Kevin Lockwood, an expat from the UK, shared his experience of moving to Central Asia and told about his great love for Kazakhstan.
About me
I am originally from Southampton, UK. I have been working as an English teacher for 10 years. I started teaching quite late, but I have a lot of experience in other fields.
I worked as a ship's crew steward for three years, and it was a wonderful way to travel the world. After that, I worked with troubled children in the UK. Someone once said to me, "Kevin, you're good at working with children. Why don't you become a teacher?" So I came to teaching. For 10 years, I worked for three years in China, a year in New Zealand and a year in Moscow. I have been in Almaty for a year and a half.
About the move and the first impression
I learned a lot about Kazakhstan before I came here. When I was teaching in Southampton, we had a group of Kazakhstani students. I spent about six months with them, preparing them for IELTS and for university admission. During these six months we have become like one family, and I have learned a lot about Kazakh culture. We even celebrated Kazakh holidays in the UK.
To qualify as a teacher, I returned to the UK and enrolled at Trinity College of London. After graduation, it was necessary to get work experience. I was lucky because at that moment British Council was looking for volunteers who would like to go to Kazakhstan for three weeks. The idea is to promote the English language, as well as to train local teachers in how Western colleagues work.
My first visit to Kazakhstan took place five years ago. I was assigned to school No. 156, where I was well taken care of. My parents were great. I had dinner with families, got acquainted with the Kazakh culture, saw the sights, went to the mountains. It was also a great opportunity to understand the local children. It was then that I decided that someday I would return to Kazakhstan.
I came to Kazakhstan for the second time a year and a half ago. I was teaching in Moscow, and I was invited to work in Almaty. I have also worked in Astana and Shymkent.
About the activity
In Kazakhstan, I teach English to children. I have worked at Cambridge Academy, having gained excellent experience there. For the last two weeks I have been working as a volunteer at school No. 18. It was an amazing experience. And the children liked my teaching method so much that I was invited back.
Now I am preparing to go to Tashkent to work at the English Language Center. In addition, I work as a consultant at the Glasgow English Learning Center in Almaty.
About Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world with a population of 19 million people. There is so much land and space here. Almaty is a city of dreams for me. It's fun to live and work with children here.
Kazakhstan is a friendly country, and kazakhstanis are always ready to help you. Perhaps an expat may have difficulties with the language, but many people here speak English.
Kazakhstan is a friendly country, and kazakhstanis are always ready to help you
I was also amazed at how much meat they eat here. It's unbelievable.
Kazakhstan is a great country. But I feel there should be more equal opportunities for women here, and children need more support at school.
About the plans
My mission is to promote the English language and make sure that every child has the opportunity to learn English.
I plan to go to Tashkent for a year and teach there. After Tashkent, I will return to Almaty and work at the Glasgow English Learning Center.
