11th - Day off
Me and two of the girls went into Egham for a wee wander and a smoothie. And that wasd how exciting my day was!?
27.7.10
7.7.10
39 days
06/07/10
Tuesday - Interview for Teach First at their Assessment Centre near Tower Bridge in London
Today I had to catch a train at 7 to get to my interview at 9- v.impressive building!
There were about 20 of us there and we had to complete a series of tasks, including,
There were about 20 of us there and we had to complete a series of tasks, including,
# A one-to-one interview on competencies
# A case study - team based
# An interview style self evaluation of yr performance in the case study
# Teach a lesson
# A written evaluation of your lesson.
They spoilt us pretty well - they paid for our travel, and gave us lunch, and we had a kitchen to ourselves in the waiting room! Best interview ever!
So by the time I'd finished it was 4, and I decided some retail therapy was in order! And i trekked over to Oxford Street for a couple of hours and caught the 8pm train home.Then caught up with the girls and watched 17 again / spoke to Steph and Carl on the phone!
Eventful day!
40 days
05/07/10
Monday - Excursion No.2 - London
Today I had to take 57 Serbian students to London to visit the British Museum (amazing!) and Covent Garden.
Seems simple enough, but trying to keep an eye on this many pupils on a train / on the London UG - is scary!
We were accompanied by 2 serbian teachers too - who were far too laid back for my liking. But pleasant at least. I brought my umbrella - to help students follow me through out the busy streets (the underground staff weren't impressed when I forgot to take it down in there...)
I loved the BMuseum - it had artifacts and collections from allover the world! I went to the Egyptian / South East Asian / Mexican and North American collections. I loved the innuit/eskimo costumes - they're amazing!
I wonder if I'd be able to get a job in a museum or science style museum in WA? That would be pretty cool!
41 days
04/07/10
Sunday was my very first excursion! I had to take 60 students to Oxford with the help of a Canadian teacher.
The teacher was pretty cool - he teaches for ISIS through summer, and is a probation officer back in Canada!
The trip was successful overall - except one girl got her purse stolen in Burger King during their free shopping time.I like using the microphone on the bus - I'm a pro at making a tit out of myself!!
We got back just in time for dinner - yet another hectic affair....then back to interview prep.
My current schedule is, Get up at 5.30am, shower / revise. Breakfast at 8. Excursion 8.30-6. Dinner duty/dinner 6-8. Then Interview prep 8-11.
So I'm both physically and mentally exhausted to the max! But only two days until my interview! Then I don't have to use my free time to prep!!
3.7.10
42 days to go...
03/07/10
Today was hmm - different - we're now sharing our once spacious canteen with 800 students - meal times are far more hectic! This morning I had breakfast sat with 5 Ukrainian teenage girls! Luckily at lunch I spotted some actiivity leaders and was able to have a gossip over our morning events!
I helped in escorting t students to the lecture theatre in the castle, and had to fix the projector by balancing on one of the desks (ancient desks infact - they still had ink wells!), and holding a chair touse its leg to hit the power button (health and safety ignored)
Then this afternoon - i had the nost pleasurable task of spending 3 hours organising 100 students with sports....the boys were pretty easy to sort out - they got themselves involved in a football tournament, but I had to manage 8 tennis rackets between about 40 kids, and attempt to persuade some to play volleyball...
It would have been enjoyable - if it hadn't been friggin scorching! 2-530pm wasn't the ideal time
I read in the paper that this is England's driest / hottest summer on record since 1910 !!
Something about a weather formation in the Atlantic not forming, hence the lack of rainfall!
Tomorrow I have my first excursion, I'm taking 60 students to Oxford! Wish me luck :s
Today was hmm - different - we're now sharing our once spacious canteen with 800 students - meal times are far more hectic! This morning I had breakfast sat with 5 Ukrainian teenage girls! Luckily at lunch I spotted some actiivity leaders and was able to have a gossip over our morning events!
I helped in escorting t students to the lecture theatre in the castle, and had to fix the projector by balancing on one of the desks (ancient desks infact - they still had ink wells!), and holding a chair touse its leg to hit the power button (health and safety ignored)
Then this afternoon - i had the nost pleasurable task of spending 3 hours organising 100 students with sports....the boys were pretty easy to sort out - they got themselves involved in a football tournament, but I had to manage 8 tennis rackets between about 40 kids, and attempt to persuade some to play volleyball...
It would have been enjoyable - if it hadn't been friggin scorching! 2-530pm wasn't the ideal time
I read in the paper that this is England's driest / hottest summer on record since 1910 !!
Something about a weather formation in the Atlantic not forming, hence the lack of rainfall!
Tomorrow I have my first excursion, I'm taking 60 students to Oxford! Wish me luck :s
43 days to go
02/07/10
Today I had a couple of airport pickups to take care of!
The first was at Gatwick, so I had to take couple of trains to get there, which took a couple of hours (I hit the slow train!). Then I awaited a plane with 3/4 of my groups on it, from Bologna. And after tha I expected another from Naples about 20 mins later....however - things never go as planned, and the flight from Naples was delayed over an hour. So I aranged the transport for 2 of the groups, and kept another with me. I'd also witnessed a heart attack when I'd first arrived (so it had been an eventful day so far!)
Once my other group had arrived, I set off back to Royal Holloway with them on the coach - and I got to use the microphone to annoy them/welcome them throughout the journey!
I had a quick dinner, then had to head straight off to get my individual from Heathrow! Which was a much easier pickup!
All in all - I could not think of a more stressful career - airport pickups are looong, boring, stressful - and tiring!
We have 800 students here now, for two weeks, then we take them back to the airports, and collect 1050 for the following 2 weeks!
Today I had a couple of airport pickups to take care of!
The first was at Gatwick, so I had to take couple of trains to get there, which took a couple of hours (I hit the slow train!). Then I awaited a plane with 3/4 of my groups on it, from Bologna. And after tha I expected another from Naples about 20 mins later....however - things never go as planned, and the flight from Naples was delayed over an hour. So I aranged the transport for 2 of the groups, and kept another with me. I'd also witnessed a heart attack when I'd first arrived (so it had been an eventful day so far!)
Once my other group had arrived, I set off back to Royal Holloway with them on the coach - and I got to use the microphone to annoy them/welcome them throughout the journey!
I had a quick dinner, then had to head straight off to get my individual from Heathrow! Which was a much easier pickup!
All in all - I could not think of a more stressful career - airport pickups are looong, boring, stressful - and tiring!
We have 800 students here now, for two weeks, then we take them back to the airports, and collect 1050 for the following 2 weeks!
1.7.10
Blog Numero Uno - At last!
01/07/10
Fiiiiiinally managed to set up my blog - I'm not sure what the site was playing at - I must have set up about 7 blogs that are most likely swimming around in cyber space!
So today - I had my second day of training here at Royal Holloway! The days are very long and tiring, breakfast is at 7.30, and we finish after dinner at 7pm. I've been having to work on my interview prep in the morning / evening. But it'll be worth it if I put enough effort in!
Tomorrow I have been given the task of 2 airport pickups. I'm heading to Gatwick Airport at lunchtime to get 60 students from 4 different areas of Europe (I think too groups are Italian...they're going to be slow), and another pickup from Heathrow late in the evening by myself to get one student, and we won't get back until midnight!
Then I'm working continually until Saturday the 10th! Boy am I going to have to take energy pills!
But most importantly today - you surprised me with making the decision to stay in Perth for me! Which made my day very monumental!
Fiiiiiinally managed to set up my blog - I'm not sure what the site was playing at - I must have set up about 7 blogs that are most likely swimming around in cyber space!
So today - I had my second day of training here at Royal Holloway! The days are very long and tiring, breakfast is at 7.30, and we finish after dinner at 7pm. I've been having to work on my interview prep in the morning / evening. But it'll be worth it if I put enough effort in!
Tomorrow I have been given the task of 2 airport pickups. I'm heading to Gatwick Airport at lunchtime to get 60 students from 4 different areas of Europe (I think too groups are Italian...they're going to be slow), and another pickup from Heathrow late in the evening by myself to get one student, and we won't get back until midnight!
Then I'm working continually until Saturday the 10th! Boy am I going to have to take energy pills!
But most importantly today - you surprised me with making the decision to stay in Perth for me! Which made my day very monumental!
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