Alex Semakin
About me
I am a native Russian from the city of Perm near the Ural Mountains. I earned my undergraduate degree in TEFL in from a Russian university in 1995 and have been teaching English to all ages and levels ever since. I am currently doing an MA TESOL course at the University of Manchester (distance mode).
My experience
In my other role as a teacher of Russian I realized that teaching the language you learned unconsciously as an infant is an even bigger challenge than teaching a language you learned consciously as an adult. That is why I can identify with the difficulties native English speakers experience as they master the art of TEFL.
But I was also excited by the opportunity to look at my own language through the eyes of a foreign learner and to discover it afresh. The best way to understand something is to try to explain it to others, so teaching and learning always go hand in hand.In 2007, having worked for 7 years in a state-owned high school in Perm, I joined a private language center. I was fortunate to become part of an enthusiastic and creative team. Our students range from kindergarten kids to CEOs. Helping people with diverse needs, experiences, proficiencies and learning styles provides a great opportunity to hone your teaching skills, and I feel myself constantly growing as a professional.
I joined i-to-i as an online tutor in August 2002 and have been the Online Course's Director of Studies since April 2008. It is exciting to work with people from around the world and to assist them in learning how to teach English as a foreign language.
My tips for new teachers
I believe the key to successful teaching is your ability to strike the right balance between being an entertainer and an educator. You need to be creative and entertaining, sometimes a little bit of a clown, but to make sure that when your students leave the classroom at the end of a lesson they know more and can do more than when they entered it.
