Thread: More on Books & Resources

I have a friend who is going to a small town in Isan where there are no english schools. He plans to freelance (although he has no experience at freelancing) and he has done a TESL certificate somewhere? In this small town there is one english couple teaching young children at home, but no one teaching teenagers, adults or business people. He has already determined that there is a demand, but he has no materials to take with him. He has not yet arrived from the US but asks me to get him a list of books he should buy for each group he intends to teach. He seems very keen to concentrate on teaching conversational english. I said that I would ask around to see what is available and this seems like a good place to do it. I have some ideas from reading other posts here but I welcome all input from people who are actually using the books.

All advise, suggestions, comment good or bad will be passed on and taken in a positive way or in good humour which ever seems most appropriate.

At times like this I cringe a bit "Knowing that no good deed goes unpunished."

Where to start??

If you could be a little more specific regarding the classes he is going to teach, I'm sure people would try to help.

Originally Posted by Irvkin

I have a friend who is going to a small town in Isan where there are no english schools. He plans to freelance (although he has no experience at freelancing) and he has done a TESL certificate somewhere? In this small town there is one english couple teaching young children at home, but no one teaching teenagers, adults or business people. He has already determined that there is a demand, but he has no materials to take with him. He has not yet arrived from the US but asks me to get him a list of books he should buy for each group he intends to teach. He seems very keen to concentrate on teaching conversational english.

I don't mean to sound sarcastic but I will ask:

1. Why doesnt he ask here?

2. Why doesn't he know what he should or might need?

3. He wants to freelance in Isaan?

No list as such, but he'd be a fool to buy his books in the US. The prices here are far lower, and he should be able to get anything he's likely to need for freelancing in a small town.

Tell him not to worry till he has a better sense of his clientele, and then to buy what he needs then (a trip to BKK or even Khon Kaen is all it takes).
- Reg

Don't use books. Use your students and your surroundings as your conversational resource and Internet for everything else.