KEY POINTS:
The qualification
Trinity College London Certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
Where: University of Auckland English Language Academy
Phone: 09 919 7695
Email: ela@auckland.ac.nz
Cost: $2,950 including non refundable deposit of $750 on acceptance
Pay: $11.84 to $20.47 per hour depending on duties and qualifications.
The job
The teaching of English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) opens opportunities around the world, and in language schools, general schools and migrant communities within New Zealand.
The ELA Trinity College London Certificate in TESOL (CertTESOL), which is internationally recognised, provides ESOL teacher training for people with little experience in teaching.
Subjects include grammar, phonology, vocabulary and language change as well as teaching techniques and teaching materials.
Trainees practice teaching under supervision with small groups of students of various nationalities who volunteer for free English lessons. Topics covered include invitations, telling the time, asking advice and travel arrangements. Trainees teach for 20 to 90-minute blocks to gain their required six hours of observed and assessed teaching.
The certificate is offered full time over four weeks or part time over 12 weeks. Full timers do 120 hours of class time, plus three to four hours a day of additional study. Part timers begin with two full days, followed by regular three hourly Tuesday and Thursday evening sessions plus three full Saturdays.
Applicants don't have to be English native speakers but do need excellent command of English with an IELTS of 7.5 in all bands, or the equivalent. They must be at least 18 years old with educational qualifications to university entry level. The interview process includes several language assessments.
The graduate
Stephen Porter
ESOL teacher, Flanshaw Road School, Te Atatu South
Completed course October 2005
I work around 20 hours a week as an ESOL teacher aide at Flanshaw Road School.
I take individuals or small groups of children out of the class for extra help with English; both migrants and children of migrants.
It is satisfying work, especially when the children start coming out of their shell, gaining confidence and participating.
I decided to learn how to teach ESOL because I wanted to widen my horizons and ESOL seemed an extremely good way to use my interest in languages and teaching. I learned languages at school and have always enjoyed language learning.
I chose ELA because friends had spoken well of it and I wanted something internationally recognized in case I later went teaching overseas.
The academy created a structure for me to work within and gave me confidence in my ability to teach. It is easy to say I'll teach English but teaching with a purpose isn't easy. We learned to consider what we wanted to get out of a lesson and how to achieve that. We also learned how to show that achievement and to reflect on it; all things I'd never thought about before.
Those of us without a teaching background had to teach six hours at the academy to voluntary students by preparing and delivering lessons around specific topics, which were analysed and evaluated by other trainees and tutors.
After the course a lot of the class were heading overseas to countries such as Japan, Russia and Poland. But I wanted to teach here. I spent a day at the Refugee Centre teaching three to five different age groups and really enjoyed the primary school aged children, so I was keen to go for this job when I saw it advertised.
The employer
Maggie Reid
Flanshaw Road School's associate principal
We are a decile five school with more than 300 students of which 75 require ESOL support; migrant children and New Zealand born.
When we advertised for an ESOL teacher aide we hoped to get someone who'd already done ESOL training.
Although Stephen was trained in teaching adults, he has adapted to primary school students really well.
It is essential to build up relationships and trust with the children before starting intensive teaching and Stephen has been able to do that. He is great because he has the technical skills as well as the personality.
I think his training was good because he had to put his learning into practice with a range of diverse students which has made him adaptable.
The training and his personal interest in learning languages has also given Stephen insight and appreciation into how difficult it is to learn languages. It is hugely important for children that he has that understanding.
www.ela.auckland.ac.nz