Interview: The only reason I left my last .....

[xiaoen]

Interview between a boss and a new teacher

11. Why did you leave your last position?

"The only reason I left my last workplace (my last teaching job) was because my contract finished. I have been at Padideh Institute for five years now and I have learned a lot from working with some professors. I decided to leave so that I could focus on finding a position where I could do my best work. Technology was not good in our classes."


Hi,
Most of the blue part is written by me. Is it natural to you?

[Tarheel]

You don't need "only" in the first sentence. Perhaps:

I left my last job because the contract expired.

[xiaoen]

I left my last job because the contract expired.

Why not "my contract finished."?

[Tarheel]

Why not "my contract finished."?

I don't have a reason. Except that's an entirely new usage to me. The other one I am familiar with.

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

I learned a lot by working with the professors.

And:

I decided to leave so I could focus on my specialty.

I don't know what you mean by "Technology was not good in our classes".

[xiaoen]

I don't know what you mean by "Technology was not good in our classes".

Here, I want to say that for example the technology inside the class was very bad. For example the TV in the class didn't work very well and I couldn't show some pictures to the students. Or the DVD player didn't work very well in the class and I couldn't play the audio files of the conversations for the students.

Can't I say "technology was not good in our class." in this context?

[Tarheel]

I think it would be better to say the equipment didn't work well.

[xiaoen]

The classroom equipments didn't work well at the previous institute I was teaching.

Is this OK now?

[Tarheel]

Try:

The classroom equipment didn't work well at the place where I taught last.

(The word "equipment" is a noncount noun.)