Needs Analyst: English in Ukrainian Armed Forces Academies

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project aims to develop a comprehensive career-long language training system for the UAF through the armed forces academies; ensuring military personnel can receive relevant, effective, high quality language development to enable them to take part efficiently in international collaboration initiatives. This consultancy will explore the needs of language instruction in the UAF and identify the scope and direction for the project.

The British Council Ukraine will assist in the testing of English language proficiency of instructors and a sample of students from each academy through Aptis (the British Council English proficiency exam), as well as organising and managing the field visits (including transfers and accommodation, and providing support with liaising with the academies, timetabling meetings and translation).

The output will be a report summarising the extent and impact of previous interventions, the current situation regarding teaching and learning of English (and other languages) and identifying recommendations for the development of the language training system for the UAF.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a consultant who will conduct a ten-day needs analysis/audit of the seven UAF academies in Ukraine, identifying current teaching practices and proficiency of instructors, attitudes and beliefs of instructors and students to current language instruction, facilities and resources available. 

The consultant will conduct a comprehensive review of previous interventions into the seven UAF Academies as well as undertake an in-country audit to assess all seven academies in the areas of both students' and instructors' language proficiency, instructors' teaching proficiency, classroom and lab facilities, teaching and learning resources, including software.

Deliverables of the consultant:

To work in collaboration with the British Council Kyiv office to carry out the following tasks and activities:

Stage 1: conduct desk research summarising the scope and impact of previous historical interventions which supported language instruction in the UAF. Make preparations (including preparing data collection tools) for the field visit.

Stage 2: in cooperation with British Council Kyiv team, plan and conduct all visits to conduct interviews with administrators, instructor and student interviews/focus group meetings, observation of teaching and analysis of curricular materials to look into standards of English provision across the different academies. 

Stage 3: analysis of data collected during the desk research and site visit for input to a draft written report and a presentation, both of which will be submitted to the British Council Kyiv.

Proposed timeline for 20 days of consultancy:

June – five days desk research and preparation

June/July – ten days site visit

July – five days report writing

July – submit report 

There is a possibility that the consultant will be called back to Kyiv to present the findings if required. 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Qualifications

• Minimum Master’s degree in either ELT teaching or education
• Fully qualified as a teacher of English, preferably with an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) focus.

Skills and Experience 

• A thorough understanding of ESP theory and practice, preferably with experience of English for Armed Forces / Military Personnel
• Knowledge of relevant international standards and frameworks e.g. NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG)
• Preferably experience of Ukraine and/or the region.
• Awareness of course design, teaching and assessment in teaching English in specific purposes settings
• Thorough understanding of quality assurance and teacher professional development 
• Ability to carry out consultancies, demonstrating sensitive communication to clients, ability to work as part of a remote team
• Minimum five years' teaching experience, ideally in ESP 
• Experience and evidence of conducting needs analyses and audits and of collecting qualitative and quantitative data in teaching and learning English 
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills.

If you are interested, please send a cover letter and your CV tailored to the above requirements to simon.etherton@britishcouncil.org with the subject 'UAF Consultant’.

Please note, we can only respond to successful applicants and only within 15 working days of the application deadline.