Curious Vedanth
A fireplace chat hosted by a curious secondary school kid. Every few weeks, I interview different guests about their lives.
Curious Vedanth
The Art of Teaching Across Cultures
Febrina, an Indonesian language teacher on Preply, shares her journey from university student to teacher, marketer, and entrepreneur, revealing how helping others has always been part of her nature while discussing the challenges and rewards of teaching languages across diverse cultural contexts.
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Hi, I'm Curious Vedant and welcome to Season 7 of my podcast. Today, my guest is Fabrina, who teaches Indonesian to non-native speakers on the online platform Preply, along with doing marketing and being an MC for various social events. Social events Hi, fabrina, welcome to my show.
Speaker 2:Hello Fadan, it's nice to meet you here. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you for coming on. I'm really excited to talk to you and learn more about what you do.
Speaker 2:So do I.
Speaker 1:So, Fabrina, starting off, what inspired you to choose the teaching profession and what do you love about your job?
Speaker 2:What inspired you to choose the teaching profession and what do you love about your job? Okay, ferdan, I think helping others is just simply part of my nature, and I do it because I have the ability to do so. This is why I've been assisting others since childhood. So back in school, I often helped my classmates and relatives with their assignments whenever they needed my support. I only offered help with subjects I truly understood. But further on, although I obtained a bachelor's degree in education, I think I did not make the right decisions. What I mean by that? I should have challenged myself more and followed my father's suggestions. And what I love the most about teaching is interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, ages and professions. Also, my students' progress brings me a deep sense of satisfaction that is difficult to describe, so the only downside is that I feel a sense of loss when I no longer see them studying with me because they have achieved their goals.
Speaker 1:You mentioned that you kind of regret choosing your profession. What would you have chosen to be if not a teacher?
Speaker 2:A pharmacist.
Speaker 1:And what made you choose to be a teacher instead of a pharmacist?
Speaker 2:I've told you I think I did not think clearly. That's why I regret it now.
Speaker 1:So you had shared with me previously that you worked at a spa, did marketing and also a teacher. Can you tell me more about your career journey to now? Did?
Speaker 2:marketing and also a teacher. Can you tell me more about your career journey to now? Yes, ferdan, so I started working as a teacher and a sales promotion girl when I was at university and I continued in these roles until I graduated. After that I received an offer to teach at an English school in another city. So I accepted the offer and moved there, but my role extended beyond just teaching. So I received extensive training in both teaching and navigating the business side. I learned how to make financial forecasts, prepare income reports, conduct marketing and manage all aspects related to the business. So basically I worked closely with my bosses, who sent me to various branches to assess situations, understand different problems and find solutions. So different places Vedant encounter various challenges, often influenced by local cultures. So this diversity also influenced how I interact with my customers, and the payment systems for the courses can vary depending on specific conditions. So my company has general guidelines from our headquarters in Singapore, so these rules can be adjusted based on the local business environment and the preferences of the school owners. So actually it's just a franchise business.
Speaker 2:So after working there for about five years, I moved to another island. Then I was offered a position at a spa where I managed a team up to 18 people and handled around 60 customers per day, and sometimes even more. So it's a long working hour, and in this role, I also serve as a translator and a personal assistant overseeing daily operations. Besides, I calculate my company's income and made financial reports. So after that, I worked as a virtual assistant. My job was to check the condition of the villa appointed by my employer, and I worked for a client from Germany, and later on I returned to my hometown and had the opportunity to establish my own company last year. So I began marketing my products. It went well. So I began marketing my products. It went well. But this year I currently feel stuck to do limited financial resources, and I've also realized that I cannot do everything alone. So I'm actively seeking the right people to help support my business now.
Speaker 1:Yes, Wow, I mean, your journey seems very inspiring, very amazing. As a teacher, what are some of the most memorable experiences you had with your students?
Speaker 2:I think each moment is precious to me, so I cherish every class with my students.
Speaker 1:And what are some struggles that come with teaching languages to others, and how have you learned to overcome those?
Speaker 2:to others, and how have you learned to overcome those? Okay, so this is interesting. Most students want to learn quickly. I aim to help them acquire at least 10 new words each day and make them understand how to use them properly in sentences. But the challenges I face mostly arise not from teaching but from my students' conditions. So they come from diverse backgrounds and some dealing with personal issues and traumas, and how do I overcome them? So I read many journals related to psychology and seek information from reliable sources and try my best to be a good listener and to keep them engaged.
Speaker 1:okay, so I use interactive games that help my students to focus on their lessons, like that you seem like a fantastic teacher and any student would definitely be lucky to have you as their teacher.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. I will try my best.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, maybe you could help me learn a language someday.
Speaker 2:Oh sure, I'll be happy.
Speaker 1:How has your teaching journey been and what are some valuable pieces of advice you would give to anyone who is, or wants to be, a teacher?
Speaker 2:Okay. So for me, I find that teaching language is not particularly difficult, but teaching adults can present some challenges. So, based on my experience with online teaching, some students come to my class with various purposes and intentions, so some bring their life problems, while others may seek to challenge other people's beliefs. So therefore, I maintain a professional approach and prefer not to discuss sensitive topics such as politics, religion or anything related to that, so I don't want to answer that. And for advice, fedan, any job that involves working with people can be quite complex and challenging, and teaching languages is no exception. So I think collaborating as a team can significantly simplify the learning process and when you're dealing with people, don't get emotional and don't take something personally and what advice would you give students to help their teachers teach them better?
Speaker 2:okay. So I think, to really make progress, it is important to study every day so you can study by listening to music or podcasts, watching your favorite shows in the language you're learning, or reading some interesting books. And if studying on your own feels a bit tough, because some people do so, they don't have motivation to study alone. So you should look for a teacher who matches your preferences so it will maintain your language skills and keep you motivated.
Speaker 1:So to all my listeners, if you're a student who's learning languages currently or wants to be a teacher in general, I think it would be really useful for you to follow this advice, and it sounds like very good advice. Okay, I hope it will be useful. Yeah, definitely. I mean I learn languages in school. I learn chinese, and the advice that you gave of like maybe watching my favorite tv shows in chinese or listening to chinese songs or listening to chinese podcasts, they definitely would be useful in my Chinese learning experience.
Speaker 2:And it's more fun, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely my teacher. She gave my class some material which is like Chinese series, chinese books, and I've read and watched a few of them and they're really fun and they help me learn Chinese a completely different way.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's amazing. You must enjoy your lessons.
Speaker 1:Yes, I definitely do so.
Speaker 2:I found this book quite relatable to my experiences because it focuses on how to protect myself and how to read people in general, and how to influence others, not manipulate them, and how to move through life fiercely. So my goal now is to keep moving forward until I find those who genuinely support my career and personal life and further, and I may succeed or fail in the future, I don't know, but I will never, never regret trying my best and seeking happiness along the way yeah, I mean, I think you're a very amazing teacher and no matter what you do, you will definitely be remembered in all of your students hearts oh, I hope so.
Speaker 1:Thank you for them so thank you so much for coming on my show. It was very interesting speaking to you and I learned a lot about your experiences in your career, and I'm sure all my listeners will as well.
Speaker 2:So thank you so much thank you for the see you so much time.
Speaker 1:See you, bye-bye.