Meet Hangkruy Lim
ACE Toul Tom Poung Teacher and Resources Manager
Education is one of the important keys for a country’s development. Therefore, I was determined to study hard to become a good teacher, and I chose to teach English as a Foreign Language.
I have loved learning languages since I was young. I studied Chinese at a very young age. Later, at secondary school, I started studying English, and I loved the language. At the time, my teachers used only a grammar translation approach, so I simply repeated after them and translated from English to Khmer and even wrote the English pronunciation in Khmer. I thought that was the best method to teach and learn the language. I also learnt a lot of songs which I can still sing them like “Love is only a dream” and “That’s why”.
However, things changed when I was awarded a scholarship from Royal Government of Cambodia to study a Bachelor of English at the Institute of Foreign Languages. There, my lecturers used a variety of techniques and games to make language learning fun and useful by using Communicative Language Teaching and Learning. From the experience, my determination to be an EFL teacher grew stronger.
Professionally, I started teaching at a local school called Hello American in 2006 when I was in my third year of university. After six months, I became an ESL teacher at American Intercon Institute where I learnt a great deal of teaching, assessment and life as a teacher.
In 2008, another milestone in my life happened when I passed the interview to be an EFL teacher at Australian Centre for Education (ACE). I love the environment here a lot since there is a lot of support for the teachers along with a huge Teacher’s Resource Centre where teachers can prepare their lessons with convenience. There are also diverse Professional Development workshops for teachers to learn new techniques and skills.
In addition, ACE, which is an international school, showed me what IELTS is by attending an IELTS Preparation Course before taking the test. Without the course, IELTS is a nightmare. However, after attending the 45-hour course with Sharmoni, I was confident and achieved the score I wanted.
Another interesting way to develop academically at ACE is the CamTESOL experience. Not only do you work with interesting and famous English teaching professionals, researchers, and managers, but also interesting volunteers who are young, highly active, inspired, and motivated.
Last but not least, ACE is a place where you can grow. Through my hard work and strong determination, I am now a Resources Manager at ACE taking care of ACE’s Guided Individual Learning Centre, Teachers’ Resource Centre and the Book Club. ACE values its staff and their performance, thus making the school a good place for working and learning.
All in all, I love ACE -- the trusted name in education and the leading English teaching institution in Cambodia.
Meet Peter Steen
ACE Tuol Tom Poung Teacher
I’ve been in Cambodia for one-third of my life, but hey, who’s counting?
If it were a life sentence then I’d be on probation or on remand.
I arrived as a volunteer teacher-trainer at the Institute of Economic Science [now NIMS] in Phnom Penh on a two-year assignment with the Overseas Service Bureau, an organisation now no longer functional but more like the American Peace Corps. This was extended a further six months on the request of Georgetown University DC which took over course management of the Business Faculty to which I had been attached.
After this initial exposure to work in the “Penh”, I was recruited by the Australian Centre for Education primarily as an ESP teacher-trainer for RGOC personnel. IDP Australia offered me a contract as the co-ordinator of all tests and examinations at the centre, particularly within the bourgeoning field of IELTS. For the next four years, my training duties consisted mainly of preparing the Australian Development Scholarship group[s] for post-graduate entry to Australian universities.
At the beginning of the millennium, I left ACE to embark on a one-year consultancy with International Management and Investment Consultants, specifically as project manager for language training conducted at the Mekong River Commission. In 200I, I was invited to return to ACE to continue ADS training as well as to assist in the development of an EAP certificate-diploma course.
How strange that repetition in a career can be so commonplace!
ESP and/or Testing and Training extra-curricular contacts have extended to the National Bank of Cambodia, Cambrew, the Royal University of Phnom Penh, GRET, IOM and the International Journalists Foundation.
My core skills and competencies include the ability to plan, design, generate materials, and to deliver and evaluate training targeted at client group needs. I am experienced at creating unique materials and delivering training to tertiary level ESL students. This experience has enabled program delivery to both private and public sector communities within Cambodia during the last twenty-four years.
Qualifications include a Higher Diploma of Arts, Melbourne Secondary Teacher’s College, University of Melbourne campus; Diploma of Education, Victoria State College campus; Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Latrobe University; and Graduate Diploma in Multi-Cultural Studies, Monash University, Chisholm campus.
My career highlights include (as a) contracted staff member responsible for ADS training, EAP certificate-diploma classes and program design, on-site ESP/T&T programs, GEP teaching (various levels), IELTS intensive preparation, and examiner training pertaining to IELTS Life Skills, by request.
So, where to now? I plan to ride a motorbike to Burma by year’s end. My family has a few blocks of land nearby and I’d like to build a small, French-colonial style villa on one of these, say in mud brick … Cambodia has been good to me and I hope I’ve given something worthwhile to the thousands of local people I’ve met during my time here.