Half Way

07/12/2008 I’m six months into my contract now, right at the halfway point, and things are going fantastically. I have been involved in the corporate program now for the past few months, which is great. At the moment, I am teaching three classes: two at Permata Bank (One of the largest banks in Indonesia) and one at Merck Pharmaceuticals, which is a German multinational company. The class at Merck is interesting. It is located about an hour away from the school, but it’s a good opportunity to see the sights of Jakarta and relax before the class. EF Central Jakarta has a very unique corporate in house program, which has included several government ministries, prominent lawyers, the UN, and even Miss Indonesia contestants! As well as teaching in house corporate classes, I am still teaching a few classes at the school. I still teach one early learners class, which can feel a bit awkward after doing two classes about report writing, emails, and telephony; then all of a sudden returning to the school and being all bubbly and entertaining in a children’s class! I have also been introduced to teaching private, one-on-one classes. Some can be fun and interesting, while others can be challenging and really make you push yourself to that next level. Unfortunately, during the past few weeks I have been struck down by a bout of food poisoning, which has resulted in a couple of trips to hospital. My initial thoughts of going to an Indonesian hospital were somewhat negative, but I discovered that most of the staff could understand English, and many of the doctors have been educated abroad. I was fortunate enough to have a doctor who trained in Melbourne, my home town! It may be hard to believe, but Jakarta’s medical services are world class! However, outside of Jakarta may be another story! Jakarta’s weather at the moment has been warm and dry. We have not seen rain in a few weeks now. The days are very hot at the moment. I usually take an ojek (a motorcycle taxi) to work, and sometimes the sun can be almost unbearable. I am possibly going to Bali this weekend. It’s great to be able to boast to my friends back in Australia that I can simply jump on a plane and go to Bali for the weekend! They are quite envious of that! So that’s it for me for another month, I will keep you posted with all the happenings that take place, and of course whatever challenges get assigned to me in the next month!

Bulan Ke4 (4th Month)

04/25/2008 Another hectic month at EF Central Jakarta! So far this month I began teaching corporate classes for EF Central Jakarta which is an exciting step in my teaching career. Corporate teaching is very similar to regular Business English classes, however involves teaching students in house at the company. So far I have been assigned to teach at a prominent bank here in Jakarta, and taught some classes for the United Nations Development Program. The best part of teaching here at EF Central Jakarta is the range of classes on offer. As a new teacher, it's an ideal training ground to learn different styles of teaching and gain an insight into teaching methods for students of different ages. This was one of the primary reasons that I chose to work at EF Central Jakarta. The food in Jakarta is some of the most varied in the world, and available at cheap prices. You can find everything here! Every type of Western food is available including McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, through to 5 star hotels serving delicious buffets for about $20USD. Local food here is great value and readily available. At a small restaurant near our school, I have found the most delicious "ayam bakar" (BBQ Chicken) that I have ever tasted. For a serving of chicken, rice and vegetables along with a serving of ice tea you will pay $1.40 USD. Indonesia's most well known food, Nasi Goreng, can be bought from a "kaki lima" (food cart) for 6,000 Rupiah ($0.60 USD). In terms of food hygiene, definitely people have fallen ill from stomach upsets, however I personally have never had a problem. As long as you eat food that is cooked thoroughly, you can eat anything!

My Third Month

04/01/2008 It is said that time flies when you're having fun! It has been three months already! New staff have arrived and I am no longer considered a newbie, and I am making the move into corporate teaching, which is ultimately what I want to do. Having been teaching now for several months, I have seen some courses of mine come to an end, which is quite rewarding when you look back on the progress made over the length of the course. One of my conversation classes was the best example of this. Students from a wide variety of backgrounds, learning English for different reasons with no textbook! I found this quite daunting initially however it quickly became one of my favourite classes. I was amazed by the enthusiasm of my students! One thing I quickly realised about teaching in Indonesia is that the students are so highly motivated to wanting to improve their English skills. So as of tomorrow I am beginning to teach some corporate classes. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to observe the Director of Studies teaching a class at the United Nations here in Jakarta. As much as I love working at the school, I am looking forward to being able to go around Jakarta and teach in company. Rumor has it, a lot of companies provide food! Jakarta's wet season has come to an end (well, almost!) It now rains about once every 2 days, and the temperature has increased noticeably. The weather here during the wet season can be a bit awkward, considering I take a motorbike taxi to work (the BEST way to get around Jakarta), but even when it rains, the weather is still warm and comfortable. Well, that’s my 3rd month at EF Central Jakarta.

Month Two

02/21/2008 Time seems to fly at EF Central Jakarta and it feels like only yesterday I was writing about my first month. So much has happened since! There’s always social events happening like the quiz night, regular staff gatherings and teachers regularly going to grab a bite to eat after work. After the first month I feel as if I have got my head around things at the school. I now know the names of the staff and I know where all the resources are located that I need in order to plan my lessons. My teaching schedule is now almost full with classes all the way from Early Learners (4-6 year olds) right up to Business English. The professional development continued this month with an activity workshop aimed at broadening teacher’s ideas in terms of games and activities to use in class. I also had a further observation which went well. The observations can be unnerving in the sense that the DOS is in the classroom taking notes, however in all reality it’s like a fellow teacher offering helpful advice aimed at improving me as a teacher. I am being observed again next week in order to hopefully begin teaching some corporate classes, which was a big reason I chose to work at EF Central Jakarta. In terms of coping with life in Jakarta, it’s ultimately what you make of it. Personally I love the chaos of city and the friendliness of its people, but it’s a completely different world to my hometown of Melbourne, Australia. If I am ever frustrated by minor annoyances in Jakarta, I simply tell myself “Inilah Indonesia”, which means “This is Indonesia”, and simply cope with it. Jakarta is quite a metropolitan city which has a lot to offer in terms of things to do such as restaurants, nightlife, sports clubs, and even big name artists like Beyonce and Bjork have recently toured here. If I ever need to get out of the city, Bali is only a short flight away. Well, that sums up my second month at EF Central Jakarta. I will keep you posted of my progress as the months go by!

My First Days

01/18/2008 I have been teaching at EF Central Jakarta now for 2 weeks, so I thought a good topic for an initial article would be to discuss some of the challenges I have faced and how I have overcome them. My initial challenges on the first day were learning teacher’s and staff members names, getting to know where the resources are kept, and the operational procedures of the school. This was very easy to deal with as I was fortunate to have the very helpful support of the staff, which I must say are extremely friendly and happy to offer assistance. I knew when I met the teachers and staff the moral was high, which says something positive not just in schools, but in a workplaces in general. Phew! I picked a good school! My first classes went well. I was a bit nervous being in new surroundings, however the students were amazingly friendly and keen to learn which eased my nerves which allowed me to come out of my shell. Professional development was something that was not a high priority at my previous school, however I have realized that at EF Central Jakarta this is something in which management does not only for the school’s benefit, but to further develop my teaching skills. The first class, which was observed by the DOS, made me extremely nervous. But afterwards we discussed what I was already doing well and aspects which could be improved. Since then, I feel that not only my teaching skills have improved, but I have managed to find new ways to captivate the students by using new and innovative methods and activities in the classroom. Well, that’s the wrap up of my first few weeks teaching at EF Central Jakarta. I must say that life is easy here thanks to working with a great bunch of people as well as teaching students with a real desire and passion to improve their English language skills. Jared Sheldon - Teacher