Affordable Coaching for Freelance EFL Teachers

Professional & Personal Coaching for

English Language Teaching Professionals.

Photo: eltpics, @aClilToClimb

Many teachers work intensively and with focus on their learners. The job requires a great deal of self-motivation and dedication to maintaining inspiration and motivation in the classroom. Then they have to actually teach something useful, interesting and relevant to their sometimes less-than-willing students. Teaching might well be the most “noble profession”; how many teachers feel convinced of the truth of this?  

"In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less."
Lee Iacocca

I believe a person has within them infinite capacity to achieve extraordinary things. Sometimes, we lose sight of what’s possible, what’s available to us, who is around to support and work with us. It’s the human condition. As a coach, my role is to provide a space where you can take time out to look at what’s going on with you and your environment. As a teacher, I empathise with many issues which can arise in the profession. I will listen with respect and patience, in absolute confidence, while you think through the issue currently blocking your way forward. Through a process of timely and incisive questioning, you will gradually unblock the way and uncover the answer you were looking for, and discover it was within you all along! 

Photo: eltpics, a ClilToClimb

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”
Khalil Gibran

Investing in ourselves can sometimes feel like a guilty waste of time and money. I truly believe that I am giving my students a valuable additional service when I have spent time on learning more and developing myself.  Knowing the teaching profession as I do, I completely understand the conflict of personal development with paying the bills and doing as good a job as possible in too-short days! 

Photo: eltpics, @ALiCe_M

“People want amazing results with limited resources. They say they haven’t got time. We show them ways you can use coaching to free up time.” Shaun Lincoln, director of coaching and action learning at the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL)

 With this in mind, if you are a freelance EFL teacher, I am prepared to work with you on a “pay-what-you-can” basis. In the open market, coaches offer their services for €100 – €300 per hour. That hour goes beyond the face-to-face interaction; the coach prepares appropriate material, considers which tools would be of most benefit and follows-up after sessions to check if their client needs additional support. It’s an important relationship which a coach nurtures and cherishes for as long as the client has agreed to work on something. 

Photo: eltpics, @sandymillin

 “Coaching links entirely with increasing capacity and raising attainment. It increases self-knowledge and helps direct communication and the ability to challenge in a non-confrontational way with clarity and purpose.” Lesley Mackenzie, head of Westfield Primary School in Radstock, Bath

 

You can reach me via e-mail: michelle@keeptraining.de or by mobile: 0174 97 22 5555. The first “chemistry” meeting is always a complimentary consulting session. 

Special thanks to eltpics for making such great photos available for free and to all the photographers who contribute. Good effort folks. Thank you. 

 

Coaching for ELF Teachers - BESIG / TESOL France Symposium June 2012

What a weekend it was in Paris! Of all the teachers' conferences I've been to the last few years, it's up there at the top of my "had a great time" list.

The half hour talk I did went much better than I expected. Despite not getting across everything I wanted to in exactly the way I would have wished. Perfection is such an elusive goal. Luckily I'm not someone who needs to reach it very often. I was in a positive frame of mind, the music perked me up and the audience, spread around the lecture room were receptive and friendly. Above all, Roy very generously agreed to be my guest coachee!

Had to share this shot - simply silly expressions!

This one is more like it - a real coaching session...

 And another thank you to Tom for being an excellent scribe. Quiet, unobtrusive yet observant and careful in his capturing of what Roy said. Thanks so much gentlemen.

Checking what Tom has written on the flip. Which option to focus on.

This post is essentially a follow-up to that and the request for my slides and book list.

So. Here's the list of books I've read since beginning my Post Grad coaching course:

Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl (very moving and highly inspiring. An extraordinary story)
Time to Think, Nancy Kline ("Ease creates; urgency destroys" lady!)
More Time to Think, Nancy Kline
Coaching for Performance, Sir John Whitmore (The GROW model guy)
The Psychology of Executive Coaching, Bruce Peltier (heavy going; haven't finished it yet)
The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle (v.spiritual and absolutely worth reading if you rush around a lot)
Egan's Skilled Helper Model..., Val Wosket (just read part of those - want to finish it soon.)
Further Techniques for Coaching & Mentoring, David Megginson (not read all)
The Chimp Paradox, Dr. Steve Peters (an absolute must!)
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, Malcom Gladwell (thoroughly readable and highly fascinating)
Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell (in the middle of it now. Brilliant!)
The Element: How Finding your Passion Changes Everything, Lou Aronica and Ken Robinson (excellent and utterly inspiring)
Personal and Leadership Development: The Foundations for Continuous Growth, Sean Reddaway
Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It Now, Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen - (a pair of professional procrastinators - they really know what they're talking about!!)
The Tools: 5 Life-Changing Techniques to Unlock Your Potential, Phil Michaels, Barry Stutz, (have read only the sample from Kindle. Will download when I've finished the 3 other books I've got on the go at the moment!)
The Magic of Metaphor: 77 Stories for Teachers, Trainers & Thinkers, Nick Owen. (The book from which I read The Grammarian story in my talk).
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman (a classic!)
The Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships, Eric Berne, MD (another classic; if you can stick with his writing style and some outdated (in my opinion) attitudes, it's a really fascinating, insightful read).
Introducing NLP: Pyschological Skills for Understanding and Influencing People, Joseph O'Connor & John Seymour (I'd already read their NLP for Trainers a number of years ago - deeply helpful for me professionally. The authors write in a very accessible way)

And the three other books I shared with you on Saturday:
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Susan Jeffers - If you're someone who worries a lot - or just from time-to-time - read this even if you don't read any of the others.
The Prosperity Plan: 10 Steps to Beating The Odds and Creating Extraordinary Wealth (and Happiness), Laura B. Fortgang (her Little Book of Meaning is a lovely read too!)
And of course our very own Duncan Foord: The Developing Teacher.

OMG. That's quite a long list. I'm surprised I've had time to do any work the past 10 months! Luckily I'm an avid reader.

Anyway, there you go.

Can't upload the slides from the talk on Saturday here so have put them on the ELTAS group page on Facebook. Am contemplating sharing the video I made of Roy's coaching session - not sure about that one though.
Maybe we'll make do with the photos above.
 
In closing, here's the text from my last slide: Whitmore's coaching "prayer"!

„Where there is confusion, coaching can bring clarity.

Where there is fear, coaching can build trust.

Where there is concern, coaching can bring hope.

Where there is isolation, coaching can bring connection.

Where there is competition, coaching can bring cooperation.“