Aberdeenshire Women Teach Free English Lessons to Immigrants
Posted by Erin MacKenzie - 15:10 on 30 April 2010
While immigration is currently in the spotlight due to the impending election, two Aberdeenshire women have taken it upon themselves to help integrate members of their local immigrant population into the community by providing free English lessons.
Sandra Campbell and Anne Davies first decided to teach when they realised that some members of their Aberdeen congregation required help with their English. “Anne and I have both retired recently and wish to use our time constructively and help others”, says Sandra. They began taking classes in January and now have eleven students of different age, ability and nationality and hope that the size of their class will continue to grow in the future.
Sandra said: “For us, it has been rewarding to be able to use our skills to help others and to see them progress each week. We have made new friends and look forward to the classes. The students are keen to learn and this makes it easier for us.”
They decided to take a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in November with TEFL Scotland. The course taught them all they needed to start teaching English in a single weekend; they also received additional support from TEFL Scotland who on learning of this worthwhile activity bought materials for their classes. Their church has also donated money for them to buy further materials.
Many people get a TEFL qualification with the intention of going abroad to teach English but the qualification also enables graduates to teach in the UK. People can have different reasons for wanting to teach English like Sandra and Anne; some see it as a way of giving something back to the community, others as a way of gaining valuable teaching experience before entering a career in teaching and some consider it to be a meaningful way to spend their time during retirement.
A TEFL certificate can open up many options for both voluntary and paid work in the UK and abroad. People from all sorts of different backgrounds and with all sorts of different aims train to teach English from gap-year students to retirees, bricklayers to bank managers; people wanting to add to their savings to people wanting to simply pay their way through a holiday.
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“I am writing to let you know that I have been here, in Togliatti in Russia, for almost a year now! My visa has just been renewed for another year (annual renewal process) and I have been given a 3 year contract. All this is down to one simple fact - TEFL! After doing my weekend course in Edinburgh and the 50 hour Language and Grammar, I suddenly had opportunities that were closed to me in the past. Now I have so many interesting and exciting memories of my time here. Every day has been an adventure and has certainly kept me on my toes! The Togliatti Chamber of Commerce have invited me to speak at the opening of their new tourist initiative! I helped design the website for one of my students, and next thing I knew I had received an invitation to speak at their prestigious event. ” Colin, currently teaching in Russia
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