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Teaching like a Sith Lord

So…

Having gained some experience of teaching first hand through “educating” many students ranging in ages and skill levels I have come to develop into something I like to refer to as…

A Palpatine Teacher

Bare with me here. I have noticed this, not only in myself, but also in may others within the TEFL field of education.

Fear not, it’s not a bad thing, per se, just a little…evil.

Now, I would like to propose an argument that, once you recognise, is an irrefutable FACT.

Darth Sidious, the creepy cloaked guy from that famous sci-fi movie series, was a truly incredible teacher and mentor. Sure, he was “evil” and “manipulative”…and an insurmountable dictator of indescribable power…but he wasn’t half bad as a teacher…

I realise this maybe falling apart a little but please bare with me.

As Palpatine he was a great friend to Anakin, guiding him into, quite literally, becoming THE CHOSEN ONE. He was a just leader and helped unite all the planets and nations of the galaxy.

Sure, this was all in a case to become the Emperor, but he hid it quite well and still, technically, did all those things for “good”.

As Darth Sidious he was a supreme being of unquestionable intelligence and strength, capable of raising and moulding Anakin Skywalker, the chosen one who will bring balance to the force, into a true “force” to be reckoned with (see what I did there), debatably more powerful than if he stayed with the Jedi order.

Now,…

What’s with all this nerd stuff?!?

You say

…well, with this in mind I have noticed that in a “Dr Jackal and Mr Hyde” fashion, teachers too, do have this form of mentality.

Just like The Sith Lord himself, we seem to seamlessly swap between a superior evil intelligence manipulating the minds for the future to come… to a wise old friend offering a guiding hand, forging a thirst for knowledge and truth.

…Hmm, sounded much less sinister in my head…anywho….

This is, in my interpretation, an excellent construct of a true teacher.

Why?

Teachers are foremost, placed in a position of power over blank humans. We are dedicated to moulding and sculpting the perfect beings through a pursuit and love of knowledge.

…Or…

Are teachers the friendly wise guide, helping those blank souls find their own path and push them forward into the best self they can be.

Darth Sidious or Senator Palpatine?

To be a true teacher you need to have a balance of both. You cannot be a friend as the respect is lost. Your guidance becomes less significant but expected, more of a suggestion than a direction.

Do not become the book of knowledge, but the map to its library.

Russell

A teacher needs to be the guiding hand to our young padawans, someone they can always rely upon, but not so forgiving as to allow them dependence upon us. How will they ever become the little “Sith Lords” we guide them towards, or make the decision for which path to take?

The underlying creed of the Sith is knowledge is power, no matter the source. This is true for teachers, too. Instilling a sense of gain, greed and gluttony towards knowledge is a good thing. It comes down to the Palpatine side for how to use that knowledge.

When it comes down to it, our very creed, as educators is not to spark the fire, but to fan the flames that keep a burning desire for knowledge. You will always get students who don’t wish to learn, but that is our burden to bare. We carry that weight for the day when they find something they are willing to learn for.

The day when our shoulders lighten will be the day our students no longer need us.

Will they use their new found knowledge to improve the world or will they “throw us over the rails”(episode 6 *wink wink nudge nudge*), be it more figuratively in our position than literally.

Anyway, that’s my rambling for another day. What do you think?

Am I onto something?

Do I watch too many movies?

Should I stop using a new line for each statement to make it seem more profound?

Please do let me know. Any questions please Leave a Q.

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Teach

TEFL Online Teaching – Where to Start

ESL – TEFL – TESOL – Online Teacher

Whatever you want to call it its about “imparting wisdom” to others through the magic of the internet and, most importantly, it’s super easy to get started.

Step 1 – What to teacher

Languages – Skills – Etc

What ever you want, simple.

Yes, you can literally teach anything. If there is something you are good at, there is someone willing to pay for you to teach it to them. If you’re a computer wiz, have a degree in something interesting or even just good at playing an instrument, people will pay to see how you do it. Places such as Udemy and Skillshare are a prime example of this.

For me, I happen to be better than 80% of the global populous at the English language, and that’s not arrogance as only 20% of people actually speak English, so we’re off to a great start already.

Languages are also something that are in very high demand as the world becomes a much smaller place through the use of web based meetings and even faster and simpler travel. People want to learn another language for work or travel and English being the Business Language of the World does make a great starting place.

Step 2 – What Do I need.

Internet – Computer – Headset

Depending where you look at working this list may be a little shorter or longer but these 3 are the average. You need a decent internet connection if you are to teach face to face lessons, for obvious reasons, students won’t stick with you for long if they can’t see you clearly or you keep dropping out of class.

Companies such as EF, and Whales English have their own standard set curriculum so it’s as easy as “reading off a PowerPoint with a smile on your face“.

Most companies have the option to teach children or adults so you decide which is best for you.

If you have gone a longer way into teaching then you may decide to look for a higher earner. These will require you to produce your own curriculum.

Qualifications are much more helpful than not. Don’t worry, this can be done online, too through companies such as tefl.org and i-to-i. Find a reputable service and purchase a course. They can be a little pricy but do your research. I would recommend a 120hr course. This will be enough for any school and, if you wanted, this will also be enough for those with degrees to try their luck abroad, too. Some companies however, only require a 40hr course or even just a good knowledge of English.

If English isn’t for you then might I recommend a camera. You can try out recording your own lessons and uploading them to places such as the fore mentioned Udemy and Skillshare and have a steady income as people purchase your course. Be warned, you will need a full curriculum. Might I suggest breaking your skill down into bite-sized chunks.

Step 3 – Where to teach it.

Online – World wide

Now, depending on your nationality this can be different(ish). You can teach with no problems online through hundreds of different companies big and small. However, some do have some requirements such as location with companies like Qkids and Magic Ears needing North American teachers or others like EF-kids needing someone who doesn’t travel.

I would recommended perusing through the well known companies that are super easy to find with a basic search and seeing what you actually want. What has a bigger influence on your choices; money, 1 to 1 lessons, group lessons, adults, children, hours or even curriculum.

Check out my brief of things to think about in a TEFL job.

Step 4 – Money!

Experience – Money – More Money

Job Jobbed. All sorted. That’s it. Simple, no.

Well let me tell you what I did on my first time.

I looked at several different companies including EF, Qkids, Magic Ears, Whales English, etc and decided what I wanted to do. I was comparatively young so I thought teaching kids would be better, some adults don’t like having a teacher younger than them and companies like someone who is energetic for children, so I’ll have a better chance there.

Money was important, obviously, but not as important as being able to actually do the job. I chose a company with a fully set curriculum so I wouldn’t have to worry about planning until I had more experience.

I wanted a steady time schedule, which actually most do have now so, no issues there. That in mind I did choose a company with a minimum hours per week, my logic being that if they have a minimum hours per week they must have a larger number of students with teachers being in high demand, meaning more work…and more money!

Any who, I sent in my application and the next day I received an email asking me to book a slot for an interview in an ‘online timetable thingy‘ that every company uses nowadays. I booked a slot for the next day where I chatted to the interviewer, they didn’t ask me too much on teaching as most are expecting lesser experienced people. We just talked about my interests and had a general conversation. Don’t let this throw you, it’s a simple but effective technique to see how enthusiastic you are in unknown or mundane situations. Are you enjoyable to speak to and easy to understand.

When I say general conversation I mean we chatted for 20 minutes about different movies we liked because I added ‘movies’ as a hobby, easy no.

I had to do only a small “test” to see if I could actually teach a lesson and how I deliver the information. Be enthusiastic with lots of praise and you will have no problems at all. Others I have done simply want to understand what you would do and why. Lots do however, want you to do a full lesson, with the interviewer as the student, even as a child which can feel weird let me tell you. But, they are very supportive and give you very good and obvious points to pick them up on.

Once the interview was over I received an email with an offer. I then booked an appointment for a short orientation on how the companies teaching portal worked. Other companies do the orientation and interview in one, easy.

Step 5 – Let me know

Interested – Nervous – Unsure

I hope this was even remotely helpful to someone. Please, do drop a comment here, on Facebook or Twitter and let me know how it went or if you are interested in TEFL.

Good luck. Any questions then Leave a Q.

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Teach

TEFL or not TEFL – Good Question

ESL 2020

2020 has been an interesting year to say the least, but have no fear the teacher is here. Despite the pun yes, now is a good time to get into online teaching. People have been loosing their lively hoods left right and centre and yet I have had no problem with walking straight into a job as a Kids Online English Teacher, why?

“With zero experience and the right attitude you can go anywhere, everyone has to start somewhere.”

Russell 2020

Teaching isn’t for everyone. Sitting in front of a screen for several hours per day explaining a dreaded school subject to someone who doesn’t speak your language can be daunting to say the least, but it does have its little rewards. When you suddenly recognise your students improvement as they answer a question you never thought they could in perfect English… using your accent. Absolute gold.

ESL now?

There is some debate over whether it’s a thriving industry right now. With an international super plague encompassing the Earth, lot’s of smaller businesses are struggling to keep staff and students alike. The good thing, is for the bigger companies with their well established online presence. These companies are actually expanding and actively hiring to meet the demand. With each small business that closes, hundreds of new students are looking for teachers from the more well developed companies.

Now don’t get me wrong, the pay isn’t perfect, you will likely be earning around £10 an hour plus incentives, especially if you have just started. But this is more down to a choice than a restriction. I am of the mind that you should learn the ropes before earning the money. I went for a company that gives you all of the help you need as a beginner, with zero lesson preparation. Once you have gotten used to the lesson styles and layouts you can increase your wages, most do his by 6 month reviews or simply by changing companies.

To be honest there are lots of businesses out there, each already have their own curriculum that you literally just need to ‘read of the powerpoint’ to be able to complete the lesson. However, that’s not really teaching is it. You will find that you quickly develop your own separate mannerisms and techniques for delivering the lesson to different students, be it someone who struggles or an English language prodigy.

Do I need another language?

The single most terrifying thing that I remember, and get asked regularly, is how do you teach a child who doesn’t speak your language. Well, first things first, that’s kind of the point of ESL in the first place. I find it actually benefits you if you don’t speak the same language. You learn how to adapt to not being able to say an explanation and the child develops quickly by being “forced” to learn and understand more. Ignoring this, there is no need to worry at all, the lessons are specifically designed to slowly develop an understanding of the language and be built upon. There really is no need to worry.

Hours

The best thing I have found with teaching English is the time difference. For me being in the UK, I get up and start work at 8:00 a.m. but finish at 1:00 p.m. This means it leaves me the whole day to do as I please.

I am also not bound to any set schedule. I can choose my working hours, meaning if I don’t want to work a specific day or time, I don’t. I book time off when I wish, as long as I give some time in advance, and I can also pick up more lessons if I am free. If my plans fall through and I get the day free, no problem, I’ll do some teaching for extra money, win win.

Anywhere

Finally a great factor for online teaching is something you can’t do with teaching in class. I can work from anywhere in the world, as long as I have a good Internet connection. This will depend on the company that you work for and their eligibility requirements. Some more strict companies will allow you to work in a foreign country if you are going to a set location for an extended period and can prove your connection is good. This means travelling is still perfectly on the table, as long as you account for the time differences for the students you teach of course.

Personally I would recommend a company that teaches in China, purely for the times and remuneration. The country’s sheer size means there are literally hundreds of companies to choose from, all wanting teachers, leaving you with a better wage per demand and if you live in the UK, the time difference is near perfect.

Not online

If online ESL isn’t for you but you would love to travel for a while then try a physical school location. An excellent part of these ESL schools is that you are not the students only teacher. Each student goes to an in country physical class to learn, you are the local English teaches native assistant. The students come to you to practice what they have learnt with a truly fluent speaker, meaning most of your students will already know the material if not more. You could choose, if you wish, to go to one of these school on yearly contracts where they will help you to set up your life for living abroad whilst you can travel the country from a home base and live in the culture. This is one of the routes I am considering taking myself.

For warning

When choosing an ESL company there are many, many schools to choose from, take reviews of these companies with a pinch of salt. I spent weeks looking for companies and kept swaying due to former employees reviews. When I joined a company I realised something important, you are wanted in this field. Thats not to say you are irreplaceable, but they know what to expect from a beginner and will generally make allowances when you first start.

Reviews

If you don’t like where you are at, just leave and go to another company. I personally have never experienced any of the issues that I have read about, even for the company I work for. Some of the issues were even things that, now I have been in the situations, I recognise as, honestly, the employees fault not the company. I think every business will get disgruntled employees. That’s not saying that at times the company isn’t to blame, these do happen too, just like everywhere else, but things can be blow out of proportion. Does anyone ever review something unless they had a terrible experience and want to hurt them back, just food for thought. But as I said, just leave, it is very easy to walk into another ESL job, especially now. And if you really don’t like it, go back to what you were doing with the experience you have in that field, simple. You can even work both, get your feet wet so to speak. Most of the companies now have removed any minimum weekly hour requirements so trying it out is perfectly fine, even for 1 lesson a week.

Any who…

Long story short, don’t spend too much time overthinking everything like I did. I believe this to be the best decision I have made as of my journeys so far. I earn as much money as I did previously, working less hours and at sociable times. I spend the rest of my time learning new skills that will be useful for travelling.

What do you think, is this something you would be interested in trying? A change of pace from the daily grind or perhaps even a career change. I hope this helped anyone who was on the fence or has, at least, made some of you think more about this less spoken job sector.

If you have any further questions feel free to Leave a Q.