Днес споделяме нова попълнение на рубриката ни „Опознай English Academy – Varna“. Карл е един от най-обичаните преподаватели в Академията и живее в България вече дълги години. Кариерата му на учител стартира с импулсивно решение, кандидатствайки за работа в Чехословакия, която го привлича главно с фантастичната си бира.
Макар и работейки във Варна, неговото ежедневие се различава значително от това на повечето хора, живеещи в града. Той споделя с нас какви му носят животът на село, грижата за градина и отглеждането на животни. Богат е на истории, а пътят му като преподавател е интересен и изпълнен с неочаквани обрати.
Опознай по-добре Карл като прочетеш краткото интервю с него, което сме подготвили.
Why did you decide to become an English teacher?
I first started teaching after leaving university. I wasn’t a qualified teacher at that time. The Berlin Wall had recently fallen and Eastern Europe was desperate to learn English. I applied, rather late, for a job in Czechoslovakia mainly due to its reputation for fantastic beer, and received a phone call one morning asking if I could get to Prague that week. I basically bought a bus ticket and set off, was met at a bus station and taken across the country to Ostrava, placed in a Telecommunications school and given a teaching schedule. No interview, no training, no textbooks - just hoards of uninterested teenagers. I stayed for 3 years- then returned to the UK and learnt how to do it properly by getting the qualifications. I then taught in English schools for a number of years before packing up and heading back east.
What was your first impression of Bulgaria?
I came to Bulgaria many years before actually moving here and getting a job, sometime in the mid-90s. In those days it was very much like most of the former Eastern Bloc, rather gray, a lot of concrete and very cheap. Of course, it also had the Black Sea, great beaches and a sense of optimism. It still has a couple of those things.
The first impressions on living here were colored by the thirst for the new, mixed with the traditional Bulgarian bureaucratic madness, sign, stamp, sign, stamp, sign…living, learning and learning to live.
What’s it like teaching in Bulgaria?
I think we are in a privileged position with our students. The vast majority, both young and older, actually want to learn and improve both in English and with English. This means that the lessons and teachers can concentrate on teaching the subject rather than discipline. There can be little better than teaching people who wish to learn and seeing the improvements made. It’s always a pleasure to help someone reach their potential.
What do you do in your free time?
I thought that coming to Bulgaria would give me much more free time, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. When we moved over here, we (my wife and I) decided to move to a village outside Varna and into a typical village property. So the first few years revolved around the basic renovation of the house and the next years have been about improvement and getting it as we want. We’ve had animals - chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, even a pig at one time, spent a lot of time working in the garden, made (and drunk) Rakiya, grown veg and lots of other typical village stuff.
What do you like about Bulgaria?
The most obvious thing would be the weather, 4 seasons (not like England –all in one day). The long summers allow you to spend time outdoors and make the most of the days. Then just as it’s getting routine, the Autumn brings the fresh chill in the evening and mornings and it’s time to get the winter wood ready. We used to have very snowy winters, with the pros and cons that brought, but they seem to have disappeared, at least for now.
I do think Bulgaria, and the Varna region in particular has a lot of potential in many different fields, аnd I look forward to seeing it happen.
В Академията има още вдъхновяващи преподаватели, от които да черпиш опит и знания. Ако Карл те е заинтригувал, можеш да се докоснеш до още негови истории и да учиш английски по едно и също време. Пролетният семестър започва скоро и все още имаш възможност да се включиш в него. Очакваме те за регистрация на място в Академията от 28 март до 1 април!
До скоро!
