Page 34 - ELG2001 Jan Issue 468

El•Gazette 468.qxp_El•Gazette 468 08/01/2020 15:59 Page 34

TEACH IN .

Teach In Teacher Training

Lisa Magloff looks at the ins and outs of

becoming a teacher trainer

here are several ways to progress as a Jessica Andrews, Assistant Director of
teacher in the private language Training at International House, London,
school sector. You can move into agrees that “most people get into it through
Tadministration; or, if you enjoy their institution. They are working there for a
creating materials, you may want to move long time, they may start by mentoring or
into coursework writing or publishing. But if doing peer observations, or by delivering
you enjoy mentoring and are interested in teacher development or in-service training
methodologies, you may want to consider sessions."
teacher training. To become a Cambridge trainer, however,
The pathways into teacher training are not you must have five years’ teaching experience
that clear cut, even in the UK and Europe and have completed a Cambridge Delta or
where the Cambridge Celta, Delta and the Trinity Dip before you can be approved by
Trinity models of teacher training dominate Cambridge to start as a Trainer in Training,
the private sector. So, we spoke to two so its important to gain this experience if you
teacher trainers in the UK to get their views want to take this route.
on the best ways to become a trainer. The main way to become a Celta trainer is
to get a Trainer in Training (T in T) position,
How do you start? but these are rarely advertised – schools tend
Answering the question of how to become a to train up their own staff. So, if you are
teacher trainer is not as easy as it may sound. aiming to become a trainer, try getting a
This is because most teachers follow an teaching job with a school group that offers a
organic path into training – they may start by lot of training courses: International House,
doing some training or mentoring at their British Study Centres, Bell, NILE, the British
school, and then gradually begin to do more Council or, in the US, Teaching House (part
and more. of the Oxford House College chain).
Maria Heron, Senior Trainer at NILE T in T opportunities can be hard to find in The role of the trainer is quite varied and often includ
(Norwich Institute for Language Education), the UK and abroad. As T in T's need to be backgrounds and levels of experience
says that most trainers start by gaining attached to a Cambridge Centre, it is not
teaching experience in different contexts (in possible to train up as a freelancer. There is freelance work abroad. This involves
the UK and abroad), and then looking for an increasing demand for Celta abroad, and conducting in-service training for groups of
opportunities to do training. “Once a teacher more centres are opening internationally teachers. These programs are often
has a Delta or Trinity Dip and several years’ each year so it might be possible to train up government-funded within countries which
experience in different contexts, it’s a natural outside the UK in places such as Turkey or are looking to build the English-language
progression if you work for an institution that China. skills of their teachers. The country may
offers that opportunity, or to look for a new work with a large organisation like the British
job that offers the opportunity to start What about Freelancing? Council to train large numbers of teachers
working with teachers.” There is another route into teacher training – over a period of several years.
Andrews suggests that, because large
PIXABAY projects like these tend to require large
numbers of trainers and therefore they “may
potentially be an alternative way to get into
teacher training. Someone with a Delta or
Trinity Dip and experience of mentoring or
teacher development could be considered for
these positions.” She adds that to get these
positions, teaching experience is the most
important factor, as they don’t tend to require
any specific training qualifications.
One caveat is that these bigger projects
may focus on particular specialisms, like EAP,
Clil or working with very young learners. So,
getting work on one of these projects may
require experience in that specialism.

What is the work like?
Working as a teacher trainer is not for
everyone. It is very hands on and requires you
to give a lot in terms of providing motivation
and helping teachers to manage stress.
Andrews says that part of the role of the
34 January 2020