Learn more about this course.

Introduction to the course

Introduction to the course, educators and other learners.

Welcome to the start of our course. This course will help you make decisions about the kind of English language teacher you want to be.

In this first week of the course, we’re going to begin our exploration by talking about the different teaching situations and different types of learners you could encounter. We’re also going to talk about motivation and strategies you can use to engage learners and keep them motivated.

In the following weeks, we’ll dive deeper into the world of English language teaching by looking at what the job involves, for example, planning lessons and managing learners, teaching vocabulary and using resources. There will be question and answer sessions at the start of every week where our educators will answer the questions you have about teaching English.

In the final week we’ll suggest some next steps you can take to set off on your own adventure of becoming a teacher of English. We’ll talk about training options and our teachers will give you advice on how to prepare for life as an English language teacher. We’ll hear from learners about their experience of teachers and learning and there will be more from our teachers, educators and mentors.

Outline of Week 1

This week we’ll start with some introductions and talk to some teachers about why they became English language teachers. Here are the key questions we’re going to answer:

Where can I teach English?
Who do I teach?
How easy is it to learn another language?
What do teachers do to help learners learn English?
Why do people learn English?
What challenges do learners face?
How can teachers keep learners motivated?

We’ll also include a glossary each week which we’ll build on during the course and which includes terms like CELTA (the qualification that Monica talked about in the video) and terms like Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation.