What position do you hold at Teaching House? What has been your career path so far?
Lizzy: I am the Director of Teacher Training at Teaching House. Over the course of my English language teaching career, I’ve completed the Cambridge University accredited CELTA certification, the Delta and received my MA in TESOL.
I am originally from Birmingham, England. After I graduated from university, I left the UK to teach English in Poland. I had traveled and taught English abroad for ten years. In that time I gained a lot of experience and expertise in travel and the English language. I believe the CELTA trainees will benefit greatly from my knowledge, expertise and inside information about the best schools to work for, the best countries to live in and what to expect from living and working abroad.
Did YOU teach abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?
Lizzy: Yes I have taught abroad. I have travelled all over the world using the places I’ve lived as a base. When I lived in Poland, I traveled to the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria, and all over Poland. When I lived in Argentina I traveled to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. When I was in Spain, I traveled all over Europe and it was there that I hit my goal of visiting 30 countries before I was 30!
Since coming to the States, I’ve been north and south of the borders and also visited Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
What does the future hold for Teaching House - any exciting new programs to share?
Lizzy: I hope the future is comprised of more eager candidates, ready to begin a rigorous and rewarding journey. Our CELTA and Delta program continues to grow and it is really great seeing our trainees develop and form their own careers.
What about the future of the CELTA industry? How do you think international education will change over the next 10 years?
Lizzy: The future of CELTA, well, I think as language schools are under increasing demands to provide quality language teaching, the CELTA will come under higher and higher demand, as it has done over the last decade or so. Long gone are the days when all you needed to be was a native speaker of English to get a job in a decent language school. Education is a constantly evolving field, which is one of the reasons I enjoy working in it so much!
As teaching evolves, so does teacher education. I believe that technology has a role to play, but it's just a tool that teachers can learn to employ. I'm not convinced by the vision of the future where everyone is being taught by robots or by computer software! Language is used by humans to interact with other humans, so it follows that teachers will continue to be humans too!