| Q |
Hi Rick,
welcome to the ajarn hot seat. Firstly did you ever teach in Thailand? |
| A |
I didn't actually teach in
Thailand Phil. I went to Thailand to do a TEFL course, and planned to stay
on and work, but moved on to Indonesia at the end of my course. |
| Q |
What were
the best and worst aspects of living in Thailand? |
| A |
The best thing about
living in Thailand is the food. Fantastic food is available everywhere. I
have never been anywhere in the world where you can sit down at any street
vendor's "cafe" and enjoy a good meal. like one can in Thailand. The worst
aspect is the minority of foreigners who behave badly and create a negative
image, which casts all foreigners in a negative light. |
| Q |
What made
you choose to come to Thailand initially? |
| A |
As I said, I initially
came to Thailand to do a TEFL course. Following that I planned to live and
work there. I had been to Thailand many times, loved it, and wanted to
experience more of it.
|
| Q |
You
eventually moved on to work in Indonesia. It's not a place that's high on
most teachers' lists when they think about re-locating so why Jakarta? |
| A |
I came to Jakarta for the
new experience. While Thailand is fantastic, I decided I'd like to try
something else. English First in Jakarta offers an excellent salary package
as well as provides ample opportunities to expand one's teaching abilities. |
| Q |
Are there
many foreign teachers teaching in Jakarta. I mean are they as apparent as
they are in Thailand? |
| A |
Yes, I'd say there are
about 200 foreign teachers working in Jakarta. EF alone employs about 700
foreign teachers throughout Indonesia. But no, they are not nearly as
apparent as they are in Thailand. Foreigners are the definate minority in
Jakarta. |
| Q |
Does
Indonesia have its own version of ajarn.com? How would a teacher go about
finding a job once they've arrived in the big city? |
| A |
Jakarta does not have
anything like Ajarn. Here is an opportunity for you Phil! The best way to
find a job is to call me! If I don't have any openings, I'm sure to know who
does. |
| Q |
I don't
know why but Jakarta has always struuck me as a rather dangerous city - a
bit like Manila as regards a reputation for shady characters hanging around
in dimly-lit alleyways. I could be wrong of course? |
| A |
Yes, that perception is
common. But, the truth is, I feel a lot safer here than I ever felt in my
former homes of Chicago or Los Angeles. There has never been an instance in
which one of our teachers has had a problem. |
| Q |
There's
plenty to do for a teacher looking for a social life? |
| A |
Yes, Jakarta offers
everything you can imagine. It's a city of about 11,000,000 people; made up
diverse peoples from all over Indonesia. Indonesia has many cultural groups
who speak 300 different languages. Jakarta is a "melting pot" of most of
these diverse cultures, which creates a very unique city experience. If you
want chic nightclubs, pubs, bars, discos, restaurants, designer shopping
malls, museums, or just about anything else, Jakarta has it. |
| Q |
Let's talk
a little about your work with English First. Are there any major differences
between the way that EF Thailand and EF Indonesia are run? |
| A |
I don't know
anything about EF in Thailand. |
| Q |
Fair
enough. Tell me a little about your day-to-day responsibilities as HR co-ordinator? |
| A |
Well Phil, it's something
I've taken on in addition to my teaching responsibilities because I enjoy
working with people. I'm responsible for interviewing, hiring, policy
making, and just about anything else that relates to Human Resources. |
| Q |
You're in
the process of launching a recruitment drive in Thailand. Does that mean
teachers are getting difficult to find where you are? |
| A |
There are not enough
people coming to Indonesia to look for work. People have a false impression
of Indonesia because of unbalanced media attention of various events. One
big misconception is about religion. The majority of people are Muslim but
the government is democratic. It's not an Islamic state and foreigners
living here face no problems what-so-ever. |
| Q |
What are
the most important things you look for in a potential employee? |
| A |
We want people who want to
teach and are interested in improving as teachers. We certainly don't
welcome anyone who is just in it as a means to party, party, party. Nobody
here is a kill joy, we just think the primary reason a person should have
for becoming a teacher is to add value to people's lives. |
| Q |
How do you
view the current situation in Thailand for English teachers? These are not
the best of times are they? |
| A |
Well, I don't know about
that. There is a huge market for English in Thailand. The Thais very much
want to learn the language and there are more jobs than teachers. That's a
pretty good combination. There are a couple of policy changes the Government
may want to consider to make it easier for good, decent, well intentioned
people to work there, but at the end of the day, it's their country. They
have every right to manage it the way they feel is in their best interests. |
| Q |
Do you
think that teaching English in Asia is losing the reputation of something
you can 'mess about for a couple of years and then start making your way in
the real world'? |
| A |
I don't think so. The ESL
world is very much a "real world". It's filled with students who are working
very hard to learn a skill that will improve their opportunities. Those who
look at it as "messing about" are the very people the Thai government is
trying to get rid of. I can't blame them. In fact, I hope they succeed.
|
| Q |
I'm
struggling for a final question Rick. OK, Jakarta in a nutshell without
using the words 'vibrant' or 'fascinating'? |
| A |
I discussed this with my
business class. First they said, "traffic", but I said we need positive
things for an interview, so they came up with 'complex, modern, business
hub'. |
