大家好! Hi everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m no longer using this site – I can’t access it here in China. Please go to the following site to see my blog: http://sites.google.com/site/kenloseyblog/. My email is there; please contact me with your thoughts or questions.
Ken Losey
陆文卓
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旅行和梦想 The journal of an English teacher in China
Blog Archive
About Me
- Ken Losey
- 千里之行，始于足下 ~ Qiān lǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià ~ A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step - Tao Te Ching
Favorite Web Sites
My Favorite Books
- Speak E-Z Chinese in Phonetic English - Zhao Fang & Timothy Green
- The Rough Guide Phrasebook: Mandarin Chinese
Sidebar - Transworld Schools
Hi Ken,
This is Cheryl Brown, the Chinese teacher from RECA. [Redwood Empire Chinese Association in Santa Rosa, CA] I read your blog and see you've arrived in China. I recall it as sensory overload--smells, sights, sounds . . .
I have been considering getting a master's in TOESL, etc. I am somewhat reluctant to spend 2 years and all that money doing that. What did you think of Transworld Schools? What of the quality of the teaching? The expectations of the school? The quality of the other students?
Had you ever taught anything prior to this? Where and what size of classes are you teaching now? What level of English? What kind of school? At this point, do you believe Transworld prepared you well for what you are doing now? What are the greatest challenges for you in the teaching?
Are you in contact with your fellow classmates? Have they found jobs? I would really like to go back to live in Europe. I see on Transworld's website that Germany, Spain and Italy are the most likely places in which to get a job. Do you know anyone who has gone there? Are they happy and satisfied?
Sorry to bombard you with all these questions. I just feel that at this time in my life, I want to make a good and informed decision.
I appreciate any info you can give me. Thank you!
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
I apologize for not replying to you sooner. I've been very busy settling into my new job and my new life in China. Also, I caught a cold - many of the new teachers got sick. I’m happy to say that I've managed to not miss any classes or lose my voice.
I don't think you need to go through a 2-year program to be qualified to teach EFL. There's still a huge demand for English teachers in China, and most of the schools want you to have just an EFL teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree.
I liked Transworld Schools very much. I did the full-time, one-month program, which actually takes about 5 weeks because you have two special projects to do for the certificate, and most people do those after the classes have ended. Our teachers were very knowledgeable and skilled at passing on their knowledge and experience. The actual classroom teaching that we did – twice per week with actual ESL students from China, Korea, Japan, Turkey, etc. – was great experience. It helped me feel comfortable in front of a class, and was an excellent way to practice preparing lessons. So, I would highly recommend Transworld Schools.
I’m teaching at a private college within a public university, in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. I would say most of the students are high beginner or low intermediate – somewhat lower than I expected, given that they’ve had ten or more years of English. I have four sections of 15-20 students per section, and I teach twenty-four 45 minute periods per week, Monday through Thursday. Most of the students are well-behaved, (though they like to talk while others are talking,) and intelligent. I’m enjoying teaching them and yes, I do feel that Transworld prepared me for this work. The structure of a lesson that Transworld stressed – Engage, Study, Activate – is invaluable. With that theory in hand I think you could drop me into the middle of a desert and I could come up with good lessons. (Okay, a desert with a computer and an internet connection.)
I’m in touch with four of my Transworld classmates: one, (a Japanese woman), returned to her teaching job in Japan, one man is teaching in Ho Chi Min City, and a couple are in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. All seem to be doing well and enjoying their jobs. I don’t know any teachers in Europe.
I notified Ceri Rich-Odeh, the director of Transworld Schools, of your email and questions. She would be happy to talk with you. Also, since other people might be interested in my answers to your questions, I would like to post your email and my response on my blog, if that’s okay with you.
Good luck with your decision-making and with your endeavors.
Zaixu,
Ken Losey
Jiangsu Wuxi, China
This is Cheryl Brown, the Chinese teacher from RECA. [Redwood Empire Chinese Association in Santa Rosa, CA] I read your blog and see you've arrived in China. I recall it as sensory overload--smells, sights, sounds . . .
I have been considering getting a master's in TOESL, etc. I am somewhat reluctant to spend 2 years and all that money doing that. What did you think of Transworld Schools? What of the quality of the teaching? The expectations of the school? The quality of the other students?
Had you ever taught anything prior to this? Where and what size of classes are you teaching now? What level of English? What kind of school? At this point, do you believe Transworld prepared you well for what you are doing now? What are the greatest challenges for you in the teaching?
Are you in contact with your fellow classmates? Have they found jobs? I would really like to go back to live in Europe. I see on Transworld's website that Germany, Spain and Italy are the most likely places in which to get a job. Do you know anyone who has gone there? Are they happy and satisfied?
Sorry to bombard you with all these questions. I just feel that at this time in my life, I want to make a good and informed decision.
I appreciate any info you can give me. Thank you!
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
I apologize for not replying to you sooner. I've been very busy settling into my new job and my new life in China. Also, I caught a cold - many of the new teachers got sick. I’m happy to say that I've managed to not miss any classes or lose my voice.
I don't think you need to go through a 2-year program to be qualified to teach EFL. There's still a huge demand for English teachers in China, and most of the schools want you to have just an EFL teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree.
I liked Transworld Schools very much. I did the full-time, one-month program, which actually takes about 5 weeks because you have two special projects to do for the certificate, and most people do those after the classes have ended. Our teachers were very knowledgeable and skilled at passing on their knowledge and experience. The actual classroom teaching that we did – twice per week with actual ESL students from China, Korea, Japan, Turkey, etc. – was great experience. It helped me feel comfortable in front of a class, and was an excellent way to practice preparing lessons. So, I would highly recommend Transworld Schools.
I’m teaching at a private college within a public university, in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. I would say most of the students are high beginner or low intermediate – somewhat lower than I expected, given that they’ve had ten or more years of English. I have four sections of 15-20 students per section, and I teach twenty-four 45 minute periods per week, Monday through Thursday. Most of the students are well-behaved, (though they like to talk while others are talking,) and intelligent. I’m enjoying teaching them and yes, I do feel that Transworld prepared me for this work. The structure of a lesson that Transworld stressed – Engage, Study, Activate – is invaluable. With that theory in hand I think you could drop me into the middle of a desert and I could come up with good lessons. (Okay, a desert with a computer and an internet connection.)
I’m in touch with four of my Transworld classmates: one, (a Japanese woman), returned to her teaching job in Japan, one man is teaching in Ho Chi Min City, and a couple are in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. All seem to be doing well and enjoying their jobs. I don’t know any teachers in Europe.
I notified Ceri Rich-Odeh, the director of Transworld Schools, of your email and questions. She would be happy to talk with you. Also, since other people might be interested in my answers to your questions, I would like to post your email and my response on my blog, if that’s okay with you.
Good luck with your decision-making and with your endeavors.
Zaixu,
Ken Losey
Jiangsu Wuxi, China
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