ESL Teaching Guide - New Zealand
Mike Sheehan - June 2004
Currently teaching in a Private Eng Lang School in central Auckland.
The English language business has had a very tough time over the last 12 months. Most detrimental was our high Kiwi $ but false adverse publicity in China, in particular, about the standard of the education received and the usual racist rantings of Enoch Powell's successor in our Parliament, helped to limit severely our biggest market. Things appear to be picking up, albeit very slowly, now.
Most of the Language schools are in central Auckland, which makes it tough for students to decide whether to pay high rents for tiny appartments in the city centre or to go for cheaper acccommodation further out but then have to pay three or four bus stages. At our school, we are just hanging in with the current numbers of students but hope to have a more positive future with a couple of initiatives next month. All our staff have their own computer workstation and we have a Lang Lag as well. There is also a Computer suite for students.
I'm not sure what the going rate for teachers is but we pay $30 per hour with 1/4 hour per day for prep. I have just had a houseful of Americans for a week and they remark constantly how pleasantly surprised they are with the favourable prices for everything here.
Lonely Planet New Zealand (LONELY PLANET NEW ZEALAND)
New Zealand (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Moon Handbooks New Zealand (Moon Handbook New Zealand, 6th Ed)
Frommer's New Zealand
Oliver Hunter - May 2004
I am from Auckland, New Zealand. I am not currently teaching anywhere. I only have one student that is from an English school. She is from Korea.
Before I found esl-lounge I was just talking to my students, and they were friends more than students. but now I can teach them more successfully with the activities from esl-lounge.
The positive aspects of my current teaching job: My students teach me Korean and also become my life time friends I just love teaching.
I don't think that there is any negative aspects of my current or past teaching jobs. Well I don't teach English for a job at the moment but will decide to start charging and using my teaching skills as a job soon. I will probably charge $10/hour which is a extremely cheap price. I really use esl-lounge as my curriculum because before then I would just chat and teach them what they needed to get through the day talking to me in English.
To motivate my students I like to do activities other than writing and speaking activities that normal teachers do ... I would rather go to dinner with them or go to the movies or any activity that people would do in a normal day.and the students/friends enjoy it much more than normal lessons. costing for living is about $140 per week including everything except food. And at that price it is a good level of living very close to everything.
