The English Teachers

2

“Where do you come from?” – Teacher Backgrounds

English teachers are spectacularly diverse in almost every aspect. They come from all around the world for different reasons, speaking many dialects and possessing a variety of outlooks on life and the English language. When many of us start teaching students for the first time, we are encouraged to do a “needs analysis”. This helps teachers find out about their students’ backgrounds, language requirements and goals for development. The idea is that by knowing our students better, we can teach them more effectively. Similarly in this book, to understand our teachers more effectively we must have a complete picture of where they come from. Life may be more about the journey than the destination, but it’s a good idea to know where you started from to know where you are going.

This chapter is somewhat different to the others which follow. For each interview I’ll provide a section called “Setting the Scene” where I’ll describe the participants, where we met, how they were feeling at the time and what the atmosphere was like as we talked. Some smaller comments will be provided later to add context but the focus – as ever – is on what is being said.

Every interview I conducted started with the same request: “Tell me about your background.” To avoid repetition, I have omitted this starter question from the transcripts. With the same objective, I have started the scripts in each chapter with the names of the interviewees and then replaced them with the first letters of the names they provided. With a single exception, they are ordered in the manner conducted from January to August 2019. A full list is below for reference.

John Shaw (JS)

Ninha (N)

ID (ID)

Nadezhda Boguk (NB)

Anastasia Dereviankina (AD)

Daniel Saraiva San Pedro (DSSP)

Heather Belgorodtseva (HB)

Christopher James Leckenby (CJL)

Nataliya Pronina (NP)

Lisa Shichkova (LS)

Luka Miksic (LM)

Günther Cristiano Butzen (GCB)

Maksim Levkin (ML)

Edward Crabtree (EC)

Elena Atlasova (EA)

Felipe Fülber (FF)

Frances (F)

Chee-way Sun (CWS)

Carlos Monroy (CM)

Cheng Zhang-Stoddard (CZS)

Anastasia Kolcheva (AK)

Luis Clavijo (LC)

Gary Krautkramer (GK) and Polina Pivovarova (PP)

Daria Starova (DS)

Leandri Butterworth (LB)

Irina Grekova (IG)

Varvara Tyurina (VT)

Andy S (AS)

Vika K (VK)

Olga Shushunova (OS)

Sebastian Orlande (SO)

Aline C (AC)

Nico Benger (NB)

Elena Kalkova (EK)

Note: Nadezhda Boguk and Nico Benger have the same abbreviations but appear towards the beginning and end of each chapter respectively. I hope this fact and the pronouns used will prevent any confusion.

*

John Shaw (JS)

Setting the scene: John was the first person I interviewed in January 2019. It is morning but still very dark as we sit in the spacious room set aside for teacher training purposes. We are both tired from starting work early, but he has brought coffee which soon has the desired effect of bringing us to life. John is jovial and speaks with a Northern English accent that immediately endears him to those around him. If that fails initially, he has a kind nature to back it up which is conveyed by his expressive eyes – even if they are a little tired during the opening round of our interview.

JS: I’m from a town called Darwen near Manchester. I went to Manchester University, first for a BA then a Masters. After a year or so I decided to become an English teacher. I did my CELTA in Prague and then took my first job here in Moscow.

RFDG: Why did you choose to go into teaching?

JS: Actually, it was by chance. When I finished university it was difficult to find work due to the economic situation. I did various jobs including being a waiter and I volunteered, but I always wanted to go abroad. Most of my friends I knew from the internet – I played a lot of online computer games.

So, when I finished university I was travelling around and staying with friends. I went to a university job fair and there was an EFL stall. They were offering a TEFL certificate. I went back home and was interested in the idea, but after researching it seemed it wasn’t really worth anything. It was just a piece of paper and when you finished you got to stay at one of their schools for a short amount of time. But, while researching, I read about the CELTA* and understood it was a proper qualification. I wanted to do it but not in England. I wanted to do it abroad because I wanted a real experience. I was really eager to start my new career and a new adventure.

*Note: Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults – a common initial teacher training qualification.

RFDG: If the economic situation had been better, would you have considered doing something else?

JS: Probably. When I was a teenager and people suggested I become a teacher it was the last thing I wanted to do. I was at quite a difficult school. Actually, it’s closed down now. The students in my class were very disrespectful and I didn’t see the point in becoming a teacher. I didn’t know EFL* existed. I first came across it because one of my classmates at university said it was what he was interested in.

I wanted to go into something creative because when I was studying History I was doing a lot of research. I went to the Oxford university library and I was looking through archives and at the same time I was staying in a hostel full of partying European travellers and I understood that I’d rather work with people than with sources. So, I’d already moved away from academia and History. But if I had got a job in Marketing or Advertising, which is what I was looking for when I left, I probably wouldn’t have become an EFL teacher. It was just spontaneity and luck that helped me find the job.

*Note: English as a Foreign Language (taught to students where English is not the main language).

RFDG: You did CELTA in Prague. Why did you come to Russia?

JS: When I finished in Prague I was looking for a job, but it was difficult to find work. Prague is in the European Union and has a reputation for being beautiful with lots of cheap tasty food and alcohol, so you find a lot of British teachers there already. Also, the demand for English isn’t as high because they speak English quite well there. I came to Moscow because my school in Prague was an International House school. I went on the IH* website and found that IH-Moscow was offering jobs for newly-qualified teachers and training at the same time which interested me.

*Note: IH stands for International House World Organisation, a large network of English Language schools.

RFDG: Why not China or South America where there are also opportunities?

JS: I wanted to go somewhere far away from home, but not too far away and the Czech Republic and Russia aren’t a million miles away from each other in terms of culture. I enjoyed my time in the Czech Republic and I found their humour very funny, so I thought I’d fit in well in Moscow. I suppose if I hadn’t met Russian people in my course maybe I wouldn’t have considered it.

RFDG: If you could change now, would you continue being a teacher?

JS: I’d definitely stay in education. I like being a teacher. Of course, there are some small things I would change. For instance, some of the classes I get can be trouble, but at the moment I think being a teacher is what I want to be.

*

Ninha (N)

Setting the scene: Ninha is not her real name, but she is very real and frank in her tone and expression. Little can be given away in terms of appearance and accent, but it is clear she has a focus on young people and inspiring them to learn, along with the knowledge and experience to make that a reality. We speak in hushed tones in a quiet room set aside for us as the morning winter chill of Moscow slightly ices the windows from the outside.

N: I’m from Poland and I’ve been a teacher for 17 plus years. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I’m one of those boring people! I studied History first and as soon as I graduated I moved to another university to study English?

RFDG: Why do you think you always wanted to get into teaching?

N: I have no idea. I just always wanted to be a teacher. When I was younger and people asked what I wanted to be, I said, “I want to be a woman!”

She laughs slightly at the memory.

After a brief spell of wanting to be a doctor and a ballerina – being five had a role to play in that, I guess – I just wanted to be a teacher.

RFDG: Why did you choose Moscow?

N: I had been to other places already and I wanted to come here. Actually, Moscow was my first choice, but then there was a job opening in Spain so I went there and then when a job was available I moved again. Russian was my first foreign language ever, so it was interesting.

RFDG: It seems like a logical choice.

N: Well, I went west and south, so only north or east was left.

RFDG: And there’s not much north of Poland.

N: Yeah, and I started learning Russian when I was 10 years old. I liked it and the culture was here. The whole idea of them being the enemy never interested me.

RFDG: What does Russian culture mean to you?

N: It doesn’t mean much because mine and this one are quite similar in many ways. So for me, I guess I would say there were a lot of new things elsewhere. Of course, I read all the great literature, etc. but I mainly just wanted to see what it was like here.

RFDG: And how would you describe here?

N: It’s amazing. I love this city. I’ve been to a few other places, but this place is unique. There are many beautiful parts of the city and people are cool. There are many people from my life who were surprised. All those ideas people have about what Russia is like; when they come here they say it’s cool.

*

ID

Setting the scene: It’s Friday in Moscow, which normally takes the edge off the fact that it’s winter. As we sit in a long room, part of a large if non-descript business centre near the Kremlin, the atmosphere is somewhat tense. ID is her pseudonym. She is dressed seriously to discuss a serious subject. I soon find out what that is, but not in this opening conversation.

ID: I graduated from a specialised English school in Moscow. Not a private one, just public. It had a stronger curriculum in English. Then I graduated from university with a degree in International Relations and American Studies. While I was there I started teaching part-time. This was my first introduction to teaching and I was trained at the school where I started working.

RFDG: So, it was a natural progression?

ID: Yeah.

RFDG: Why did you choose to teach here in Moscow?

ID: I’m a Muscovite. This is my mother city, my hometown. I’m not willing to relocate. This is basically half-conscious, half-subconscious choice. This is where my family is, this is where my husband is, so I’m comfortable here.

RFDG: Have you ever considered other alternatives?

ID: Yes, I did actually. The problem is that International Relations is a field that it’s hard to get a job without connections, at least in Russia. I struggled to find a job in my field, so I was considering different options and after facing a closed door in many directions I decided to just stay with what I was actually good at. I was pushed toward teaching I would say.

*

Nadezhda Boguk (NB)

Setting the scene: I haven’t quite been able to explain to myself how or why, but even without talking to her in great depth beforehand, I could tell that Nadezhda is a teacher. She sits in a chair in a classroom near the main office with an air of wisdom and calm, speaking in a way that tells me she knows exactly what she wants to say and exactly what she is talking about.

NB: I come from Barnaul which is a city in Siberia. I graduated from school then went to university and studied for five years. It was the linguistics faculty. That’s when I realised the best thing I was taught was to speak English and to teach English. And that’s how I ended up in this career. As for Moscow, it was an opportunity to do a postgraduate study. That’s why I quit my job in Barnaul and moved to Moscow. I worked at a university. Then I decided to take a little break and after taking the CELTA course I started to work for BKC*.

*Note: BKC is a large chain of language schools in Moscow and is a franchise of International House.

RFDG: Did you do CELTA with BKC?

NB: Yes. It was in June 2018.

RFDG: When you were working at the linguistics faculty did you feel that teaching was the only option for you, or was it an active choice on your part?

NB: It was a choice, I would say. Before starting working, I was applying for different jobs, like being a secretary and I was trying different options, but I felt the most comfortable with this career.

RFDG: What influenced you to make this choice? Is it something that you’ve always wanted to do, or were there different things that happened?

NB: It started with the language first because when I was in 9th grade and it was time to think about what to do next, what majors to take in high school, I came up with my favourite subject and that was English. Then I thought about the place where English would be taught best in our city.

There were university courses, like Economics plus English, but I wasn’t very interested in Economics and International Affairs. So, the best linguistic option was the Pedagogical University. I went there to study English not teaching, but teaching was like the application of this knowledge. The way we were taught and how things were explained, and the practice we had during the course, even though I had the extra courses in translation and interpreting, I still thought teaching was more comfortable for me.

RFDG: You mentioned before you chose Moscow because there was an option for postgraduate studies as well. Were there any other reasons, or was this one opportunity that was the best?

NB: It was the only opportunity because they offered a place to live and in Moscow finding a place to live is a problem.

RFDG: Why Moscow in particular? Were there no other places in Russia that had this option?

NB: The university where I studied had a partnership with this university in Moscow. They were looking for students and they addressed different universities in all of Russia to invite students to come to Moscow.

RFDG: Would you have studied in a different country if you’d had the opportunity?

NB: Yes, I would.

RFDG: Anywhere in particular?

NB: I did a one-week course in England. I still monitor different options, but it’s all about having the money for it or getting a grant. In my field it’s not easy to find grants, but I still need to continue searching for other options.

RFDG: Why do you think it’s difficult to find grants?

NB: Most of the things I’ve seen have been related to Chemistry, Biology or Engineering. For social studies, especially teaching, it’s not so widespread. Not so many universities offer courses or programmes.

RFDG: Is it purely because it’s not popular?

NB: I’m not sure if it’s about popularity. I know the teaching profession is quite significant. As for other countries, I wouldn’t say it’s as prominent as here in Russia. Even in Russia there’s been a decline in preparing teaching staff. So, that’s why abroad there are not so many programmes aimed at this. There can be things like CELTA and DELTA but they are, in my opinion, somewhat limited. I studied for five years at my university and I had teaching methods, psychology and other basic courses. If we speak about CELTA that’s just four weeks and I’m glad I did it after I had some experience. It was like the cherry on top to add to the skills I already had.

RFDG: Would you say it’s best to have some teaching experience and then do CELTA?

NB: It can be like a catch 22, I think. On the one hand, it gives the basics, it gives you some ideas. I would suggest having some formal education together with CELTA and study teaching at the very beginning. I had some basic skills and it’s not something that has been hammered into me and I am still flexible and ready to accept new things, and modify my behaviour in class. At this point this is also good because I know what to do. I feel comfortable in the classroom and that’s why it’s not as stressful as it might be when you come and see the group of people and you have to work with them and explain things to them.

RFDG: If you had the choice, would you do a different job?

NB: I also feel comfortable with technical drawing. If I hadn’t chosen English I might have gone into Engineering. But I don’t know how serious I can be about it because I never had anyone who could consult with me, or notice if I was doing something well. I don’t know now.

*

Anastasia Dereviankina (AD)

Setting the scene: If I could describe Anastasia in a word it would be sharp. Everything about her is sharp. Her eyes, fashion sense, manner of speaking and her knowledge of what she speaks about. Without even speaking, I’m aware she is dedicated to her work and willing to ignore everything unrelated when it’s time to work. People who may not know her well might find it jarring, but after several months of working together I find it reassuring to speak to someone who knows what is going on.

AD: I’m from Saratov and I graduated from the Philological department at the state university there in 2013. I’m a teacher, interpreter and a manager, so I’ve a lot of different qualifications. I started working as a corporate teacher, teaching business to groups of people, maybe 15—20 adults. I didn’t teach kids or teenagers. But then I started working as a private tutor. I was teaching kids ranging from 8—13 or 14. Before moving to Moscow it was pretty much all corporate and for a while when I first moved here it was the same. But now I’m in my new job I have to teach a variety of classes… almost everything.

RFDG: Why did you choose teaching?

AD: I didn’t choose it to be honest. I started learning when I was two years old and someone told my mother that I was gifted in languages or something like that. I always had a private tutor because my mother believed I was a superstar of English. The state programme was never good enough for me and when it was time to choose my future profession I wanted to be a journalist. I found it quite attractive. I’ve always been quite creative, but my mother insisted on me entering this Philological department since it was connected with English and language. Then when I was 19 I started teaching and I liked it.

RFDG: When you say you were always above the curriculum at school, was that your parents’ opinion or was that a fact based on grades?

AD: Both.

RFDG: You didn’t feel it was the path you wanted to follow, but was it a particularly bad thing when you look back?

AD: You know, in our country we usually regard this profession as a back-up plan, not something very serious. It didn’t come to my mind when I was a child. When I was much younger, teaching English was usually associated with schools and universities. I didn’t know about the courses or corporate teaching. So, that’s why it wasn’t attractive at first, but now I’m quite happy with it.

RFDG: So, with the live experience of being a teacher it feels like a natural fit?

AD: Yeah, I feel this is my calling. I love it and my students love me, and I can see their progress. I think it was the right choice.

RFDG: Why did you choose Moscow?

AD: I’m very ambitious to be honest. Before moving here I had always dreamt of moving somewhere. Not Saratov because Saratov was never enough for me. I felt like I could do more than Saratov. There were a few attempts. At first I wanted to try St Petersburg but I was alone and didn’t feel confident enough, and then I did my CELTA and I had a boyfriend at the time.

Right after CELTA I started applying for different positions in Moscow. It wasn’t so serious, it was more like, “Well, why not? Let’s try!” I didn’t even tell anyone about it. Then I was invited for an interview. I bought a plane ticket the same day and went to Moscow, had the interview, got accepted, got hired and told my boyfriend I was going to Moscow. I wasn’t serious about it but he said, “Great. I’m coming with you.” And we went to Moscow three or four days later.

RFDG: That’s a quick change!

AD: Yeah.

RFDG: Did you feel more confident going to Moscow than St Petersburg, or after taking CELTA?

AD: Specifically after CELTA. I was thinking about St Petersburg and at that time I had a couple of friends there. Moscow seemed like something unachievable. It seemed like I wasn’t good enough to live and work there.

RFDG: Why is St Petersburg less of an achievement?

AD: I suppose it’s due to some stereotypes about the place. It’s nice and cosy. I’m a philologist so I read a lot and at university I had to read a lot and St Petersburg was like a lullaby of all these things I’d read about as a student.

RFDG: So, if St Petersburg is a lullaby, what is Moscow?

AD: Moscow is the opposite. I think it’s more my element. A lullaby was not for me and in the end that’s why I didn’t move to St Petersburg. It was just one of my ideas. It was just one possible step.

RFDG: Would you change your career?

AD: I think I would. I still find journalism quite attractive and being an English teacher I feel like I’m always on the verge of burning out. I give myself every day and I don’t feel I get enough back from it. I always give and I rarely get anything back.

RFDG: And you’d get more back as a journalist?

AD: I think so.

RFDG: Are there any comparisons to be made between being a teacher and a journalist?

AD: In my opinion they both require creativity. Being an English teacher I create things every day. Every lesson is different. And journalism is similar; you create things based on facts.

RFDG: What kind of journalism?

AD: Good question. I’ve never thought of it. Everything I think about now is my work and my students. I think only about them all the time. Journalism is just my ideal world. It would be about travelling and sharing impressions.