Interview with a Teacher
Our team wanted to make you, our respected readers, familiar with one of the most interesting and most experienced international teacher in Belgrade. We are honored, that he is actually one of our teachers!
We met him in his inspiring classroom for this interview. As always, he had that pleasant and charismatic smile on his face and was as always happy to talk to us. I am sure you already guessed who this is.
Mr Eilian, I hope you won’t be angry if I notice that you are one of the oldest teachers here. How long have you been teaching?
Longer than I care to remember, but around 30 years.
Are you sometimes tired of teaching?
Yes, sometimes.
You come from Wales and you chose to teach English in an international school in Serbia. How did you decide to come here and can you tell us more about your experience while living in Serbia?
If I were to explain my decision making on where to live and work, I would ask you to imagine a camel in the desert trying to figure out which way to go. This is basically how I ended up in Serbia.
I had been working as a creative writing teacher and an educational advisor at the University of Wales for a while, after which I moved to Kuwait. I really enjoyed living there. Every now and then, though, I would get an email from somewhere in Belgrade asking if I could come over there and teach for a month. I kept ignoring the email until one day I thought, ”I’m not even sure where Belgrade is!” After I had done some research, I replied that I would come to Belgrade for a month. That month turned into almost a decade of living on and off here. Coming to Belgrade was like coming home. You will find lots of foreigners saying the same thing as me. It’s something about the atmosphere here that is unique.
In how many international schools in the world have you been teaching?
Besides in Prima, I’ve worked in two other international schools in Belgrade. I’ve also worked in an international school in Kuwait, Istanbul and in all international schools in Ulan Bator.
How much does the country in which the school is in and the culture influence the atmosphere in the school?
I think schools are more or less the same wherever you are. Certain ingredients help to make them different. For example, when I taught in a bilingual school, I’ve noticed that the atmosphere was quieter than in other schools. So I did a research and I found out that bilingualism helps the students to be calm. Otherwise, you get the same tricks played on you wherever you are. I do have to say that students in Asia are more studious than in the rest of the world.
We overheard that you were an examiner. How does it feel to be someone whom everyone is afraid of?
Well, I try really hard to ensure that no one is afraid of me. I do know some examiners which do that, but I think that’s a quite wrong thing to do. This profession is quite rewarding but also very tough. It’s very important to learn respect for both your fellow teachers and your students.
Did you do some other jobs besides teaching?
Yes. Before becoming a teacher, I had worked on television and film.
What do you do when you don’t teach? Do you have any hobbies?
I belong to the Belgrade International Choir and I sing in church as well. I’m also a crazy cinema goer. I see nearly every film that comes out.
Can you tell us a goodbye quote for this interview?
Well, thank you for coming to talk to me! It’s been a pleasure.
Yes, it is been a pleasure for us too. And in the next issue, Inspirer is leading you to some totally new adventure with some another teacher of ours!
Till then,
Milica