Before you go, you should find out some basic facts about the education system of your host country.
The British Council office in-country may also have information and materials online to help you. You can find a list of country sites where we have a presence on the British Council homepage.
Make sure that you:
- prepare carefully and seriously for lessons
- arrange to discuss your work regularly with your mentor teacher
- arrive for class on time, even if the students are late
- show an interest in your students’ progress
- offer to make up time for classes missed.
Resources
To help you with teaching, you'll find extensive free tips and resources on our website teachingenglish.org.uk. You will also receive teaching resources when you receive your summer information pack.
You can also access free content from the Financial Times to use in classroom activities. You can register on behalf of your school once you’re in post.
Language Assistants Teaching English Course
The British Council is passionate about the English language and those who teach it. We’re here to help you to develop some of the teaching skills that will help you during your ELA placement. There are six free modules to get you started:
- Getting started
- Child protection (mandatory)*
- Understanding grammar
- Understanding special educational needs (SEN)
- Understanding grammar teaching – focus on form
- Reading skills using digital tools – engaging with learning technologies
*The Child Protection must be completed as part of your Child Protection induction with completion rates monitored.
The modules are free to all ELAs allocated for the year 2020/2021.
Please note that the course is optional but we strongly recommend that you undertake it to enhance your professional development. What's more, you’ll be joining a community of Language Assistants improving the performance and experience of their learners.
Individual modules
Personalise your training. Use our self-assessment tool to better understand your training needs and build your own programme from our complete range of three-hour self-study training modules. You can browse the modules here
Registration
You'll receive a registration email from British Council online learning in September/October (please keep an eye on your inbox and your spam folder). You'll then be able to access the course using the login details provided in your registration email. If you experience any technical difficulties or have any other queries, please click the 'Help' button on the bottom right of the webpage.