I had been teaching English for 8 years before I became the participant of the first cycle of the British Council INSETT (In Service Teacher Training) seminar which lasted from November, 2003 to January, 2005. I attended five residential seminars which covered such important modules of ELT (English Language Teaching) as reading, writing, listening, speaking, classroom management and the project work. Another important skill I developed was working in a team. In cooperation with three teachers we created the project on the use of authentic materials in ELT. The project "Authentic Materials" consists of newspaper articles and different tasks designed to improve students’ comprehension of mass media language and expanding their vocabulary. We also included recommendations for teachers, since newspaper materials often cause difficulties both for students and teachers. The project was successfully implemented in several schools of Baku.

I must admit that the INSETT seminars have been very useful for me as English teacher as I developed professionally and learned ways of teaching English using modern methods. The seminars helped me to build confidence and realise my potential as a teacher. Moreover, I have been able to consult and train my colleague less experienced in teaching.

After completion of the course in January 2005 we had two Networking events- the first in June, 2005 and the second in June, 2006. At these meetings we had a few very interesting sessions and got updated materials on ELT, including cassettes, brochures and recommendations. I think such events are very important as they enable us to exchange fresh ideas and share our recent teaching experience. I’d say they give me the feeling of participation in the British Council activities which is encouraging for further professional development.

I am very grateful to the Council’s management and all our trainers who I consider very competent and devoted teachers.