The English Teachers

JS: It’s probably not the best one, it’s just one aspect of it. The main role is to motivate and guide people, but it’s a key part of the contract to meet targets and part of that is up to you and part of that is up to them. Basically, you have to be as supportive and helpful as possible, but there’s another side where you have to remind people that they have a responsibility to meet their targets, too. And even though you’ll help, they signed a contract to meet that responsibility.

RFDG: How much has your execution of your duties influenced your personal beliefs about how things should work, and how things are described in contracts, etc?

JS: I think in many ways they are both compatible, but if something was really against my beliefs I wouldn’t sign to begin with. So, my beliefs are probably the primary thing. I just wouldn’t sign something where I felt uncomfortable about doing something.

RFDG: Could you summarise your beliefs about work?

JS: First, it’s important to help people achieve what they want to achieve while at the same time helping the company achieve its aims. To give advice, to always be able to listen. It’s just to try and meet a common goal with the employee and the company at the same time.

RFDG: What are the good things about where you work?

JS: One of the best things is that the school trusts the teacher a lot. They aren’t tied to any coursebook or anything very strict. There is a pacing schedule* but the teacher has the freedom to use their judgment and the student’s needs and personality to execute the course. Also, there’s a wide variety of classes. There’s very young learners, adults, exams, business, summer camp, so there’s a big set of opportunities to develop and try new things. It’s not always successful, but it’s great for development.

*Note: pacing schedules map out what pages from certain textbooks should be covered per lesson. Some pacings are more flexible than others and teachers can be permitted to choose materials that best meet the needs of their students.

RFDG: Do other places have less academic freedom?

JS: I’ve heard other schools have their own coursebook and the teachers aren’t allowed to supplement. There’s a wide variety of schools. Some schools just want a native speaker and they can do what they like but that’s not really teaching, that’s more like being a babysitter. Out of the “real” schools I think some will have a similar level of freedom, others are stricter. Regarding observations, new teachers here are observed at least three times a year. After that you’re given one formal observation and as long as there are no complaints you’re free to teach how you like and try out new ideas. There are lots of seminars and workshops to try out these new ideas, so I’d say here is definitely a place you can develop.

RFDG: Are there any bad things about where you work?

JS: As a teacher, maybe the size of the company can lead to difficulties. There are so many locations and employees that communication can get lost down the lines. So, sometimes different managers are on different levels, projects sometimes work in some schools and not in others. Communication is the most difficult thing as a teacher.

RFDG: How do you compensate for that?

JS: I try to keep in contact with as many managers from as many different schools and areas as possible so I have an idea of what’s going on in different parts of the school. Not just the teaching side, but also the other administrative side. That helps me have a wider understanding of the company, even though it’s big. And it helps with teaching as well because I know what’s going on in the background.

RFDG: Your status as a manager might give you some privileges. Is the same approach possible for other teachers?

JS: It’s harder, but if they have a good manager that manager would pass on the information and always be there to support them. They are kind of dependent on how active and proactive their manager is.

RFDG: On balance, do most people have access to good managers?

JS: I think yes. Every manager has strengths and weaknesses, and that’s where I come back to the biggest issue: the size of the company. Maybe one mentee has certain needs and their manager can’t meet them because they specialise in something else. And the bigger the company is, the greater the chance of someone falling through the cracks.

RFDG: What advice would you give to teachers who are just starting to teach?

JS: My first piece of advice would be to research the school very well, especially what times the school teaches at because you have to organise your work-life balance. Secondly, does your school offer any development? Are there opportunities for promotion or transfers? It really depends on your purpose for becoming an English teacher.

Do you want to travel or become a career teacher? So, it comes back to research. Does the school meet your needs? And the third one is to treat it like it’s a “real” job. If you come in with the attitude that it’s just a job, basically you’re likely to fail because it is a demanding job and it has the potential to lead into many areas of education like material design, teaching at state schools… So, really treat it like a real job and it can lead to many opportunities.

RFDG: What would improve your workplace?

JS: I guess I’d go back to better communication. That’s always going to be the issue. The bigger the school, the harder it is to keep everybody on the same wavelength. I’m not sure how to achieve that, but personally I try my best to talk to as many people as possible and keep them informed of my decisions and my plans.

I think if everyone took a similar tack communication would improve, but again it’s not just the teaching side it’s all departments. Sometimes there is a communication barrier between different departments. I’m lucky in that I can speak Russian. They don’t understand me at Starbucks, but I can speak to everyone at the school I work at. So, yeah, overcoming the language barrier and finding enough time to keep in touch with everybody.

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Ninha (N)

N: It’s a branch of an international company. We’re a language school with many departments doing many different things, which is what makes it interesting for me because I can be involved in a lot of different things. I guess every year has a specific focus, so I’m always trying something new.

RFDG: Are there other good things?

N: There is never a boring day, which is sometimes good and sometimes not. Since I came here I have developed a lot in many different areas which wouldn’t have been possible in many other places. Schools are smaller and more specialised elsewhere. I got my current job almost by accident.

I was thinking about what to do but I didn’t want to leave and there was a job opening so I applied. It was funny because it’s teacher training in some ways, which I never thought I’d do because I hate being in front of people. I’m an introvert. I could never have imagined doing what I do now. But once my first presentation was done, I realised that I survived and actually I quite like it and I’m good at it.

RFDG: What about the bad things?

She sighs in a manner similar to John. Another person who has had their patience tested.

N: A lack of communication between different departments. Things are improving and we are working on it, but this is what gets me down the most. Sometimes I wish some people would just do their jobs. Of course, we are a team and we need to realise that one department’s actions do have an impact on my part of the school.

RFDG: Is this lack of communication a feature of your workplace or Russia in general?

N: I don’t like generalisations, so no, I don’t think it reflects the country or the city. I think it depends on who you work with. I don’t know much about managing people or the corporate culture. I’ve seen similar things elsewhere.

RFDG: How about the people you like to work with – what are they like?

N: They are dedicated to what they do. To their students or subordinates. I like to work with people who care and there are enthusiastic people here, which is good to see. It’s not only experienced teachers, every year we have different people and you can see everyone’s progress. Also, when you meet a person who knows what they are doing or who is dedicated to it, it’s always fun to talk with them.

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ID

ID: It’s a state university. The same one I graduated from. I teach students aged 18—20 something part-time. In my free time I teach privately.

RFDG: What are the good things about where you work?

ID: The schedule. I’m free to decide when and how many classes I’d like to have. It does have disadvantages, too, but I’m happy being in control of my time and this is the major advantage.

RFDG: Are there minor advantages?

ID: Yes. First of all, I really enjoy the academic environment I’m in. Working in private language centres, courses, schools – I did that but I was a bit bored. With students you are supposed to push for some sort of achievement, a higher level, and I can’t do that anywhere else. I don’t teach kids. I don’t teach teens. I mostly teach adults, but with adults it’s hard because you can’t impose your own agenda on them because they know very well what they want.

With students I’m sort of in more control. Of course, I should comply with the government requirements and they are quite rigid. I have to deliver the programme in accordance with everything those in the Ministry of Education implemented in the programme. But I think I am more free to do what I want and there is less control compared to private language schools.

RFDG: Do you think the imposition of an agenda happens more frequently elsewhere?

ID: I would say this is a special trait of those public education establishments. When you are a teacher, just teaching groups or individuals, there isn’t much that depends on you. You can’t even choose your own coursebooks if you aren’t happy. But in this environment, while I can’t do exactly what I want, I am more independent in my choices as long as I have this agreement with the head of our department. She gives me the room for decisions, room for initiative, so I am quite independent in my choices and it’s something I enjoy.

RFDG: Are there any bad things about where you work?

ID: Basically, I work at a state university and the state pays us to implement the programme to give the students the state diploma – the official paper that shows the standard set by the government. If you graduate from an unlicensed university, the diploma is considered to be less valuable.

The government knows this very well and they use this to implement their own agenda in their programmes. Right now our university is going though this accreditation process where the people from the Ministry of Education come to the university and check all the documents, check the teachers, check the classes and whether they really do what the government wants them to do. I found that they sometimes want really strange things.