Comments for English for Academic Purposes

Comment on 2. Summer presessional courses: the interview by lydia

lydia — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:38:57 +0000

Hi,

Do you actually teach how to write academic essays. If so is it face-to-face. I live in London.

Would appreciate contacts. thanks.

Comment on 5. Back to blogging: job success! by William

William — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:56:13 +0000

Congratulations Sonja,
It’s good to hear about your full-time teaching job. We welcome you back at the blogging arena. Its surely has great influence which you just witnessed practically in your life. I am waiting eagerly for your nest post as I want to know about INTO. Hope to read you again soon.

Comment on 5. Back to blogging: job success! by James

James — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:02:02 +0000

Hi Sonja,

How’s the job at INTO going? Would love to hear your experience! Also I’d like to get into publishing myself and it would be great to get a run down regarding the steps you took to publish an article.

James

Comment on 2. Summer presessional courses: the interview by Anne O'Brien

Anne O'Brien — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:55:14 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences Sonja! I have an interview this week for a position as an EAP tutor on a presessional course for summer 2013 and your advice will be a big help in preparing.
I really identify with Phil, as I have also found it hard recently to find an EAP teaching post. I actually have a very similar profile to you (have both MA in Applied Linguistics and MA in Translation & Interpreting) and previously taught academic English at third level. I’m currently doing an open online course in Openness in Education as am really interested in the opportunities provided by the huge amount of free online resources out there.
I’d be interested to know what you’re thinking of doing your PhD on and what university you had in mind. I’m also hoping to start a PhD in Applied Linguistics this year and am looking at what programmes are out there.

Comment on 1. Summer presessional courses: the EAP tutor’s goldmine by australia english courses

australia english courses — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:35:34 +0000

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Comment on 2. Summer presessional courses: the interview by Vasso Papas

Vasso Papas — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:16:09 +0000

thanks for the information – any bibliography suggested for someone who would like to teach in a pre-sessional course? who has the qualifications but not the teaching experience yet?

Comment on 2. Summer presessional courses: the interview by Martine Charley

Martine Charley — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:32:08 +0000

I don’t usually comment but I gotta tell thanks for the post on this amazing one : D.

Comment on 6. Surviving the first week by Mike Ranson

Mike Ranson — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:08:45 +0000

Hi Sonja.

Thank you for the information!

I’ve been trawling job ads (might seem early given that I have yet to begin the CELTA course, but it seems wise to get a head start) and have come across a few confusing acronyms. For instance, the RSA Dip TEFLA. I saw this in an advert for EAP tutors at Leicester Uni which said that CELTA holders would also be considered (presumably they don’t expect to get many applicants with the diploma). However, this raised the question of the equivalency of the CELTA.

Is the Royal Society of Arts a separate awarding body? How does this diploma compare to the Cambridge qualifications? Is it, for example, considered equivalent to the CELTA or DELTA?

Thanks for your time.
Regards,
Mike

Comment on 6. Surviving the first week by Sonja Tack

Sonja Tack — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:24:12 +0000

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your comment. It does seem that DELTA is the way to go; I know of places that only offer permanent contracts to applicants with DELTA; they may hire others, but perhaps only on a 9-month contract, which means you’d need to seek presessional work for the summer months. Several of my friends are PhD-qualified or nearly so, yet they get rejected for the simplest EFL jobs simply for not having the DELTA! It’s worth remembering that this qualification has recently been reclassified in the UK as Level 7, i.e. equivalent to a Master’s degree, and it’s considered to be a highly practical teaching qualification besides. It has been a definite advantage to me in my career, and what was even better was that my employer funded it! Try to find a school that will do the same for you.

Best of luck!
Sonja

Comment on 6. Surviving the first week by Mike Ranson

Mike Ranson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:30:37 +0000

Hello Sonya and thank you for taking the time to write this blog.

I am starting the Cambridge accredited CELTA in March (at the Liverpool International Language Academy) and have been looking into job opportunities post-qualification. From reading your blog and the comments following your first post, my first move is doubtless a series of summer jobs and temping.

However, I have grander ambitions: I started out with a first degree in biology which didn’t go further only due to a lack of money, but it also gave me a taste for academia and in particular, a fascination for the variety of teaching that I encountered, and through research I have decided I would like to aim for EAP.

Would you agree that my next obvious step post-CELTA is (aside from grabbing as much experience as possible) the DELTA? Most providers list at least one to two years of experience as a requirement for acceptance: is this always the case? Can I accumulate sufficient experience as a temping, summer jobbing CELTA-only teacher to meet that requirement?

What I’m afraid of is ending up in the same cleft stick that I was in with biology: just well enough qualified to be rejected for lab tech jobs, but not well enough qualified or experienced for a place on a research program.

Thanks for your time!

Regards,
Mike