say to you in English.

Q) What advice would you give new TEFL teachers?
First off, do a bit of research about TEFLing. There are good sties to get you started like www.teflbootcamp.com and www.tefltips.blogspot.com These sites can give you good ideas about TEFL in general. Then when you do decide on what country to go to, you should find forums, like those at www.teflwatch.org, www.eltworld.net/forums or www.eslcafe.com and before you start posting, read through the old posts. You’ll find lots of useful info such as pay, visas, how to get a job, number of hours, good and bad schools in the country that you’re looking for.

*Q) What advice would you give someone going to teach in Peru?
First and foremost they should not come here for the money. That being said, even though salaries seem low, it’s easy to live very well here in Peru. Then they should read The Ultimate Peru List which has anything and everything they ever wanted to know about Peru and a section dedicated to teaching here in Peru.
They should start emailing schools a couple of months before they arrive and can get info from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perujobbulletin or www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com . They also need to take into account that employers will want to meet them before hiring them. So they shouldn’t get discouraged if people don’t answer their emails.
Once they get here, they should go with their CV in hand to the places that they previously contacted.
When they are offered a job they should try for the highest salary possible (if it’s an institute 5-10USD an hour, schools are from 500-2500USD a month) by playing up all the teaching experience they’ve had and telling the employer what a valuable asset they could be. Then they need to get all of that in writing and sign it.
They also need to realise that connections go a long way here, so if they’re looking for a job, they should tell everyone and anyone. They should also remember to thank people that help them and help others.

*Q) You’ve compiled a huge list of jobs in Latin America for teachers to use. Your LA Job List is probably the most comprehensive TEFL Job list on the net. What prompted you to start compiling it?
Thanks, and I’ll never finish it because I’m always updating it. I started compiling it when I saw how few job offers there were for Latin America and that people would always ask on forums about positions in Latin America. So I started visiting TEFL job sites and copying down the contact info. I wanted to create a reference for people who want to teach in Latin America. I just started a major update about two weeks ago and it’s gone from 274 to 717 places in 19 Latin American countries and it can be seen at www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com along with other useful information such as job searching and teaching in Latin America.

Q) What is your dream TEFL job?
I would like to get into Educational Management, either by becoming a teacher trainer, or a coordinator or placing teachers in teaching positions. I really like helping new teachers adjust to TEFLing.

*Q) What are the biggest challenges facing TEFL teachers in the medium and long term?
I think it’s overcoming stereotypes about being a EFL teacher. Although there are people who just get into it to travel or take a year off and see the world, there are lots of us oldbies who have made a career out of it. We’ve worked hard, studied, gone to conferences to get where we are.
I think another problem I’ve noticed is moving up in TEFL. It seems more of being in the right place at the right time and having connections, than qualifications and experience that get teachers the coveted positions they want.

Thanks for your time in answer our questions and see you on the forums!

Dave’s ESL Cafe has helped many new teachers find out about the TEFL profession with informative forums and great resources. I started out in TEFL almost 10 years ago with the help of Dave’s ESL Cafe. I’m one of many who can owe a great new lifestyle thanks to the help given to me by the vibrant community.

We’ve got an interview with one of the biggest movers and shakers in the TEFL World. Nope, it’s not Dave Sperling, but it is one of the core moderators over at Dave’s ESL Cafe, the most popular and most informative TEFL and ESL forum on the net.

Q. How did you get your start moderating on the ESL Cafe Forums?

Mr. Kalgukshi: Before I get into the body of the interview, let me begin by saying that anything I write here is strictly my own opinion and not necessarily Dave’s ESL Café official policy. I should also point out that I am not a “Head Moderator,” as there is no such position on either the International Job Forums or the Korean Job Forums. For purposes of this interview, I am answering your questions from the perspective of moderating on the International Job Forums only.

How did I get started moderating on Dave’s? Well, I had been a very early member of Dave’s ESL Cafe on the forerunner of the present board. When Dave decided to revamp it to its present format in late 2002, he asked for some help with the moderating. I immediately volunteered because I viewed the site as a great resource for TEFL teachers around the world and I wanted to help out in insuring its continued success. I’ve been moderating both the International Job Forums and the Korean Job Forums since that time.

Q. What kind of experience do you have in TEFL teaching?

Mr. Kalgukshi: I’ve taught in the TEFL area for over thirteen years in three nations. The majority of my time has been spent teaching at the university level.

Q. In my opinion, experience in an area seems to be a double-edged sword, it helps you understand the topic, but it also ruins your objectivity. What’s your thoughts on what makes an objective moderator?

Mr. Kalgukshi: I try very hard to stay above the fray. I remain focused on impartiality when it comes to making a decision. I play NO favorites and I treat everyone equally. When any member starts interfering in the civil exchange of information on Dave’s ESL Café, it is highly likely he or she will be hearing from me or another member of the Mod Team. Personally, I have no time for someone who comes to the board only to promote a particular agenda or cause trouble. You have to understand that very few members ever receive a warning from a Moderator. This is because they follow the rules and play the game as it was intended. The very few who do not frequently find their way to other sites. Yes, the Mod Team sometimes “assists” in this process.

Q. What do you see happening in the future with the TEFL profession?

Mr. Kalgukshi: I see it growing remarkably and expanding into areas that we probably can’t even imagine right now. It’s a wonderful profession to be in and especially if you are well qualified. I entered it after having another career. While I enjoyed my previous career very much and am most grateful for the financial security and other benefits I have as a result, I do regret somewhat that I did not discover TEFL teaching when I was younger. Some distinct advantages that I had coming into the profession were that I had completed an Education curriculum (teacher licensing) while at my university and I had earned a graduate degree in Education. These assisted me in no small respect when I entered the world of ESL/EFL. I would encourage anyone to enter the TEFL teaching profession, but I would caution him or her that real success in the profession is often directly dependent upon the level of education one brings to it.

Q. If you could add three resources to ESL Cafe, what would you add?

Mr. Kalgukshi: Good question. I had to give this one some thought and my answers reflect, in part, what I have heard from members. Here they are: 1.) Tech Forum 2.) Spell Check feature 3.) Possibly a blog area or something similar.

Q. If you could offer one piece of advice to new TEFL teachers, what would that be?

Mr. Kalgukshi: Be innovative. Don’t be afraid to try something different. Just because (allegedly) no one has ever done it before does not mean it will not work or help students to learn. Too many teachers I have worked with over the years seem to fall into a rut where they are very comfortable teaching only one way often using only one “tried and true” teaching methodology. Very often this becomes boring even to them. If the teacher is bored, it is highly likely the students are bored, too. Bored students don’t want to learn. They only want to escape. I’ve found that shaking the students up on occasion by “teaching outside the box” works wonders for both the teacher and the students.

Q. What do you like the most about moderating ESL Cafe?

Mr. Kalgukshi: I have been privileged for many years to be able to help the members who require our assistance. There are many different ways this takes place, but it does take place on a continuous basis and it is very vital to what we do as Moderators on Dave’s ESL Café. To the extent that the trolls and flamers come on the board and cause trouble, they interfere with our ability to provide this service and restrict the amount of time we are able to devote to it. While some boards out there seem to welcome, invite, permit or even promote such behavior, Dave’s ESL Café is not one of them. As a result, trolls and flamers are not welcome and we take swift and appropriate action to insure their behavior does not continue. By doing so, we protect our members who follow the rules and are on Dave’s for what the board is intended for and not just to create havoc or insult other members.

Moderating can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work. I’ve been doing it for many years on two very active boards and know full well the difficulties involved in moderating. At the same time, I owe a lot to the community we have in terms of providing a wealth of information for our members including me, and I work very hard to protect that community from those who would work to harm it.

In closing, I want to point out that I am very proud to be a member of the very experienced and united Mod Team we have on the International Job Forums. For many years now, I have witnessed my fellow Mod Team members work tirelessly and selflessly in their desire to maintain and grow Dave’s ESL Café as the first place to go on the Internet to find a wealth of ESL/EFL teaching information and engage in healthy and civil exchange of that information. Through the combined and consistent efforts of the members of the Mod Team, our nearly fifty-four thousand (and continuously growing) members always know they will be treated and respected as professionals on our site for professionals.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to respond to your questions and I wish you continued success in the years ahead.

Thanks, Mr. Kalgukshi. It’s been a real pleasure having you here to answer our questions. I appreciate your time and hope that we can do this again in the future. Thanks for continually making ESL Cafe a quality resource for teachers.

There seem to be a lot of David’s out there in the TEFL World. The newest David making a splash in the TEFL World is David Vincent of ELT World. He has recently started up a new TEFL website that is starting to make an impact in the TEFL and ELT World. They have a ELT Discussion Forum, Blog and even a new Monthly Journal. We caught up him to ask him our 7 questions.
Read the rest of this entry »

The TEFL Industry can be wrought with danger, but word up, we have a guy in our corner. Guy Courchesne works at Teachers Latin America. He is workin to improve the TEFL industry. If you check out ESL Cafe, you know him. He gives straight shootin’ advice and doesn’t try to overplay the marketing card. Let’s not waste time. Here it is, introducing our first biweekly TEFL News Mover and Shaker interview with Guy Courchesne of Teachers Latin America.
Read the rest of this entry »