Education and Qualifications

ü      TESOL Certificate (Teach International, Adelaide, Australia)

ü      Advanced Diploma in Advertising & Graphic Design (3yr TAFE course, Adelaide, Australia)

ü      Foundation in Graphic Design & Foundation in Art (Hamilton Secondary College, Adelaide, Australia)

ü      Year 12 SACE graduating from Blackwood High School (Adelaide, Australia)

ü      Occupational Health and Safety Certificate (Adelaide, Australia)

ü      First Aid Certificate (Adelaide, Australia)

Why is Tane Teaching in Vietnam?

I have wanted to travel to South East Asia ever since I was a small child. If I could choose to visit just one place in my life time it would be Vietnam. I find the history of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people magnificent and inspiring. There are so many things that interest me about Vietnam which has made me want to live and work there so that I can learn more and be a part of the Vietnamese culture. I love the ancient history of the Vietnamese people which can be seen scattered throughout the country in the form of pagodas, architecture, art, sacred sites and places of worship. There is also a lot of sad history behind Vietnam which makes me want use my time and skills to help some people who are less fortunate. I really want to help people and feel good about the work I do so this is why I have chosen to teach English in Vietnam.

ESL Teaching Skills

I think what would make me a good ESL teacher is my ability to relate well to other people from different backgrounds and cultures. I have a pleasant personality and friendly nature which has always made me get along exceptionally well with all of my workmates. I am open minded to new ideas and ways of teaching and eager to learn new skills for myself. I think I am quite good at making people laugh and believe that humor is an excellent tool to use in any teaching environment. I am a good listener with a lot of patience and always take the time to listen to other people’s point of view. I also put a lot of effort in getting to know each of my student’s personalities, such as the quieter, shy students and the louder more outgoing students. This helps me to organize activities more successfully and make sure each student feels comfortable in class. Children need to be involved and stimulated by different activities and can’t be expected to stay interested if the teacher is just talking throughout the whole lesson, which is why I believe there should be a good balance of teacher talk and student talk time to keep everybody interested and involved. I will always try to come up with new exciting activities to keep all the children actively participating and learning. I think that there is nothing that somebody cannot learn, as long as they want to learn it. Working as a teacher I feel it is my job and responsibility to make sure the children are always interested, understanding and participating in each lesson. I hope to motivate all of my students so that every time they come to my class they really want to learn the English language. I also wish to learn from my own students about Vietnamese culture and their way of life. I believe that being a child is quite often the happiest moment in life for most people and I hope to bring a lot of happiness and enjoyment to my student’s classes.

Teaching English in Hanoi

I have been teaching English to children as young as 3 and adults older than myself in Hanoi since October 2008. I have taught at many different language schools in Hanoi including public and private schools and private tutored small classes on the weekend. I have also taught English to children in Ha Tay. The last school I was working for in Hanoi was Sun School on 130 Thuy Khue St, Tay Ho which is owned by Mrs Huyen, who has also opened kindergarten classes at 17 Thuy Khue St, which I was also teaching at. The classes at the kindergarten were very large (the largest 38 children) so I had to be well organized and be able to control and manage such a large group of children. The children I was teaching at Sun School were very active, loud, and confident and enjoyed competing and participating in English games. While I was working there I felt that it was a great environment to teach English in and for children to learn. The children loved learning with a foreign teacher and I believe these children will do very well with their study in the future.