(45 of 50) Sixth Sign Which Should Make You Worried About a ‘Teacher’

Is it the truth.png

Sign That You Should Be Worried 6

The teacher says he is a ‘former’ IELTS examiner.

This is one which only western ‘teachers’ can use, not Taiwanese ones. And it’s becoming more common now. ‘Former IELTS examiners’ are now appearing more frequently. It’s really strange. Yes, your teacher says “I was a former IELTS examiner”, or the school says, “This teacher is a former IELTS examiner.” And that means you have to pay a lot more money for them. Because they are ‘former IELTS examiners’.

Hmmmm. Here’s the first question.

Did you ask for proof of this ‘former IELTS examiner’ status?

For example, you could ask for that teacher’s past IELTS monitoring records. You could ask for the letter from Cambridge informing that person he had passed the IELTS examiner–training course. If that person is saying the truth, then he or she should not mind doing this at all.

But even before you do that, ask yourself: why would anyone allow themselves to be a former examiner? Staying as a current and active IELTS examiner …

  1. is good for business,
  2. keeps the teacher in touch with IELTS,
  3. gives the teacher the opportunity to earn money on Thursdays and Saturdays (when IELTS testing takes place),
  4. earns respect from other people, especially students (hence Point 1).

Any serious professional and qualified teacher of IELTS Preparation stays as an examiner for all these reasons. So, here’s the second question.

So, why would any real IELTS examiner not stay an examiner?

The answer is, to become an IELTS examiner, you need to have REAL TEFL qualifications, and a very high standard of English. Cambridge will demand proof of this. This means that many ‘teachers’ out there could never become examiners, because they have no real TEFL qualifications. But anyone can say they were ‘former’ examiners, right?

So, when you hear this, it is a very bad sign, and you should immediately ask for proof of the claim.

Why do these people say this?

The answer: because so many students just believe what they hear, and pay them much more money.

The next few posts will show you how to use all the signs of being fake/not-real and reasons to worry in a practical way. It will begin with the story about a horribly fake teacher, and how he tricked everyone for years. You should know about it.

Now, check that you know the meaning of the underlined vocabulary (also repeated below).

  • status (n)
  • to be reputable (adj)
  • proof (n)
  • to be solid (adj)
  • to monitor (v)

If you want to find out more about me, go to aisielts.com .