From TEFL Student to Director of Studies

My TEFL career started as an urge to see more of the world.

I had always had a keen interest in anthropology, living and teaching abroad gave me a great opportunity to discover more about different cultures. Previous to that I was Civil Servant. I did an Online TEFL course with i-to-i which suited my work hours as I was able to log on at my convenience. The online course was well structured and served as a good refresher for me whilst also discovering and learning some new things.

I decided to come to Indonesia after having taught English in Japan for a year (My i-to-i certification helped me to get a job in Tokyo) My first impressions... well, I didn't have any expectations, but it was an eye-opener, Jakarta is a city of contrasts where luxury malls and hotels nestle next to poorer dwellings, Rolls Royce's driving alongside horse and carriage. A country suddenly thrust into the twenty first century, quickly finding its feet to adapt. There is always something new to discover, the biggest problems for most new teachers is to expect it to be like the life they are accustomed to.

Having had work experience of working in different cultures I quickly adapted to work in Indonesia. The most challenging aspect was the communication, but I learnt to ask the right questions.

I started working with English First Swara in January 2005, in my first year here I focused on developing my teaching practice and methodology, there were ample resources and ongoing training to assist my development. In my second year here I became Senior Teacher with more responsibility with ongoing projects from my Director of Studies to develop me. I am now a Director of Studies and will be studying for a DELTA soon. English First Swara doesn't just focus on academic skills but life skills that can't be learnt in a University. I always think it is easy to understand and develop my staff having been in the same situation as them.

I enjoy living and working in Indonesia, this is my third year here. English First Swara has enabled me to develop professionally, all based on my initial contact with i-to-i. As someone once told me when I first arrived, "Indonesia doesn't develop your personality, it reveals it."

A R Lockley