Teachers & Staff

The quality of our  teachers is naturally a very important factor. All teachers at Shafston have Degrees or 3-year Diplomas with specific TESOL qualifications ranging from CELTA through to Masters level qualifications. The majority of our valued teaching staff, have lengthy experience in the classroom. Shafston teachers are committed to providing quality instruction and are dedicated to making sure each student reaches his or her true potential. Student feedback is taken very seriously and ensures high teaching standards are maintained. Two teachers are assigned to any one class. This ensures a continuity of teaching and also allows students to experience different teaching styles. Students can request a "one on one" student/teacher conference to get private practical advice on their learning experience.

Shafston is committed to the Professional development of our teaching team. We regularly hold in-house professional development sessions. In addition we regularly host and invite leading educators in the field to offer Professional Development sessions, giving staff the opportunity to reflect on their teaching, to collaborate and learn from colleagues, and encounter new and innovative teaching methodologies.

Here at Shafston we have many staff members who speak several languages including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Albanian, Hungarian, Dutch, German, Danish, Arabic, Yoruba (Africa) and of course, English! Our Team members can help in just about any language.

These experienced support staff have a good insight into common areas of concern and are ready to supply the necessary advice and recommendations. They are involved in student orientations and have regular interaction with students. So from day one at the College new starters are able to identify who are the best people to approach for help and guidance.

Teachers

The Australian Government sets a pay scale for all English Language Teachers working in Australia. The scale is based on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications are scaled into Categories from D (the lowest) up to A (the highest), these categories are:

• D - Some experience and Degree or Diploma plus TESOL qualification pending completion
• C - Degree or Diploma in any area of study, plus a specialist TESOL qualification
• B - Degree and Diploma of Education or equivalent, plus Specialist TESOL qualification
• A - Degree and Diploma of Education with TESOL qualifications or a Post Graduate Diploma of Applied Linguistics or Multi-Cultural Education

It is important to know that 100% of Shafston Teachers are Qualified at Category C or higher with 40% of those having a Degree or Diploma in Education plus a Specialist TESOL qualification and 30% of those also having either a Masters Degree or Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics, Education or Multicultural Education. *

Experience is measured by the number of hours teaching from Level 1 = very little experience to Level 12 = approximately 10,000 classroom hours or more. Over 52% of Shafston Teachers are at Level 10 or higher, with 55% of those being at Level 12…the highest level possible.* (See chart)

What does all this mean? Collectively the Shafston Teacher's Staff Room has well over half a million hours or English Teaching experience and approximately 120 Education qualifications!! Shafston believes "You get what you pay for". We employ the most experienced and highest qualified Education staff available...that's why we have such great success with our students moving up through the English Levels, passing the Cambridge exams and achieving their IELTS scores. English is not easy but with proper training and experience a good Teacher CAN make it easier... that's our mission.

_{* Percentages calculated November 2011}