Helmets?

Here we are... 3 days into our little adventure and all I have to write about is helmets. Well for me helmets pretty much sum up Samui... let me explain.

When we first arrived we were picked up in a clapped out old truck by Karan, a maths teacher at Bluewater. She dropped us off at our apartment and very kindly offered to come back a few hours later and take us to the supermarket (Tesco Lotus) and a reputable scooter hire company (do they really exist on Samui - hmmm?) Now being a bit of a scooterist back in the UK I am well aware of the dangers surrounding riding two-wheeled vehicles and was quite keen to equip myself with the appropriate high-quality safety attire, namely a decent helmet. No problem you'd think, seeing as 99% of people on Samui get around on scooters. Well here's the thing... when I asked Karan where I might acquire said safety equipment she suggested the best place would be Tesco's. Needless to say I started to get a little worried.

We went to Tesco, and yes they had lots of helmets but they were such poor quality I think they'd actually increase the chances of sustaining a serious injury rather than prevent one. We also went to the Big C supermarket, and again lots of helmets but none that would even come close to meeting UK standards. We also went to a couple of motorbike shops and it was the same story. In the end I just bought a helmet that looked nice... not excatly the right reason but hey this is paradise.

Anyway, I think what I'm trying to suggest to you here is that pretty much everything about Samui is fake - a cheap rip-off. Yes you can buy or do anything you want here easily and cheaply, but you won't get the real thing.

Despite all that the place is amazing and I'd recommend it to anyone, just don't expect too much. Remember, here on Samui its quantity rather than quality... here endeth my 4am rant (I couldn't sleep because I'm badly sunburnt - and here I am going on about safety)

Finally nailed it...

At last, finally got my telephone interview technique nailed - managed to bag a job at the Bluewater International School on Koh Samui, Thailand. As I suggested in the previous post, preparation is everything - prior to the interview I gathered together:

• A detailed 4-phase lesson plan template comprising learning objectives (key ideas), vocabulary, resources, and ideas/notes regarding each phase;
  
• A detailed list of plenaries (informal assessment);
  
• List of formal and baseline assessment techniques;
• A couple of schemes of work with supporting lesson plans and printouts, etc;
• Techniques surrounding teaching ESL students.
  

Despite all the preparation I actually think that what nailed it for me was my sheer enthusiasm for the subject. The lessons and schemes of work that I chose to describe during the interview were one's that I'd developed during my training year. As well as being very well planned, they were also very innovative. In talking about something I was passionate about and proud of my true character was able to shine through. Anyway, next job is to sell the house and start preparing for the big move...

My first telephone interview (crashed and burned)

Applied for a teaching position at the ABC International School in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and got my first telephone interview - 6 a.m. in the morning UK time. Spoke to a few of the guys at work and they suggested it might just be a "suss me out" type interview, to make sure I wasn't a psycho-weirdo axe murderer. How wrong could I be...

Within 5 seconds of answering the phone I knew it was going to be a full on formal curriculum-based interview, and I wasn't prepared. Oh Shit! Needless to say the interview went badly and I didn't get the job. That said, I did learn a lot from the experience.

• Be prepared - make notes on: teaching experience, lesson structure (have examples of good lessons), AFL (techniques - formal/informal/feedback, have examples), strengths & weaknesses, coping with new cultures, etc;
• Make notes during the interview - jot down the questions as they are asked. A couple of times I was asked double-barreled questions. By the time I'd finished answering the first part of the question I'd forgotten the second part;
• If you forget or don't understand a question get them to repeat it or clarify. During a phone interview it's very difficult to gauge response, i.e. tell when you've missed a question or answered it incorrectly, especially when there is a time delay.
  
• Try to relax and be yourself...