Teaching Conversational English to Children and TeenagersWhat type of job are you looking for? A job teaching English speech, reading, listening and comprehension to children and young people aged from around 8 years upwards to around 15/16 years. What nationality are you? British What languages do you speak (and at what level)? I speak only English and as that is my mother tongue, I speak it with complete fluency. I speak clear, loud, Standard English with no trace of international or British regional accent. What country or area are you looking to work in and why? I am interested in a job in Russia as I consider that country to be the most stable, reliable and safe country of the former Soviet Union. The reason is that China has an unwritten rule that after 5 coninuous years of employment, a foreigner should leave for a period of not less than 2 years. Whilst this is not aggressively enforced they can make it quite difficult to renew for a 6th and successive years. What countries have you worked in? Since 1978, I have lived and worked in a total of eight different countries, these being the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kenya, Tanzania, India and currently in China What countries do you have a visa to work in? People's Republic of China What field do you currently work in? Teaching English five years continuous experience in China What fields have you worked in before? Senior management in the Construction Industry in each of the countries I have lived and worked in - except for China, where I have worked exclsively as a teacher. What qualifications do you hold? Numerous British Secondary Education Certificates - GCSE and GCE-A. Plus English language diplomas from the British Royal Society of Arts. British Certiciate of Further Education. However, all of the originals were lost in a house fire some years ago. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? This can depend on age. For younger people who have little or no work eperience, they need to have proof of formal education to various standards. For more mature people with considerable work experience and so-called "life" experience, then educational qualifications become less important and most employers would be more interested in hearing about their experience and suitability for the job(s) in question. Describe the benefits of working with others Working as part of a team is beneficial to both the employer and employee. Team members support and assist each other and by exchange of experience and information, can provide a better product or service to the employer's clientele. However, like all teams, the workplace team needs to be competently led and any such team is generally only as good as its leader. Describe the benefits of working alone Working alone suits those who are competent at their job and who have the ability and confidence to make decisions and then follow them through alone. Some functions do not lend themselves easily to a team approach. These functions include those where immediate decisions are often required to meet rapidly developing circumstances. Typically such functions include Marine Captains, Aircrew, Emergency and Rescue Managers, Contracts Managers, Security Personnel, Corporate Executives and many other jobs where it is often not practical to gather together a team or rely on a group in times where immediate decisions and actions are essential. What was your worst working experience? Working as a Contracts Manager in Saudi Arabia when an employee accidentally fell from a building I was in charge of and died on the spot. The immediate consequences involved aggressive attitudes from the local police and the employee's Embassy staff - and in the longer term I had certain emotional issues of a personal nature which led to me resigning my job and leaving that Country (of my own free will) What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? Never to act when in a state of extreme anger or euphoria - but to allow these immediate feelings and sensations to pass and to calm down before committing myself or my employer to any course of action. Also, when in the wrong, to apologise as soon as possible, as this almost always defuses the other party and can often prevent him from acting as harshly as he might do without an apology. Do not fight unless I have first tried to resolve the dispute peacefully. Finally to be generally honest and straightforward in all my commercial and personal dealings. What unique skills do you have? I have no skills that can be described as "unique" and I don't think such skills exist among normal people. I have a highliy developed skill in encouraging people to overcome their problems and climb out of depressions from which they see no escape. In my teaching job, I am generally regarded highly by all my students beause I can explain myself very well and can often assist them in improving their own confidence and performance where others have failed or not even tried. I treat all my students - even the youngest ones - as real people and I never 'talk-down' to them. The greatest accolades I have ever been paid have come from one of my daughters who once told me that "No matter how bad I feel - a half hour talk with you and all my troubles are gone!" A similar accolade from a young lady friend in China "You are the only one who can tell me how to do things and give me the confidence to face my problems" I have many similar compliments from students and their parents. This ability is - in my opinion - essential for any teacher to possess in order to be good at his/her job. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? My dream job exists only in my wildest dreams - with respect it is best left there. What job would you never do? I would never take any job that required me to do deliberate harm to others. Such harm being to deprive them of their living or their homes, or their right to a safe and secure lifestyle. How can potential employers contact you? By e-mail - englishteacher_djp@yahoo.co.uk That e-mail address is covered by an alert system that informs me when a message is received. I access my e-mail several times a day so any expression of interest will be acknowledged almost immediately | 
