Academic Consultant: English Teachers’ Development Webinars

About the project 

English Connects is an exciting global programme that builds on decades of expertise, research, delivery experience, learning, and evaluation. It is a digital programme that will annually engage: a million teachers and teacher educators in intensive, international opportunities to develop their professional practice in areas of their choice; and a further 25 million through broadcast development opportunities.

It creates and manages a global community of English language teachers and teacher educators and a suite of digital resources and content for English language teaching and teachers’ and teacher educators’ continuing professional development (CPD) with opportunities: 

• for CPD through resources - Digital, self-access, non-formal opportunities for teacher continuing professional development e.g. access content for teaching and non-formal CPD and attend live events and webinars
• to engage in event and communities of practice; connect internationally with other teachers and teacher educators by being a member of and/or managing the online community/community of practice, attend events to meet, share and learn from peers and the best in international ELT, professionalise and exercise teacher agency and voice in English language education by taking part in research, testing, piloting and innovating new products/content.

In Nepal, in collaboration with Nepal English Language Teacher's Association (NELTA), we have been hosting a series of webinars since May 2020 (the start of the first lockdown in Nepal). More information regarding the webinars can be accessed here

As a part of English Connects, we, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), Bhaktapur have also developed 88 audio lessons of English for upper and lower primary levels based on the curriculum of Nepal. More information on this can be found here

About the Role 

We are seeking an academic consultant to support the British Council Nepal, English Programmes team in the delivery of the English Connects programme. This will involve working closely with the team in Nepal remotely, designing and delivering sessions, and mentoring a local consultant in the design and delivery of sessions in the future. It will also involve working independently to develop resources for teachers. 

Main duties:

• Plan and deliver the first six sessions of the monthly Teachers’ CPD Webinar Series focusing on the teaching of listening and speaking of English in collaboration with a local consultant (with a view to preparing the local consultant to design and deliver future webinars)
• Support the local consultant in the design and delivery of six subsequent webinars in the second half of the year.
• Review the 20 recordings of the Teachers’ CPD Webinar Series which have already been completed and design tasks for fortnightly quizzes, set up a system for evaluating quiz responses, and deciding on prize winners. 
• Review a series of audio lessons for upper and lower primary levels, create a guidance document, and webinar sessions on how to use the audio lessons with students (either in the classroom or as supplementary resources). This will include the delivery of four virtual sessions for teachers. 
• Ensure materials demonstrate British Council expertise in safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, and environmental policies and standards.
• Remotely facilitate regular progress review meetings with the project team.

Number of required days:  35

For more information please scroll down and download the 'Outputs and tentative schedule' document  

Qualifications and experience required

Essential

• Cambridge Delta (or equivalent)
• Experience in designing and delivering webinars to a large group of teachers from low resource contexts
• Evidence of successful writing and designing high-quality online materials 
• Evidence of delivering high-quality work, as commissioned, to the deadline, and without close supervision
• Experience in teaching professionals

Desirable

Experience of designing teacher development content for government school teachers in Nepal and/or similar contexts

If you are interested, please send:

• CV 
• covering letter tailored to the above requirements (max 500 words) 
• statement of expected fees 
• three examples of your online materials/session plan aimed at a similar audience 
• names of two referees who are familiar with your materials writing work to: 

Radha.Pun@britishcouncil.org.np with the subject heading: Academic Consultant.

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