How long were you an EFL teacher, and how long have you been a teacher trainer?
I have been a teacher for seventeen years in five countries and two hemispheres.
I started teacher training in Chile ten years ago, and it has become more and more of my role over the past five years. I still teach, mainly because I can’t imagine being a trainer without having regular hands on teaching practice to refer to, and ‘real students’ to try new ideas out on.
Did you have a different career before EFL?
Yes, I worked in a college which taught Air Traffic Control. I pretended to be an aircraft for a living, and yes, it is just as odd as it sounds.
What are your hopes/aspirations for your trainees?
I want trainees to come away from the course with the confidence to handle whatever students throw at them, whether that is an unexpected question, a grammar point they just can’t get or the whole lesson going in an unexpected direction because someone said something interesting. Teaching isn’t about perfection, it’s about making what you have work for you, and developing your skills and ideas throughout your career. This sounds like things will always go wrong, but I find that the more you know how to manage the problems, the more often you simply don’t have to.
When you were an EFL teacher what did you like most, and how do you bring that into the classroom for your trainees?
I am still a teacher, so this is easy to answer, I love that moment when you bring together all the elements the students have been learning and they see the extent of what they have achieved. All the small steps that need to be learnt before a student can, for example write a letter in English, stages the students don’t know they have done, until they face the task and realise they can actually do this.
It's exactly the same for trainees, the course is intensive, and the information densely packed, but there are so many times on a course where the group look at one another and you see the ‘eureka’ moment as the pieces fall into place and they can make that next big leap forward.
What advice would you give your trainees for successfully completing the course?
Stick to your deadlines, they are there to help you have time to get extra support.
Incorporate everything you can from the input sessions, even if you feel like it won’t work for you, trying it may surprise you, and if it doesn’t, well, you have learned something from the experience, which is the most important thing.
What advice would you give your trainees for an interesting and rewarding career?
Choose a job that interests you, a grim job does not make up for a wonderful location, an interesting job can lead you to some really interesting places.
Never stop learning, if you are improving your teaching, it will always feel fresh and interesting.