Professionalism is extremely important to TEF. Teachers are expected to act and dress professionally.
Looking the part:
Make sure you look professional (no t-shirts, bed head, etc). This also means ties, guys!
Make sure your profile picture for TEF website and Skype is also professional looking.
Try to have a good background for teaching (nothing too domestic, if at all possible). Put TEF logo in a cheap frame.
Acting the part:
All interactions with students should be respectful and polite (during class, via Skype message and email).
When contacting the student at the start of the lesson: do not call the student directly. They could be in a meeting, so you don't want to disrupt them. Send them a message first asking if they are ready to start the lesson. (More on this in the cultural training session).
All interactions with other teachers should be respectful and polite (during meetings, training, via Skype message and email). All language and posts in the Water Cooler Skype group should be professional.
Our code of conduct: be kind, polite, professional at all times!