On loan

For the last couple of weeks I have been working at another branch of my schools franchise; it was quite novel at first, a chance to see a different area and how other schools do things, and to meet some new people. Unfortunately two hours a day sitting in traffic tends to kill the enthusiasm. The school itself is very similar, although certain systems and ideas are better implemented. The kids also seem to be better behaved: blackberry use is amazingly low, they all bring in their own pens and books, and actually queue at the door at the end of the lesson to be let out.  However, the teacher’s morale seems to be just as low as it is at my school. This is apparently a result of the school’s penny pinching, lack of flexibility and refusal to make any concessions regarding teacher well being, confirming that it is the franchise that is a rapacious profit machine, and not just my school. 

Recent happenings

I have finally got my UK phone unlocked, so I can use it with my Indonesian SIM card. This has allowed me to finally take part in authentic modern Jakartan culture. I went to the mall, hung out, and fucked about on my flashy hand phone while watching other people buy stuff. Brilliant.

I have been working Saturdays for the past month. It’s a pain in the arse because as well as starting at 930 on Saturday morning, its four hours long. I’ve been going out all day afterwards, meaning I’m tired all day Sunday, and then straight back to work on the Monday. It seems as if I’m never away from the school. The Saturday class is business English, so they are much more motivated and mature than my normal students; I can actually talk and have an intelligent discussion with them - a marked difference from my normal classes of hyperactive eight year olds or stroppy monosyllabic teenagers.

What’s worse is I am now embroiled in what my school calls ‘Summer Fun’. It means I have to start work at 10am everyday and work until 7ish, in addition to working on Saturday. I have it quite easy though, other teachers start at 10 and work until 9 in the evening. The class I teach in the morning is a “conversation” class. While I have nothing against conversation classes per se, I don’t like the way my school sets them up. The classes are too big, it is not possible to have a ten person conversation, and some of the students are too low a level. If you can’t (or won’t) ask and answer simple questions you have no place in a conversation class. 

First week at work

Bit hazy this, I should probably have written about it at the time. All I can remember is a fair amount of chaos and having to cover other people’s classes in addition to my own. As I had no experience with teaching a real class, this was quite stressful. Lesson planning was taking a long time, and I was unfamiliar with the classes and the school’s material. I survived, and it has proved to be a fairly accurate reflection of the schools working practices. One thing I do remember clearly is this piece of advice, which I think I received within my first hour: ‘If you ever find yourself with a prostitute, do NOT go down on them.’ Classic.