What position do you hold at University of Toronto TEFL? What has been your career path so far?
David: I am the Sales and Marketing Manager for University of Toronto TEFL. After completing my BA (Hons) in Business at the University of Stirling in Scotland, I did a graduate development program with a multi-national organization before deciding to head for pastures new and travel the world. Upon returning to the UK, I worked my way up the ranks to become a Senior Account Manager for one of the biggest media/advertising companies in the world. In 2012 I made the move across the pond to Canada, which is where I am today.
Did you work abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?
David: I have been lucky enough over the years to work in many different countries; Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, USA and now Canada.
My inspiration initially came from my parents who, for as long as I can remember, encouraged me to ‘get out there’ and experience new places and cultures. I then took an International Business unit at university and realized that the only way to really learn was to get out there and experience it firsthand. My first experience was 3 months of teaching abroad during the summer break at school, after that, I was hooked.
What does the future hold for University of Toronto TEFL - any exciting new projects to share?
David: Online TEFL courses are becoming ever more popular primarily due to their increased acceptance by employers. The University of Toronto TEFL is very convenient for the teacher as the courses are self-paced and accessible from any device that can access the Internet. Questions have been asked about the quality of online TEFL courses in the past, which is why this course was developed. It offers teachers the opportunity to become TEFL-certified by one of the world’s top 20 universities and get job placement assistance from the world’s leading international teacher recruitment company, Teach Away.
We have recently added the 120-hour course, which incorporates specialization modules, allowing the teacher to customize their TEFL learning based on their individual needs. We have new and exciting projects in the pipeline which are all geared towards further enhancing the teacher’s choices and learning experience.
What about the future of the TEFL industry? How do you think international education will change over the next 10 years?
David: I think that we are starting to gain insight into the future of the TEFL industry with recent developments in the sector. By leveraging technology to give teachers access to high quality learning, developed by academic institutions, online courses are going to continue to gain credibility and popularity not only in TEFL, but also across the education sector. Teaching English overseas will continue to gain in popularity as TEFL courses such as the University of Toronto TEFL break down the barriers to accessibility, without compromising on the quality of the course content.