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El•Gazette 468.qxp_El•Gazette 468 08/01/2020 15:59 Page 35

FEATURES & COMMENT
Training never felt discriminated against for not being WOULD BE TRAINERS
NILE/ANDREW KAHUMBU PHOTOGRAPHY something valued. NILE prides itself for 1. Build up your own experience
a native teacher or trainer but I think I was
TOP TIPS FOR
very lucky working for organisations where
this was not only not an obstacle, but
employing the best trainers in their fields,
• You may want to begin by volunteering to
rather than where trainers are born or what
mentor new teachers at you school and
their mother tongue is.”
doing peer observations. You can work
The role is varied. Trainers focus on
with other teachers to gain practice in
different aspects of methodology and
giving feedback.
classroom management and facilitate the
sharing of ideas, problems, materials and so
school, perhaps around particular themes.
on. They observe teachers and give oral and • Organise informal workshops at your
Encourage other teachers to share ideas
written feedback. They organise and lead that have worked well for them.
workshops and sessions to help their own • Present, give a talk or participate in a
teaching colleagues and may even lead round table at a conference.
workshops for other organisations in-country
or abroad. 2. Take a Trainer training course
Being a trainer is both intensive and • These can be particularly helpful for
rewarding – it is definitely working at the experienced teachers looking to take on
chalkface – for people who want to be freelance work overseas rather than to
practitioners, but also want to do something become approved Celta trainers.
a bit different. • Various organisations offer training
development courses, such as NILE
What about terms and Online’s From Teacher to Trainer and
conditions? Trainer Development. NILE also offers
Training, like teaching, is not for people programmes such as a Professional Award
hoping to get rich. It does pay more than (see below), and an MA in Professional
teaching, but not massively so. It is estimated Development for Language Education with
that a freelance Celta trainer can earn a Trainer Development Module.
around £2,500 to £3,000 for a four-week • IH schools around the world run short, one
course outside the UK. week teacher training courses, geared
This may also appeal to people who do not towards qualified teachers who want to set
want to work full time. Many freelancers up different types of observations or
work intensively for a time, and then take conduct teacher development sessions at
n includes working with teachers from different long periods off. Andrews says that, “I know their schools. In London, IH also offers a
some people who run six Celta courses back- two week course called Teacher Trainer
Development.
to-back and then take four months off.” • Cambridge Assessment also offers a
The opportunity to travel is another
Most agree that upside. Heron points out that, “Depending Trainer Training course for those training in
working as a trainer on what a teacher trainer can offer, i.e. her or primary and secondary schools, available
to national governments and educational
his areas of expertise (e.g. Primary, Clil, EMI) institutions.
is both intensive there can be lots of opportunities to travel • Participate in the Professional Award for
and rewarding – it is and run workshop or courses in different Teacher Educators. This is recognised by
parts of the world.”
the British Council as a certification of
definitely working And, while the number of teaching hours teacher training competence. This two-
per week shouldn’t be any longer than week programme is designed to develop,
at the chalkface. working with students, preparation time can measure and validate the competences
be much longer, as most trainers tend to required for planning and running in-
teacher trainer is not just to improve teaching create their own materials. service and pre-service language teacher
pedagogies but to, “reassure [teachers] and The real reward may be in the work itself. education programmes. In the UK it is
help them through [a course].” Because you are working with colleagues, available at NILE.
Training in-service teachers may have rather than students, you are also learning
different kinds of stress. They may not have and sharing experiences, best practice, etc. 3. Plot you own Career
been observed in their teaching before or may The work is interesting and rewarding, and • Use the Cambridge English Trainer
have insecurities about their own language if while it can also be challenging, as teachers’ Framework to map and understand the
English is not their first language. It is your expectations are often high, every course you trainer’s career path and professional
job to make them feel supported and to find a work on tends to be a bit different. development requirements and options.
mutual respect so that both parties are “People are drawn to what they are good This is a very useful tool for those looking
learning from each other." at, so if you are good at being in the class and to move into training. It was developed in
The job involves working with teachers want to share that, then you might be drawn collaboration with NILE and aims to help
from different backgrounds and experience to teacher training,” says Andrews. If giving trainers to identify where they are in their
and may include helping teachers to improve feedback to teachers makes you feel professional career and to plan professional
their own English and classroom language. uncomfortable, then this is probably not the development pathways, and to explore
This may seem to preclude non-native right thing for you.” research into trainer development.
teachers, but actually being a non-native • Download the framework here:
speaker can also be an advantage in training Thanks to Jessica Andrews, Assistant Director of https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teac
teachers from different backgrounds. Training at International House and Maria hing-english/professional-
Heron, who is not a native English speaker Heron, Senior Trainer at NILE for their development/cambridge-english-trainer-
herself, did not find this a barrier: “I have assistance with this article. framework/
editorial@elgazette.com 35