Teacher Name: Tom Speirs

Nationality: American Education: Master of Arts Degree in Communication Arts From New York Institute of Technology ( 2000 ) Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from The College of Staten Island - CityUniversity of New York ( 1983 ) Certificate in Teaching English as a Second or Other Language ( TESOL ) from The New School of Social Research in New York (1994 ) Certificates:

Teaching experience:
I have been teaching English as a Second / Foreign Language since 1993. I have taught in New York at several universities such as New York Institute of Technology, HunterCollege and La Guardia Community College as well asseveral community based programs such asThe Riverside Church English Language Program and The Mexican Cultural Institute. I taught in Paris, France at the AmericanUniversity of Paris. I taught in Seoul, Korea at Wonderland Junior English Language Institute, and I am presently teaching here in Shanghai at Kai En.

Language and Cultural Experiences
I'm a native speaker of English and I also speak a little French, Spanish and Thai. Presently I'm studying Mandarin Chinese. Besides spending most of my life in the United States, I've also lived in Korea and now am living here in Shanghai. In addition, I've spent a lot of time in Thailand and France and traveled through much of Asia, Europe and South America. Coming from New York, I've lived in a multicultural environment all of my life, and while teaching ESL there I've been able to teach students from all over the world.

About Myself
I was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I have an older and younger brother and two younger sisters. All are married with children. My mother who is retired lives with my sisters and spends her time helping out with the kids. Most of my family is still in New York. I spend my free time by studying languages ( presently Mandarin ) and trying to keep fit. I like traveling and I occasionally go scuba diving and rock climbing. I'm also interested in film and video, so when I travel I always have my cameras with me.

Why I came to China.
Primarily, I've always been fascinated in Asia, particularly China, and have always wanted to live and work here. In addition, I have always loved teaching and I felt that by coming here I would be able to develop myself as a teacher. China also has a remarkable history and the future here looks very promising as the country further develops itself. I think that it's a great place to be to be able observe these changes as they take place.

Why I chose to work at Kai En?
When I first arrived in Shanghai last February, I visited several schools. I was dissatisfied with most of them. I was then made aware of Kai En by a friend of mine who is a local Shanghai person and was informed by other local people that Kai En had a very good reputation in Shanghai. After I came here for an interview I was impressed by the methods that they used for teaching spoken English and that they stressed student centered classes. I also liked the fact that they offered so much teacher training to improve the skills of the teachers here. Finally it seemed like a school that was well established and dedicated to the development of spoken English for its students and not just a business.