Tackling ESOL
ESOL - English to Speakers of Other Languages
ESOL is the other side of TEFL. ESOL stands for English to Speakers of Other Languages and is the field of teaching which goes on mainly in Further Education Colleges and Community Centres, and also within schools where there are numbers of pupils needing assistance with their language skills to help them with their studies. Courses are aimed at immigrants to Britain who need to learn the language so as to live easily and work or study productively in the UK.
Courses for State School teachers
If you’re a state school or public school teacher, we salute you. It’s no easy job (some of us know that first hand). You’ll be pleased to know that if you have a need connected with or an interest in ESOL, we have development courses for you. Whether you stay where you are, or you plan to skidaddle into teaching English and travelling around the world, we can help.
Teaching ESOL in UK classrooms
We’re told that, increasingly, many state school teachers are already experiencing ESOL in their classrooms. Teachers are having to adjust to higher numbers of pupils whose mother tongue language is not English who are integrating into mainstream classes, We have courses that can ease the process.
Cactus Tailor-made TESOL courses
For these tailor-made course, a trainer comes into your school and trains a small group of you over a couple of days, or over a weekend, to better prepare you for teaching English to speakers of other languages. If you are interested in this option, please phone Jenny Johnson or Sarah Wilson on 0845 130 4775 (Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm). Prices start from £250 per person per weekend. More information
Courses for TEFL teachers
TEFL teachers who have been working in private language teaching and who want to get into ESOL teaching in the UK may well be quite a long way along the pathway already, if their qualifications fit into the new frameworks for ESOL training. If their initial qualifications were awarded by Cambridge or Trinity College London they can progress to a Diploma qualification in ESOL.
Level 5 Diploma qualifications
The new Level 5 Diploma qualifications from Cambridge ESOL and Trinity College London are the requirement for teachers of ESOL at FE colleges and universities in the Lifelong Learning Sector (Further, Adult and Community Education). These new qualifications replace the old Certificates in FE Teaching ESOL and the Certificates for ESOL Subject Specialists, which up to now have been the required ESOL qualifications. Watch this space for listings of centres which are planning to host these new courses from September 2008. The first is here.
