Professionally, I am a Teacher of English as a Second Language to Adults. I am committed and enthusiastic about helping people grow and improve their knowledge and skills in second language acquisition. I enjoy seeing learners reach their targets in education, enhance their employability and develop their overall confidence in communication.
Personally, I like spending time with my family, playing the guitar and singing, coding (web-development), doing voice-over and learning something new about some religions and cults. Besides that, I am keen on thought-provoking cinema, fine art, realistic (non-photoshopped) photography, honest and heart-warming music and, most especially, words... original and truthful quotes (see blog).
Maksym Achkasov (phon. /ˈmæksɪm ˈʌʧkæsəf/) is a teacher of English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL* instructor) to Adults. He has two degrees (B.A., M.A.) from the University of Manchester. He has also earned the Certificate of Educational Studies in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages and is currently doing a Diploma in TESOL course with INTESOL W. Ltd (UK). He obtained the Diploma in the Methods of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language, from Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University (Russia). Besides that, he successfully passed three modules of the Teacher Knowledge Test and Business English Certificate: Higher (Cambridge ESOL Examinations). He has also completed the course of International Business English Training (Cert IBET) from Trinity College London (UK). In 2012, he received a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counseling from the PTC Institute, Moscow. He is also a founder and moderator of one of the most popular websites among language schools in Ukraine, www.english4real.com. He is an author of various video classes for both ESL and RFL learners. He is also a teacher-trainer at INTESOL Ukraine and a member of TESL Canada & TESL Ontario.
Throughout teaching career:
- delivered more than 14k hours of one-to-one and group classes;
- recorded and posted on YouTube more than 200 video lessons;
- created more than 1,2k original vocabulary tests for A2-C1 levels;
- received more than 100 positive reviews from clients;
- grew a FB to more than 10k and a YouTube channel to more than 7k of subscribers;
- developed an educational website with study materials that are used by more than 4k people on average every day for free;
- set up and effectively maintained Learning Management System (LMS), Schoology, for Language school academic purposes;
- developed and effective ‘attendance-and-payment’ report system for the Language school managerial purposes in Excel.
In terms of ESL teacher skills, Maksym Achkasov, has:
- strong personal and interpersonal skills;
- excellent listening and speaking communication skills;
- good writing skills;
- good time-management and organizational skills;
- knowledge of various teaching techniques and methodologies;
- good problem-solving skills;
- a wide range of experiences in the field of English as a Second Language.
He is also:
- highly motivated and reliable, patient and open-minded;
- good at establishing rapport, building and maintaining constructive relationship with students;
- able to facilitate interesting and engaging group discussions;
- able to make learners feel comfortable and focused in the classroom;
- able to determine effective ways to teach students with different learning styles and needs;
- good at public speaking;
- disciplined and works well in a collaborative environment with other teachers and administration;
- computer literate with some IT knowledge and experience (i.e. html, css, js); therefore, able to incorporate new educational technological solutions into the classroom environment;
- able to keep clear records;
- strategic thinker committed to progress of ESL learners;
- comfortable with electronic communication and social media;
- able to comply with institutional policies and procedures.
Mission: My mission as an ESL teacher is to provide a high level of enriched language learning to students at the best value by creating a safe and engaging environment that equips learners with real-world language skills and helps them achieve academic excellence and intercultural competence to their highest potential.
Vision: To be a resourceful and professional ESL teacher who is able to effectively prepare learners for work or study.