Hello, everyone.
I worked in the call center industry for 10 years. At that time, Smart Telecoms was still using the analog system.
In 2004, I quit my work to take some vocational training program and I found out this English academy for Koreans near my training center. They were looking for part-time English instructors and I just gave it a try. Ten years after, I'm still into teaching English.
A few people who were senior to me (in terms of tenure) are still in the English-teaching industry to date. But majority of them went back to the call center industry. Most switched careers. Why? If you're heart is not into teaching English, then it cannot be your bread and butter, so to speak. I state this not to dishearten you but to give you the facts.
I entered the arena a decade ago equipped only with a good English pronunciation skill, a large vocabulary, and being comfortable and at ease in using the language. Fortunately for me, I was honed very well during my school years and my call center training and background gave me all the advantages. (Please try to remember, in the early 90s,
foreign BPOs only accepted applicants with above-average English pronunciation and fluency).
After 10 years of dealing with students, sad to say, my English level is no longer up to par with my colleagues 20 years ago, vocabulary and pronunciation-wise.
Why? Being an EFL teacher (especially to beginners), one always has to try to look for simple vocabulary, if you want to be paid by beginner students.
(Trust me; if you get an advanced student, the student would know more idioms than you and correct your grammar; this is going to be an embarrassing situation
for a teacher). My two cents: if you want to work face-to-face with students, you need 3 factors in order to succeed as long as I have had: physical looks, pleasing personality, and knowledge. Bragging aside, the first two I have, but I also studied English grammar by myself. I read books by American, Canadian, British and Filipino authors.
My looks could pass for a native speaker. If I prefer it, I could mimic either the American or British accent. But the edge I have had over the native speakers who also work here as ESL/EFL instructors is my stack of English grammar, all self-taught and self-discovered.
My ears applaud when I hear my students tell me they perfectly understand the differences among the simple past, present perfect and past perfect after I explain it in just 15 minutes. Mind you: if I say a student "understands", it means he can create his own sentences using these verb tenses accurately. This is what a student learns from me, so my students are satisfied. Effective and efficient grammar teaching and learning is my forte. Not only have I trained my Filipino coworkers to how to teach grammar to students, but I also trained a few "native" speakers as well, hahaha....
Again, mga pretty and talented sisters,
I did not post this to put you down... or magyabang... During my heyday, I literally earned about 60-70k per month, working 12-14 hours per weekday, 4-8 hours on a weekend... But do not expect this kind of paycheck anymore as an ESL instructor here in the metropolis....
Just a bit of advice that I want to share with you who are interested to enter this so-called "trendy" profession... marunong mag-English karamihan sa atin
.... Iba ang pagtuturo sa pagsasalita.... Kung maganda ka, malamang makakahanap ka ng foreign boyfriend
.... kung "conversation class" ka lang, di rin tataas ang suweldo mo kahit gustuhin mo
... Gagaling lang ang student mo kung magaling kang magturo... at kung magagawa mong magaling ang mag-aaral mo, malamang sa hindi, maraming hahanga sa iyo at maghahanap na mag-aral sa iyo...
Also... EFL/ESL instructors should share their knowledge.... Kasi dapat ang isang language school/academy, lahat ng instructors doon, dapat uniform ang knowledge....magtulungan, hindi magsiraan... lahat tayo ay Pilipino na nagtuturo sa mga estudyante.... Kung meron tayong kaaway, dapat iyun ay yung hindi Pilipino --- if you guys catch my drift!
SORRY NAMAN.... MAHABA ETONG POST....
GOOD LUCK TO EVERY ONE!
