Growing up in Harrogate, England, Philip Godber never imagined a career in teaching. He certainly never dreamed he’d one day celebrate 40 years in English Language teaching – with 30 of them at UTS College Sydney. He first saw his future in music. “I remember picking up a recorder in primary school and being able to play it right away. A teacher came over and asked if I’d like to learn an instrument. He said to me, ‘You’ve got a choice of violin or cello.’ I knew my best friend played cello, so I said, ‘Alright, I love cello,’ and that’s how I started,” he says. “I enjoyed it. I went on to play in orchestras and win prizes, and I thought it was where I would go.”
As a boy in Harrogate, Philip envisioned a career in music
A turning point came when Philip arrived in Hong Kong as a young graduate. He had his eyes on a position in the city’s prestigious orchestra. “I came with my cello, but I couldn’t even get an interview,” he laughs. “That’s when I got a job as a music teacher in a middle school next to the Walled City of Kowloon. In Hong Kong terms, it was considered a rough school, but for me, in British terms, all the students were angels.”
A new direction
Although qualified to teach music, he found most of his timetable was devoted to teaching English. “That’s where my career changed. I had to learn how to do it, but as the only Westerner on staff, I had instant celebrity status. It was great.” Teaching music, which still took up 25 percent of his time, was more challenging in some ways. “I had to teach music in English, and my students didn’t know a word of it, so I had to start learning Cantonese.”
Early teaching days in Hong Kong
English teaching soon took over, and Philip became an Examiner and Test Writer for the Hong Kong Examination Authority, and then an Academic English teacher at Hong Kong Baptist University. By the time he arrived at UTS College (then Insearch) in 1994, Philip was firmly on his path. He says, “Academic English was the growth area when I arrived. It’s why I was employed, but Insearch also had a large General English course. We were at 10 Quay St back then, a bit up the road from the old bell tower.”
From hanging files to digital learning management systems
The College’s location isn’t the only thing that was different. Philip says, “Our lesson materials were pages in hanging files in cabinets. You’d thumb through – there was no strict organisation of the order. You’d just find what you wanted. Those lesson pages became course books, then of course they became a learning management system. It’s quite a journey from single pages to that.”
Philip’s role has also been on a journey. “Now I’m the curriculum lead of the digital course. I’ve gone through teaching, to lesson writing, to editing, to working on curriculum. In fact, I haven’t had my own class for more than ten years. In some ways I don’t recognise the place from when I started,” he says. “It’s a place where change just happens, and happens, and happens.”
A sense of belonging from the start
Reflecting on his experiences, Philip says, “I think the main reason I’m still here isn’t so much all the variety, but my colleagues. Over my 30 years, I’ve worked with some of the most wonderful people in the world. From the beginning, there was such a sense of belonging. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed. We all have a common goal – not just in my department, but the whole College – to give our students the best experience we can and put them on the pathway to success.”
Reaping the rewards
Perhaps that’s why Philip treasures feedback from students. “I remember a tall, smiley Chinese student called Bill. He was studying business, and he came back to tell me that he’d aced his presentation. He said he wouldn’t have been able to do it if he hadn’t done presentations in my English class. I think, as a teacher, those are the kind of rewards you look forward to. Certainly, from day one of any course, I couldn’t allow any student to leave the classroom without me saying goodbye to them by name.”
A celebratory lunch with his colleagues
He may not have had the career in music he first imagined, but Philip still finds time for his cello. “You might say I’m a music lover now, more than a musician. Mostly just within the family. My son plays a lot better than I do, and my wife is a singer, so we might have little soirees at home. You know, if the neighbours don’t mind.”
UTS College CEO, Morwenna Shahani, congratulated Philip on reaching this milestone. “Philip is one of our longest-standing staff members, having taught and shaped our English Language programs for 30 of the College’s 35 years. This is a very special anniversary for you Philip, and for us. Your care for your colleagues and students exemplifies everything we value and reflects the whole college community. We are lucky to have you,” she said.
Find out more about Academic English programs at UTS College >