Language Teacher Review

I really did enjoy my placement. As part of it, I was placed in Spain so I found immersing myself in Spanish culture really fascinating and interesting with so much for me to learn from it. Furthermore, I got to meet many new people and learn about Spanish culture from them too.

Most of the time, I was working by myself as it was mainly one-on-one teaching sessions with my clients. However, we would occasionally have meetings where my progress would be reviewed and it was here that I really felt valued by my colleagues as it made me understand that my work was having an actual effect.

I was initially given lots of support and guidance by my supervisors. However, this was slowly reduced and in the end, it was completely stripped away. This was good as it encouraged me to think independently, as well as using what I had learnt, to craft the best lessons to help my clients.

I was never too busy on a daily basis as I usually had two clients to visit daily. Therefore, I never felt rushed so I could spend as much time as I needed with them but it also have me plenty of time to do what I wanted there and explore the culture there.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement as I was, at least by the end, expected to independently craft lesson plans and ensure that the clients made progress with their proficiency in English. I was also independently expected to arrange my own travel around the town I was working in.

I think the communication and teaching skills I developed will be useful for any job in the future as they are very much transferable. They will help me more specifcally if I do decide to go into teaching or something to do with languages, which I am considering after I finish my degree.

I generally did not work in an office but I went to other people's homes. At first it was quite awkward when visiting my clients' homes but after a while, as we got to know each other and loosened up, the atmosphere became much more light and more fun, which made the teaching much easier.

I think the overall placement was organised quite well, particularly in regards to how they slowly removed the support they gave me in order to make me work independently in the end. Furthermore, they organised my timetable quite well to allow me to travel with adequate time between different places to teach different clients.

I think they did invest quite a lot into me, especially at first, as they taught me how to deliver the lessons effectively and what precisely makes a good lesson. However, it also felt like they were relying too heavily on English being my native language before anything else, rather than developing me.

I would definitely love to work with them in the future and perhaps work in many different countries to experience many different cultures, for the added personal benefit of experiencing new things. We did leave on quite good terms so I would say this chance is not unlikely and hopefully quite probable.

There was not really a social scene between fellow placement colleagues as I did not really get to know them at all. I worked alone as I had one-on-one sessions and did not really work with them. The only chances I got to meet them were in the basis of professional meetings so no social scene was to be found here.

Living and socialising in the area I worked in was quite cheap. However, it is important to remember that this could vary based on which country and area you end up going to as the cost of living and socialising may be much more expensive in another country. Thus, you should do research on this before taking this placement.

There were many different opportunities of activities to do in the evening so the nightlife was amazing. There were many different bars and restaurants nearby. Again, it is worth doing research on the area you are planning on going as it is likely that this is dependent on the country, and more specifically, the area.

There were not many opportunities to get involved in activities outside work with colleagues. This was perhaps the only negative thing; I did not get to meet my colleagues so I could not grow a relationship with them and go out with them. Thus, I took part in such activities alone when it could