Ihsan Safi

An articulate, passionate and success driven TESOL graduate looking for teaching vacancies in the tertiary education sector. With ten years of running and co-running an independent family business I have built up fantastic customer service abilities and a passion for working with people and have successfully implemented this experience into my teaching philosophy. My experience of working in a small business that relied heavily upon me has also given me the ability to work under constant pressure and to solve problems quickly and efficiently, the international customer base I received has also made me very culturally aware and eager to learn more about the world, this eagerness helps me connect with my students on a personal and professional level which enhances student engagement and learning. My recent education learning languages also helps me greatly in understanding how my students feel learning foreign languages which adds an extra nuanced layer to my teaching ability and the advice I can give my students on how to learn languages more successfully based upon my experiences. In the near future it is my hope to embark on PhD studies in the field of TESOL or language learning in general. 

Oral English Teacher

St Andrews College Language Schools

Edinburgh, Scotland and Canterbury, England

June - September 2022

I taught mainly Italian, Spanish and Greek students between the ages of 11-21 and between the ability levels of B1-C2. The focus in this summer language school is to improve the spoken and written fluency of the students and grammar was a secondary part of lessons. I also was responsible for testing and grading the speaking level of students. 

Customer Service Assistant 

Bank of Scotland 

Edinburgh 

September 2022 – May 2023

My role here was a customer-facing one which included a variety of tasks dealing with customer enquiries and cash. In my short time at the bank I created and maintained an exceptional track record of fantastic customer service and learned my role so well that I was tasked to train and teach the new staff that were brought in to replace me, especially with regards to how I interacted with customers. This job, whilst teaching me many valuable lessons, was only meant to be a temporary position until I found a teaching position.  

Oral English Teacher 

Fuzhou Melbourne Polytechnic 

Fuzhou, Fujian, China

February 2023 – February 2024 

This position initially started online for 3 months before I moved to China. The role was focused to improve students spoken ability. Nonetheless, I taught grammar and IELTs practice. Students were ages 18-25, mainly of beginner’s ability and class sizes above 30 students. In total I taught over 400 different students each week in the first semester and 250 in the second semester. Even with so many students I still managed to create positive relationships with many of them. My tasks also included register taking, lesson planning based upon the textbook we used, marking participation levels, assigning homework and creating the exams and marking the exams students would take. 

Oral English Teacher

Target International

Edinburgh, Scotland 

July 2023 

This responsibilities of this job were the exact same as the summer school in 2022, but it was geared towards preparing students for the Trinity English Exam. I taught Italian students between the ages of 11-19 and between the ability levels of B1-C2. The focus in this summer language school is to improve the spoken ability of the students as the Trinity Exam is focused on speaking alone. 

Tutor in English for Academic Purposes 

University of Manchester 

Manchester, England

July – September 2023 

This role required me to teach EAP to students that are about to enroll in postgraduate university studies. It was a remote position, with all teaching done online. I had one class of 18 students and all were Chinese. It was my most challenging role so far but I really enjoy the difference between this and teaching oral English. My roles mainly included teaching seminar skills, essay writing techniques, marking essays and providing feedback on those essays. 

English Teacher 

Huizhou University

Huizhou, Guangdong, China

February 2024 – Present

This is my second full-time contract in China and involves significantly more subjects than my previous role in China, which only required me to teach oral English to first-year students. At Huizhou I teach first, second and third-year university students. I teach oral English, academic English and also second language acquisition. Just like my previous position in China I use provided materials and adapt them to my teaching philosophy and add to them with my own material. I also participate in the exam design and implementation and marking of the exams

Edinburgh College (August 2016-June 2017)

SWAP Access Course to Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Grade – AAA

University of St Andrews (September 2017-June 2021)

MA Arabic & Persian (Undergraduate)

Grade – 2:1

Key Achievement: Dean’s List 2021

University of St Andrews (September 2021-August 2022)

MSc TESOL with Specialism in English for Academic Purposes (Postgraduate)

Grade – Pass