Page 28 - ELG1705 May Issue 447

Teach in a

university

As more private language schools have limited

funds for training and development, Hannah
Alexander-Wright explores if teaching English

as a foreign language at a university could be the
natural next step in your career

he Gazette asked five university
tutors, based both in the UK Teaching at
and the US, what it’s really university has
like to teach in academic numerous
benefits
T institutions.
All staff had different experiences as
each employer has different policies on pay
structure, job security and CPD.
But one uniting experience was the
problem of the status of the subject: TEFL
at universities can be seen as remedial
support by students and staff, something
that a student has to do in order to do the
subject that they want to.
There is frustration that what the
students learn in the department is
non-credit-bearing, and therefore not as
‘important’.
The pay can be better than at private content. ‘I get to learn many other subjects feeling that they are buying language ability
language centres but job security can be by working with students studying these instead of buying instruction. The positive
problematic as full-time positions are specialisms’, they said. side of the private language school is that
scarce. Another working in the UK private there is a lot more flexibility with curriculum
In the UK, university tutors seem to sector said the main difference is the fact and content. In the university setting, there
enjoy a more generous CPD programme, that academic English at university is are specific curriculum objectives and learning
whereas in the US this is more limited. high-stakes. Students often need to attain outcomes that constrain the teacher.’
What are the pros and cons of certain proficiency levels to progress to the What are the pay and conditions
working at a university, compared to next stage of their academic career. like?
a private language school? And the mindset of students can be Private institutions may have more
One UK-based tutor told us they find the different. A US-based tutor said: ‘In the flexibility with their pay structures, a US-
work ‘more challenging’ because language private language setting the student is a based tutor said. ‘This means they can
work is more embedded in degree level “customer,” and more often than not, has a increase salaries to attract more qualified

28 May 2017

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