What inspired you to work for Westminster College London?
In fact, I had had the chance to work with few other internationally-recognized Education Organizations before I learnt about Westminster College London in 2019.
The main reason why I chose WCL to work with was/is the fact that here I see the true spirit of collaboration and sharing among all teammates.
The beautiful part is that this sense of caring and togetherness is strongly conveyed to the trainees and the clients as well, creating a super positive and productive environment at Westminster College London.
My team and trainees in Ankara, Turkey
Why do you do what you do?
To be honest, this is what I have always wanted to do in my life. I have about 23 years of English Teaching Experience in six different countries, through 15 years of which, I literally dedicated my professional and even partly my personal life to Teacher Education.
Presently, I am enjoying a leadership position that is totally relevant to my prior education and experience. It's so rewarding to support and see novice teachers grow and gain real experience of classroom teaching in a professional context.
What is your favorite part of your job?
The most favourite part of my work is the training sessions. Although the time I spend on planning and designing courses is really enjoyable, I do think that the training part is wonderful.
It is indeed rewarding to inspire young teachers of English who come for building their professional future with our assistance. I also enjoy the teamwork we have here in Westminster, Turkey Office.
Travelling in Cambodia
What are some current projects you are working on?
One of the biggest projects we currently have is conducting collaborative Teacher Education programs together with some of the well-known private universities in Ankara and Istanbul.
Through this project, the senior students of ELT Faculty from these universities take Westminster College London's TESOL courses during their final semester of their Bachelor Degree study.
These trainings mostly focus on the practical aspects of English Teaching, since they all know well about the theoretical lessons of our TESOL programs.
What makes your organization special?
In one word, I can say that professionalism makes our Teacher Education Center outstanding among the others. My Teacher Training Team and I all agree on the principles of our organization; which are respect, share & care, support, reflect...
What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?
The fact that all course participants in our programs leave our training center with maximum satisfaction has always brought new applicants to us. It works as the word of mouth advertisement for us.
The other thing is that all the members of my team feel responsible to clarify every single detail of our courses, accreditation, training and certification details, and etc.
This is what is sometimes missing in our competitors' organizations, so the potential applicants will have clear insight into what they are going through and be able to make better decisions considering all aspects.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
They will definitely take a good deal of teaching practice experience, as well as theoretical knowledge of English Teaching. This is what almost all the previous participants of our programs agree on.
Something very interesting about our courses and our participants is that I actually do the head-hunting as well through the courses, observing their performance and their potential teaching skills.
Some of our ex-trainees are now our teammates. In other words, I do create Education Leaders instead of simply teaching them how to teach English.
TESOL Training in Dubai
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Based on my 18 years of travelling and teaching/training all around the Asia, Middle East, and Europe, it is certain that I am not the same person as I used to be two decades ago. I don't have the same mentality towards life, people, problems, professions, etc.
This richer insight into all above aspects has created a more understanding person out of me. This surely affects the way I train my trainees, how I deal with their issues, how I empty myself from all negative racist judgements and decisions.
In addition, the world knowledge I have gained throughout all these years have made me a favourite trainer for many of our course participants.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
I just say: "DO IT..." I am not sorry at all for not settling in a country for more than four years, for not having a stable life, for not having high academic position leading a peaceful retirement…
I advise them to give it a try, no matter what people around will say. They will definitely find their own way while living different lives, experiencing different cultures and lifestyles.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travels sounds like "AIMFUL Travel" to me. It might mean having awareness of what you are travelling for, what is awaiting you at the destination, and how prepared you are for all on your way. Overall, the purpose behind your travel counts here.
