Maxim Achkasov OCELT, ACE TESOL, TESL Diploma, CertIBET, B.A., M.A.
Photo by Nelofar Rasoul
Professionally, I am a teacher of English as a second language to adult learners. I specialize in teaching BE and EAP*. I am committed and enthusiastic about helping people grow and improve their knowledge and skills in second language acquisition. I enjoy seeing students reach their targets in education, enhance their employability and develop their overall confidence in communication.
Personally, I enjoy spending time with the family, coding, doing some random voice-over, playing the guitar, and exploring cults and religions (e.g., Soviet Pentecostals). Besides that, I am keen on thought-provoking cinema, fine art, realistic (non-photoshopped) photography, heart-warming music, and, most importantly, words... original and life-reflecting thoughts.
Personally, I enjoy spending time with the family, coding, doing some random voice-over, playing the guitar, and exploring cults and religions (e.g., Soviet Pentecostals). Besides that, I am keen on thought-provoking cinema, fine art, realistic (non-photoshopped) photography, heart-warming music, and, most importantly, words... original and life-reflecting thoughts.
Professional Summary
Maxim Achkasov (phon.: ˈmæksɪm ˈʌʧkæsəf) is a bilingual ESL* instructor specializing in adult education. He is an Ontario Certified English Language Teacher OCELT® by TESL Ontario (Canada). He holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Manchester and has earned the Certificate of Educational Studies in TESOL from INTESOL W. Ltd (UK). Additionally, he has obtained the ACE TESOL Certificate from the London Language Institute and the TESL Diploma from Canadian College of Educators (Canada). He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counseling from IPTC (Russia). As the founder and moderator of English4real™, a leading language school website in Ukraine (2018-2022), he has authored various video classes for ESL learners.
As a foreign language educator, I have been fortunate to have personally worked with students from 40 countries:
Afghanistan 🇦🇫 Armenia 🇦🇲 Austria 🇦🇹 Brazil 🇧🇷 Cameroon 🇨🇲 Canada 🇨🇦 China 🇨🇳 Colombia 🇨🇴 Congo 🇨🇬 Croatia 🇭🇷 England 🇬🇧 Ethiopia 🇪🇹 Germany 🇩🇪 Hungary 🇭🇺 India 🇮🇳 Iraq 🇮🇶 Ireland 🇮🇪 Israel 🇮🇱 Japan 🇯🇵 Jordan 🇯🇴 Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 Libya 🇱🇾 Moldova 🇲🇩 Myanmar 🇲🇲 Pakistan 🇵🇰 Palestine 🇵🇸 Poland 🇵🇱 Russia 🇷🇺 Somalia 🇸🇴 South Korea 🇰🇷 Sudan 🇸🇩 Switzerland 🇨🇭 Syria 🇸🇾 Turkey 🇹🇷 UAE 🇦🇪 USA 🇺🇸 Ukraine 🇺🇦 Vietnam 🇻🇳 Yemen 🇾🇪
Goals
As a teacher of adult ESL learners my goals are to provide students with a safe and engaging learning environment, to equip them with real-world language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking), and to help them achieve both academic and professional 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.
Success
A not-intensive but disciplined, relaxed and yet thoughtful study, led through an engaged dialogue with thoughtful and regular feedback is a sure way to significant and solid progress in learning a foreign language.
PowerPoint Presentations
Learning English with Songs
Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart - "Blue Moon" (Our cover) 2023-07-09
Work Experience
6 Sep 2023 to 14 Jun 2024
Language Skills (LINC) Instructor - YMCA of Southwestern Ontario
Planned, prepared and delivered lessons both online using Avenue.ca (LMS) / BigBlueButton technologies and in-person (four groups of 16 to 20 students at CLB 2-3, 3-4, and 5-6 levels); kept track attendance in HARTs; developed curriculum; prepared classroom and coursework materials; designed PowerPoint Presentations and handouts; prepared, administered and set Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing assessments; marked tests/papers to evaluate students' progress and provided feedback; provided blended learning opportunities using laptops to foster learners digital literacy skills; tracked total number of successful artifacts each learner achieved to date (Artifact Tracking Form); kept track of learners artifacts by uploading their assessments and entering all related metadata to their individual ePortfolios; completed and submitted detailed month end reports.
From April 2007 to June 2023
Business English Teacher - Language School English4real
Planned, prepared and delivered lessons to students both online and in-person (including flex/hybrid classes); prepared classroom and coursework materials, homework assignments, and handouts; prepared and set tests, examination papers, and exercises; marked and provided feedback on oral and written works; taught groups and one-to-one; did administration work - enrolling students, keeping attendance records, awarding certificates on completion of courses.
From August 2006 to April 2007
Business English Teacher - Nikitova LLC
Planned, prepared and delivered lessons to students; prepared classroom and coursework materials, homework assignments, and handouts; prepared and set tests, examination papers, and exercises; marked and provided feedback on oral and written works; taught groups and one-to-one.
From June 2005 to May 2006
Educational Research Analyst - Euro-Asian Accrediting Association (EAAA)
Planned, prepared and conducted surveys; designed questionnaires; collected, categorized and analyzed data; took interviews; designed charts, graphs and tables; delivered final reports on "The Effectiveness of Theological Education in Ukraine", which was later published as a book.
From September 2002 to August 2005
Theology Teacher - Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS)
As teacher of Systematic Theology, Apologetics, Ancient Hebrew: Planned, prepared and delivered lessons to students; prepared classroom and coursework materials, homework assignments, and handouts; prepared and set tests, examination papers, and exercises; marked and provided feedback on oral and written works; taught large and small groups.
From March 2002 to June 2002
English Second Language Teacher (internship) - Regents English Language Centre
Prepared and delivered lessons; marked and provided feedback on oral and written works; taught small groups.
University Degrees
29 April 2024
Bachelor's and Master's Degrees Approval
The evaluation of the degrees and credentials was conducted by World Education Services (WES), Canada.
From 03 June 2001 to 17 June 2005
Master of Arts (M.A.) - The University of Manchester
The degree in the study of Pentecostal and Charismatic issues taught at Regents Theological College (Diploma issued - 28 October 2005; Awarded - 12 November 2005).
From 01 September 1998 to 06 June 2001
Bachelor of Arts (B.A. with honors) - The University of Manchester
The degree with Honours in Applied Theology being placed in the Second Class Division Two taught at Regents Theological College (Diploma issued - 27 June 2001; Awarded - 17 November 2001).
Certificates & Diplomas
From September 2023 to June 2024
Diploma, Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
From September 2023 to Present
LearnIT2teach Certificates - Stages PS2, 1, 2, 3
- Pre-Stage 2 - 2.5-hour professional development to prepare to deploy and to customize the LINC courseware (September 2023, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
- Stage 1 Introduction - 2.5-hour professional development workshop introducing computer-assisted language learning and blended learning (September 2023, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
- Stage 2 - 15-hour professional training prepares settlement language instructors working in a blended learning or fully online context to provide a range of online learning opportunities using LINC courseware (October 2023, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
- Stage 3 - 30-hour professional training facilitate the LINC courseware while developing more insight into online/blended learning, best practices in settlement language training and Moodle course editing and course management (January 2024, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
- Stage 1 Introduction - 2.5-hour professional development workshop introducing computer-assisted language learning and blended learning (September 2023, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
- Stage 2 - 15-hour professional training prepares settlement language instructors working in a blended learning or fully online context to provide a range of online learning opportunities using LINC courseware (October 2023, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
- Stage 3 - 30-hour professional training facilitate the LINC courseware while developing more insight into online/blended learning, best practices in settlement language training and Moodle course editing and course management (January 2024, Trainer: Jen Artan, LearnIT2teach, New Language Solutions);
From May to August 2023
ACE TESOL Certificate Program
120-hour ACE TESOL Certificate Program at Learning Languages Institute in London, ON (100 hours of classroom instruction and a 20-hour practicum).
From June to July 2023
Accessing the Business Job Market
40-hour online Occupation-specific Language Training (OSLT) course by Fanshawe College in London, ON.
May 2023
Portfolio-based language assessment (PBLA) Certificate
20-hour online course of Introduction to PBLA for New Classroom Instructors (self-directed certificate course) from the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB).
May 2023
Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Certificate
10-hour online CLB Bootcamp certificate course from the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB).
From April 2021 to August 2021
Responsive Web Design
300-hour course in Responsive Web Design by freeCodeCamp.org.
From October 2016 to November 2016
Becoming a Confident Trainer (ConfTrnr)
Four-week course by Karen Turnbull and Petya Green with Open2Study, Open Universities Australia (OUA).
From September 2016 to October 2016
Early Childhood Education (EChldEdu)
Four-week course by Caitlin O’Connell and Helen Lawrence Gowrie Victoria courses and instructors with Open2Study, Open Universities Australia (OUA).
September 2016
Grammar for Teachers: Language Awareness
Short-term (16 hours) course by Cambridge English Teacher: Cambridge English Language Assessment (UK).
From November 2015 to December 2015
Education in a Changing World
Four-week course by Open2Study from Open Universities Australia (OUA).
From September 2015 to November 2015
Teaching Adult Learners
Four-week course by Open2Study from Open Universities Australia (OUA).
From September 2011 to March 2012
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counseling
Institute of Positive Technologies and Consulting (IPTC), Moscow
From November 2010 to February 2011
Primary English Teacher Training Online (Primary ETTO)
Course by British Council, Ukraine.
From October 2010 to April 2011
International Business English Training (Cert IBET)
50-hour course by BESIG, Trinity College London, English UK and The Consultants-E (UK).
From June 2008 to December 2008
Diploma in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language (TRFL)
Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University (Russia).
From July 2001 to January 2005
INTESOL Certificate
120-hour course by INTESOL WORLDWIDE LTD (UK).
Tests & Examinations
February 2024
CELPIP test - 10
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP); Listening: 10, Reading: 9, Writing: 11, Speaking: 11, Average: 10; Pathways Educational Services - Kitchener, Kitchener ON.
August 2023
ILSAT test - 94
Interpreter Language Skills Assessment Tool (ILSAT) test developed by the Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration and delivered by Across Cultures in London, ON.
July 2023
CILISAT test - 91.6 / 93.5
Community Interpreter Language and Interpreting Skills Assessment Tool (CILISAT) test by the Cultural Interpretation Services for Our Communities (CISOC) in London, ON.
May 2023
CLBPT Assessment - CLB8
Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test (CLBPT) Assessment Report - CLB8 (Listening - CLB8, Reading - CLB8, Writing - CLB8, Speaking - CLB8, max. score is 8 for each category) by London Cross Cultural Learner Centre (London CCLC).
July 2022
EnglishScore - CEFR C1 599/600
EnglishScore - CEFR C1 599/600 (Grammar 599, Vocabulary 597, Listening 599, Reading 599) by British Council.
July 2022
Duolingo English Test - CEFR C1 140/160
Duolingo English Test - CEFR C1 140/160 (Literacy: read and write - 145; Comprehension: read and listen - 150; Conversation: listen and speak - 135; Production: write and speak - 120) by Duolingo.
September 2020
EF SET - 82/100 C2 Proficient
EF SET - 82/100 C2 Proficient (Listening Section - 80/100 C2 Proficient, Reading Section - 83/100 C2 Proficient) by EF Education First.
November 2011
IELTS - 7.5
International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Listening 7.0, Reading 7.5, Writing 6.5, Speaking 8.0, Overall Band Score 7.5; University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
May 2009
BEC Higher - C1
Business English Certificate: Higher, University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
June 2008
TKT - Modules 1, 2, 3
Teaching Knowledge Tests (TKT): University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
Module 1 - Language and background to language learning and teaching (Band 4);
Module 2 - Lesson planning and use of resources for language teaching (Band 3);
Module 3 - Managing the teaching and learning process (Band 3).
Module 1 - Language and background to language learning and teaching (Band 4);
Module 2 - Lesson planning and use of resources for language teaching (Band 3);
Module 3 - Managing the teaching and learning process (Band 3).
Volunteer Experience
November 2023
Teaching English for the workplace
A volunteer instructor for “Teaching English for the workplace” at the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre (Newcomer Settlement Services, Canada Connects), London, On - www.sinrc.org
From October 2018 to present
Online English Grammar Course Teacher - www.english4real.com - Kyiv, Ukraine
This is a 145-day English grammar course (B1) with video classes and exercises, which are personally checked by the teacher.
From January 2012 to January 2013
BESIG coordinator at IATEFL Ukraine
Co-ordinator of Business English Special Interest group at IATEFL Ukraine.
Accomplishments
Throughout my teaching career, I have achieved the following milestones:
- Delivered over 14,500 hours of one-to-one and group classes;- Recorded more than 280 video lessons on YouTube;
- Created over 1,200 original vocabulary tests for A2-C1 levels;
- Received more than 100 positive reviews from students;
- Grew a Facebook community to over 10,000 followers and a YouTube channel to over 8,000 subscribers;
- Developed an educational website with study materials used by an average of over 4,000 people daily for free;
- Set up and effectively maintained the Learning Management System (LMS) for the language school’s academic purposes;
- Developed an efficient attendance-and-payment reporting system in Excel for the language school’s managerial purposes.
Skills & Qualities
In terms of ESL teacher skills, Maxim Achkasov, has:
- strong personal and interpersonal skills;
- excellent listening and speaking skills;
- good writing skills;
- good time-management and organizational/record-keeping 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;
- culturally sensitive;
- strategic thinker committed to progress of ESL learners;
- comfortable with electronic communication and social media;
- adaptable and able to comply with institutional policies and procedures.
Membership
Testimonials
"Trust me it is a pleasure to work with Maxim! In my experience of learning the language I have met many teachers, including the native one. Though the most effective approach turned out to be that of Maxim – the approach to his students, the study materials and diversity. Attention to details, needs of the learners, preparation and delivering the classes in a friendly atmosphere are a hallmark of Maxim.
Maxim helped me in my preparation to enter the master’s degree. Maxim ’s knowledge and experience of taking international language exams and interviews was a big advantage for in the preparation process. Different variations of questions and answers, appropriate and timely points, details, strategies, tests and a thorough analysis of the results became the key to my successful admission. In this there is a significant contribution from Maxim ; that is what I am grateful to him for.
I am sure that Maxim’s business will thrive and there will be more and more students!"
- Duman A. (Lawyer)