Life @ Kaplan: Interview with an English Teacher

Ever wondered what it is like to be a teacher? Do you want to know more about what makes a good Kaplan teacher? This month, we managed to interview one of our teachers at Kaplan Manchester and asked her a lot of interesting questions. Find out what Anita loves most about Kaplan, her favorite moments and what teachers do in their free time…

Q: What level do you teach?

A: At the moment I teach Lower Intermediate, but I have taught all levels from Advanced to Beginners. I don’t have a favorite level, I like them all for different reasons.

Q: How long have you been teaching English? And how long have you been with Kaplan?

A: I have been teaching English for about 10 years now, and have taught in many countries around the world such as Japan, Italy, Oman and Bolivia. I’ve been at Kaplan for the last 2 years.

 Q: Where are you from?

A: I was born and raised in Manchester. It is quite funny because I went abroad for 8 years, living in various countries around the world, only to return to live and work literally 5 minutes from where I was born!

Q: What is the best thing about Manchester?

A: The people of course! Manchester is such a cool, vibrant city. There is something for everyone; culture, good restaurants and nightlife, good weather (occasionally).

Q: What is your favorite type of lesson to teach?

A: I like teaching exam classes, as I find preparing for a test really motivating! I also enjoy the challenge of making these kinds of classes fun and interesting.

Q: What do you like about teaching English? And teaching at Kaplan?

A: For me, the best thing about teaching is when you see that a student has understood something new – we would call it ‘the light-bulb moment’. At Kaplan we get students from all over the world, and I love the fact that in one class you could have up to 6 or 7 different nationalities in one class. I love learning about different cultures.

Q: Why did you decide to teach EFL?

A: I initially went into it as a stop gap between finishing my undergraduate degree and starting my Master's as a way of seeing the world, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided not to do the Master’s and retrain as a EFL teacher.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: A hobby that I picked up while I was abroad is photography. I have been to so many amazing countries and wanted to capture some of the memories I had made, so I took up photography!

Q: How do you make lessons fun and engaging for your students?

A: I try to get to know my students to find out what they are interested in, and then I try to tailor my lessons to be relevant to their needs and wants.

Q: What’s your best memory so far from working at Kaplan?

A: My best memory so far was when we took the students to visit the Queen, when she came to Manchester. We gave the students a special lesson on the royal family, then took them down to the train station where she was due to arrive. It was a once in a lifetime event!

If you have enjoyed reading about this teacher, but you still have some questions, please leave them in the comment section below and we will ask Anita or any other one of our teachers to answer them!