Teacher profile: Sharing the learning journey with PTE teacher Kelly Hoo

PTE Author
PTE Author
Image - Kelly Hoo #iteachPTE
Reading time: 6 minutes

Kelly Hoo is an English teacher based in Malaysia. She works with people from all over the world, helping them to prepare for PTE. But when Kelly first began learning English, she found it really difficult. She certainly never dreamed that one day she would be teaching English and running her own company!  

From student to teacher  

So how did Kelly go from learning English, to teaching other people how to get the score they need in PTE?  

Kelly’s first language was Mandarin, and she struggled a lot when first learning English. “I started my journey with IELTS,” she explains, “and then I discovered PTE.”  

Kelly was learning English in order to attend the University of Melbourne, where she studied for a Bachelor of Commerce. “I always thought I’d be an accountant,” she laughs. “But it wasn’t meant to be!”  

After graduating, Kelly went to work for Unilever, a big multinational corporation. But she found herself giving advice to people learning English, and being able to help people on their language-learning journey was really rewarding.  

“It started with sharing tips with other people who were learning English,” she says. “I’d been through the journey, so when I saw people struggling, I would always give them recommendations and advice.”  

Starting her own company 

From those small beginnings, Kelly went on to become a full-time teacher. The next step was starting her own English teaching company, Master PTE, where she is able to combine her passion for teaching with the expertise she gained in her business degree.   

But Kelly credits her success to the people around her. “It’s not just my own hard work,” she says. “Our team at Master PTE is amazing. My colleagues work so hard and do such a good job. Without them, I wouldn't be here, sharing my experience.”  

The company is now four years old, and in that time Kelly and her colleagues have helped lots of students build their English skills, prepare to sit PTE, and get the score they need.  

Helping students set manageable goals  

The team at Master PTE teaches students of all ages and levels, from all over the world, in a mix of online and in-person classes.  

“Thanks to Covid, we’re now doing hybrid classes,” explains Kelly, “a mix of online and face to face. Our clients are mainly working adults or students, so they’re very busy, and they need that flexibility.”  

At Master PTE, Kelly and her colleagues help students to break the big goal of getting the PTE score they need into smaller, more manageable goals.  

“We don’t ask them to do ten exam tasks in a day, because it’s impossible,” says Kelly. “We focus on what’s doable - a little bit of preparation each day, to make it easier for our students and give them a feeling of achievement, and the satisfaction that comes from that.”  

The skill that Kelly’s students struggle with the most is speaking. It’s a cultural problem, Kelly says, as in Malaysia, people are worried about making mistakes. “We want to boost their confidence and tell them to express themselves. I always tell students, Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Just say what’s on your mind - it’s ok, we don’t judge people at Master PTE!”  

Speaking to a computer can also be a challenge for some students, but for others, a computer-based exam like PTE helps with their confidence. They prefer to speak to a computer rather than a human examiner.  

Kelly’s students are her inspiration  

One of the things Kelly loves about her job is meeting people from all over the world. “We have students from Japan, from Botswana, from India. It's amazing to connect with people and learn about their culture, their stories. The learning is definitely a two-way street in our classes!” she laughs.  

One of Kelly’s most inspirational students was from India. He was planning to sit PTE in order to move to Australia with his wife and young children. “When I first spoke to him, his English was at a really low level,” she explains. “I thought he would need a lot of preparation.”  

He started studying with Kelly, preparing for the test, and working hard every evening. “He was really burning the midnight oil,” she says, “as he was working full time too. He put in so much hard work, but he was doing it for his family, for his kids’ future, to give them a better life. I really admired his spirit - and I was so happy in the end when he got the score he needed after just two months of studying!”  

The importance of perspective 

Kelly has one piece of advice for other PTE teachers: always try to think from the students perspective.  

“Teaching English is easy for us,” she says. “We use English everyday. That’s why it’s so important to put yourself in your student’s shoes. Make sure they can absorb and retain the information you are teaching them.”  

From time to time, Kelly studies a new language like German, or Japanese, just to remind herself what it’s like to learn a new language.  

“I understand where the students are coming from,” she says. “I’ve been a learner too, and learning English as a second language isn’t easy.”  

That’s why Kelly is so focused on understanding each student’s situation, and making things a little easier for them by supporting them and creating a community that they are part of.  

“I always tell them, Don’t give up!” she says. “Learning can be fun and interesting.”  

Learn more 

For more insights into PTE preparation, have a look at the PTE blog, where you’ll find inspiration, advice, and lots of useful resources such as free lesson plans and preparation tools. And if you’d like to be featured on our PTE teacher profile series, just fill out this form!

Related Content

  • Image - iteachPTE: Juniper Ruperto
    Teacher profile: Helping Filipino students achieve their goals
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    In the Philippines, there has long been a culture of emigration. It’s common for Filipinos to move overseas to work, study and live. In fact, there are more than 10 million Filipinos living and working around the world. What’s more, about 60,000 people have emigrated each month since the start of 2021!   

    PTE teacher Jurine Ruperto helps students get ready for the linguistic challenge of moving overseas. She is the owner of Ace Review Center, a language school that prepares students to take the language tests they’ll need for working visas and university applications.  

    We spoke to Jurine to find out about her experience of teaching PTE, and the advice she would offer to other teachers.  

    How Jurine prepares her students for PTE  

    Ace Review Center was one of the first language schools in the Philippines to offer PTE preparation, and they have been helping Filipino professionals and skilled workers prepare for the test for six years.  

    Now, the teachers at Ace Review Center have years of experience in preparing students for the exam - and when it comes to results, their experience shows. 

    “We have a high passing rate - and a good number of students who’ve scored a perfect 90,” says Jurine.  

    So what’s her secret? According to Jurine, she builds her students’ skills slowly as they learn the basics of each task type, through a range of different activities.  

    “One of my favorite activities is idea building or [creating] mind webs, which are very useful in writing tasks,” she says. “Students are given a topic and are encouraged to contribute ideas related to it and expounding with supporting details.” 

    According to Jurine, one of the most common challenges for test takers is vocabulary. In order to help them achieve better results, she encourages them to increase their exposure to English in their everyday lives. “Reading and watching movies and TV shows helps to build their knowledge and familiarity with English terminologies and word usage.”  

    Building student confidence  

    We all have those teaching moments that stick with us, for one reason or another. For Jurine, it's an experience she had with a learner with low confidence that comes to mind. 

    The student needed to build his confidence back up when he came to her for PTE preparation classes. “One of my very first students in PTE had a bad experience in another English test,” she says. “He took the test several times with no success - despite only needing a band score of 5.”   

    So, she said, he signed up for a month of PTE test preparation. It was then that he really started to believe in his language abilities. Jurine thinks the fact that PTE is computer-based made a difference.  

    “It must have helped that the test is through a computer because he would easily get intimidated when facing an examiner during the speaking test,” she explains. His minimum target score for PTE was 54 - but on the day of the test he actually scored above this!  “By now,” she muses, “he must have already finished his culinary studies in Australia.” 

    Jurine’s top tip for PTE teachers  

    When we asked Jurine to share her top tip for other PTE teachers to help their students achieve success, she underlined the importance of really knowing the test inside and out. “It is best for teachers to immerse themselves in PTE sample practice tests to familiarize themselves with the test format,” she says. “That way, they will understand their learners' needs.”  

    Further resources

    You can access preparation resources to help your students through the PTE website, where there are a range of materials available, from Scored Practice Tests to a question bank with over 300 sample questions and answers.  

    The Official Guide to PTE Academic will give you all the information you need to prepare your students thoroughly - and there’s even free course modules available to give your exam preparation teaching skills a boost!  

    Do you have advice and insights to share with other PTE teachers? If so, we’d like to hear from you! Each month we’ll be shining a spotlight on someone from our global teaching community.  

    Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly teacher newsletter, which shares teaching tips for test preparation.

  • 5 common PTE mistakes - and how your students can avoid them
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 7 minutes

    Learning from our mistakes is one of the best ways to improve. This is also true for anyone who is preparing for an English language proficiency exam, like PTE Academic.  

     In this post, we’ll look at five common PTE Academic errors test takers make, and how you can help your students to avoid these mistakes when they are sitting their exam.  

    1. Reading: reordering paragraphs

    In the PTE Academic reading section, test takers are asked to reorder paragraphs taken from an academic text. They see one panel on the screen with a number of sentences in the wrong order, and need to drag these sentences to a second panel in the correct order. This activity tests how well test-takers can understand the structure of a written text in English.  

    However, many people struggle with this. They don’t pay attention to language clues such as linking words or sentences that open with an introductory statement. These are all things that allow texts to follow a cohesive pattern.  

  • Card- Barista- part time job
    5 part time jobs for international students in Australia
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Studying in Australia is a dream for many students. The country is known for its long stretches of white sandy beaches, rugged outback, and charming people. 

    It’s also home to more than 1,100 world-class institutions - earning Australia a reputation for being a top study abroad destination. And don’t just take our word for it: 90% of international students reported being happy studying and living in Australia, according to a 2018 government report.  

    For many international students, working in-between studies to pay for living expenses is also part of life in Australia. So what kinds of jobs are popular for students in the country? And what is the pay like? Let’s take a look:

    1. Barista 

    Coffee culture is huge in Australia. Because the country is famous for its “flat white” drinks and quality coffees, there are many different cafes for international students to apply at. After all, where there is a demand, there will always be jobs! 

    Of course, working as a barista requires that you have strong customer service skills, are proficient in English, and are familiar with popular coffee orders and how to make them (although your workplace will likely also train you). Because cafe culture is so important to Australians, a job serving coffee is arguably one of the best ways to feel immersed in the local culture.  

    2. Bartender  

    For students, being a bartender has many perks. The hours you work rarely conflict with regular university class schedules. Being a bartender is a great way to meet new people. You could also earn tips. Tipping isn’t part of Australian culture per se, however it is becoming more common to tip service staff a small amount to thank them for good service.  

    If you’re interested in serving drinks, you could also consider getting a job at an Australian winery. Because Australia has so many wineries (about 2,361 in total), wine culture is not only a prevalent part of life in Australia. It’s also always usually a thriving industry with lots of job opportunities. 

    3. Server 

    Keen on the hospitality industry? Serving is another great job. And, even better if you get to work at a beachside restaurant. The University of Adelaide, The University of the Sunshine Coast, and The University of Melbourne are all institutions located by the coast, where international students have the opportunity to earn a living part-time while also experiencing Australia’s beautiful beaches.  

    4. Hotel and hostel jobs 

    A bonus of studying in a place that happens to be an internationally-famous vacation spot is that there are many jobs in hospitality. Students studying at institutions like The University of Tasmania, for example, can benefit from the local tourism industry by applying for jobs cleaning in hotels or cooking in hotel kitchens.  

    Australia’s hostels are also great spots to look for a job. Foreign students would be a great fit for hostel jobs like receptionists because of their international experience, age, and language skills. The bonus here is that you will find yourself working amongst like-minded and fun travelers.  

    5. Fruit picking 

    Australia has plenty of fruit picking jobs throughout the country. Strawberry, blueberry, and avocado picking jobs, for example, are all common jobs available to students in Australia. They’re also quite common to come across. Recently, the government also announced they’d allow students working in agriculture to work more hours every week - which is a big plus! We share more on that below.  

    How many hours can I work? 

    When studying in Australia, one of the main regulations for international student visa holders is that  they can work up to 48 hours every two weeks while studying and unlimited hours during study breaks on an Australian student visa. 

    The government changed those restrictions for students working in certain industries to support these sectors during the pandemic. Now, students can work unlimited hours in healthcare, disability care, aged care, agriculture, and tourism. 

    What’s the minimum wage in Australia? 

    Australia is known for its high minimum wage. The minimum wage in Australia is $24.10 per hour or $915.90 per week - this is a huge draw for many international students.   

    Where should I look for work?

    Your institution in Australia should have a career center to help you look for work. They should provide you with resume and interview tips, as well as a job board that lists open positions. We always recommend visiting your institution’s career centre when beginning your job search.  

    There are also job sites like Indeed, Seek, and Jobactive from the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Skills, and Employment. All of these sites list thousands of part-time jobs for international students to consider.  

    Last updated 20 December 2024.

    Ready to go? 

    PTE can help you secure a spot at an Australian institution. Our test is faster, fairer, simpler, and accepted by all universities in Australia.   

    Learn more about PTE Academic.