Hilal Hastaoglu » teacher

After being interviewed by Katie from TEFLLogue, I thought I should interview one of the super recent CELTA graduates my self. Gamze Uslu took the CELTA at the same place I did (International Training Institute - Istanbul) right after I was done with the course.

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Introduction:  Gamze Uslu is a 25 year old Turkish girl. She is a Translation – Interpretation graduate. She describes her self as a full time translator, part time teacher and a dedicated party girl.

Conclusion: CELTA takers don’t have to be book worms! hehe 

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1. How did you hear about the CELTA? (advice? google? from a friend? etc.) 

How should I start? In fact, I was familiar with the Cambridge teacher training courses before the CELTA as I once took the ICELT when I was a fresh English Instructor (this is how they call it at universities here) at a university but quit working there only after 4 months and obviously couldn’t finish the ICELT.  It took me two years to regain my confidence and energy to go back to the idea of teaching. After I moved to Istanbul (I was in Ankara then) to work as a full-time translator for a translation company, I realized that I didn’t want to spend my next 20 years stuck in a choking translation office in front of a computer, unconsciously and continuously typing the same technical stuff. So I thought I could go back to teaching.   My teacher friends also encouraged me. Then, I went online to see what I could find. First, I found out about the TEFL and then found the Cambridge CELTA page. I applied for both of them but only got a reply from the ITI which offers the CELTA course. And my journey started….   

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2. Why did you want to take the CELTA? (qualification? higher work pay? etc.) 

In my country, I can be an English teacher without the CELTA as I have the pedagogic training certificate required by the public schools and even some teaching experience at a well-known university. However, my very first teaching experience was not exhilarating at all and this time I wanted to take firm steps. The CELTA is for beginners and this was what I needed to start all over from the beginning in order to gain my confidence back. Besides (like with everything else I do), I wanted to be as “perfect” as I could when it came to teaching. So I thought if I was going to be a teacher, I should be a good one like the one who taught me English at school and the CELTA is the mere convenient point one can start and follow on.

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3. How has the CELTA changed your “outlook” on teaching?  

The CELTA showed me how to look at the “picture” from the student’s eyes. When you know what the students “see” you know what to “show” better. 

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4. What was the most challenging part of the whole experience?

Hmmm….I remember the third week was the most difficult week (in the full-time course). I don’t know why but we were all fragile (unlike the first week when we were all cheerful and enthusiastic) trying to plan lessons (and finding them unsatisfactory), writing self-assessments (and hating the fact that you still have the same weak points since the first TP), writing reports for the observations and completing small tasks and also rushing to deliver the assignments on time, getting them back for re-submits (but what’s the problem this time?), then submit them again… “My God, where is the last copy? Can’t find it! Does anyone have the CELTA CD with them? I need the observation form again….” ….. and nervous break-downs, a girl or two crying…BUT, in the end IT ALL TURNED OUT WELL NO WORRIES! OK, the challenging part…I think you really need to dedicate yourself. It’s not something you can do easily while you look after young children, babies or ill family members who need your attention, fulfill a full-time job’s requirements, deal with an illness, move house or sort out a problematic relationship. Your mind, energy and attention should be with the course from the beginning until the end.

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5. What words of wisdom/advice would you give to people THINKING about doing the course?

Follow whatever is required by the tutors. Push aside whatever conflicting idea/method/technique/point of view/belief you may ever have. Be it an experienced teacher who thinks he is made up of what he has gained through his professional life and can’t get himself “reshaped” or a fresh teacher candidate for whom everything seems a bit of a jungle life in the classroom, the CELTA is for you if you want to be the “real” teacher who “teaches”. So, digest whatever is served, try to get the “gist” without getting lost in the details – ABSOLUTELY keep your work done day-to-day and never postpone anything as they pile up and up and up….before you notice.

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6. Was it worth the money? (Some people think twice before they can actually spend money, so yeah, I want to help them make a decision because the CELTA is not a cheap course) 

 You definitely learn. It’s for sure. You pay a good deal of money but you receive the course from the best tutors (at least this is the case at ITI

Istanbul). I’ve saved for the CELTA for months and I don’t regret it. Besides, you can earn it back easily when you become a full-time teacher

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7. Think about the time you didn’t take the CELTA and think about now. What difference can you see?

 Getting into a class is not a nightmare anymore and I now have an outline in my mind that I can use when I need to plan a lesson.

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8. What problems do Turkish students have in classrooms? Any solutions? (for example they cant say “TH”, tongue twisters may help them learn how to say “TH”)

Apart from the difficulties in pronunciation, they always try to find the Turkish equivalent of every word or grammar structure which is sometimes impossible. Once they asked me why we put “-s” when we say “two dogs” because the number (two) already gives the plural sense (and yes, in Turkish we don’t add the plural suffix to a word when it is already preceded by a quantifier). I just told them this is the way English language is spoken.

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9. What information did you try to find about the course (before you started) and couldn’t find on the internet etc.?  

 I was very anxious about my accent and fluency as I’m not a native speaker. I browsed through hundreds of online forums to learn about those with similar cases and contacted some of them and was relieved to see that they were actually OK! So, I said “if they can do it, why can’t I?

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All this time, you all had a chance to see how I handled the CELTA. So, just in case some of you might think I’m a nerd (heheh), here are what my colleagues had to say about the course. They can’t all be nerds! hehe..

Scott KESSENICK
Nationality: American
Age: 23

Prior to enrolling in the Istanbul based ITI CELTA course I had completed a TEFL course back in the United States. Compared to the Celta, the TEFL course appeared somewhat impractical. While classroom theory was taught and the course did a reasonable job introducing technical teaching vocabulary, there was a definite lack of teaching practice. What I found most useful about the CELTA course was the evaluation of my own teaching as I was given the opportunity to practice with real students. The theoretical or abstract limitations normally imposed by an instructional classroom environment were removed and I was critiqued on the basis of my real performance as a teacher. In other words, for a total of six teaching practice hours, I became a genuine tutor working with real learners. I believe that this was invaluable to my development throughout the course and that this is an element that should not be overlooked when deciding which type of teaching certification to pursue.Moreover, with specific respect to ITI, the teachers were superb and there was never a lack of enthusiasm or support on their end. The average teacher to student ratio in my CELTA course was 2 teachers for 6 students, which in my educational experience is unprecedentedly low. So it is needless to say that the personal attention was incredible, and I think that every student in the course felt as though they were individually guided according to their needs. After finishing the Celta course I would highly recommend this certification to anyone who is remotely interested in teaching English as a foreign language. Furthermore, I would specifically recommend Istanbul’s ITI as a great company through which to obtain the certificate.
 

Gunseli AKSUT
Nationality: Australian & Turkish
Age: 32

Do you want to be a teacher? I was so miserable in my “exciting” designer job and had thought about becominga teacher for years, but was scared to make a leap. “Who am I to become a teacher? I’m just a girl from Australia with a funny accent and an interest in art history and design.” But, it turned out that there was nothing to be afraid of and that teaching can be learned if you are dedicated enough. So what’s so great about the CELTA?

1. Well first of all you learn from fantastic teachers who really know their stuff and make their lessons enjoyable. 2. You learn so much in such an interesting way that I guarantee you won’t fall asleep in class. 3. You get heaps of support, encouragement and genuine feedback so you know how you are doing. 4. You learn with a small group of students, only 6,and get to interact, learn together and support eachother. 5. You get to observe experienced teachers and see the techniques they use. This course is one of the best things I’ve ever done.I’m so glad I made that huge decision to teach. But, be prepared for some serious work. Most of the time I thought I was at uni. again with all the paperwork, assignments, lesson plans, handouts etc. At times the course gets so intense that you feel overwhelmed by all the work and at those times you have to forget about doing the housework and be prepared to live on toast and coffee because you don’t have the time to look after yourself It’s all worth it though. I recommend this course for all those who have a desire to teach. 

Ilknur CAN
Nationality: Turkish
Age: 30

I have been a student for 19 years through my 30 years of life. I had no idea about being a teacher so far until the CELTA course started. I was quite acquainted about the theories of teaching as I had had formation at university while I had been studying English Philology; however, I felt quite weird during my first Teaching Practice session and very nervous. CELTA, not only teaches you the teaching theories and techniques in a surprisingly detailed and interesting way, but also gives you the chance to stand up in the middle of an actual classroom and teach to students of various levels of English. Comparing my first TP session with my last, I already feel like an English teacher!

Alev SOGUT
Nationality: Turkish
Age: 34

I heard of CELTA long time ago and felt that I would give it a try one day, but I just could not give up my career in finance - until last September when I realised that one could be happy only by doing what he/she likes most in life. So I quit my job and enrolled in the CELTA Course. I had the opportunity to learn a great deal from great tutors and peers who were helpful and supportive throughout the course. The input sessions provided us with the basics of teaching and guided us through the vast literature on TEFL. The teaching practice sessions were a great challenge for all of us and we really had to work hard, but the result was satisfying. Through hard work and efficient feedback from tutors and peers, we managed to plan and run lessons, which is a very positive start in a teaching career. One important lesson I got from the CELTA Course is that there is no end to learning in teaching. To be a good teacher you have to be an enthusiastic learner.

Emiko Foster
Nationality: Australian & Japanese
Age: 56First it’s one of my most expensive paper! Considering how long I’ll be working from now(hope 5 years max), AU$500 a year. That’s my motivation to work during the course. Apart from my calculater mind, it was very interesting to me, all sessions were practical and hands-on. Now I’m ready to work anywhere in the globe, in the middle of the desert in China or in the middle of traffic jam in Tokyo. Also I could see update Turkey through four young Turkish women. It was really enjoyable to talk with those educated women about all sorts of things from girlie issues to Turkish society. I learnt a lot. Without this experience, I would have had a different view to

Turkey.

Do you know the feeling where your knees shake and your stomach feels like you swallowed a bulldozer? Well, that is exactly how I felt! I got so nervous that I felt like I’m starting school all over again. I went and got my self a pink folder, pink pen, pink eraser and those pencils with the fluffy fur on top (the kind that Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde had). Yea, yea… I know what you’re thinking! Believe me; I thought the same of my self. Funny how much a training course can get you so excited!

How did you feel before you started your training course? If you never started one, how do you think you would feel???!!