The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Certificate Program may be a long title, but the information gained from the TESOL program will be invaluable to people around the world.
The University will offer TESOL during the summer, targeting individuals wishing to teach English abroad or to bridge the cultural gaps in minority communities.
Toby Brody, director of English as a Second Language, oversees the three segments of N.C. State’s ESL division and has been a part of the creation of the Art of Teaching Masters program, a fast track to teaching licensure and a Masters degree.
“There are over 3,000 foreign students taking classes on campus. We provide FLE courses to these students. We also work with the College of Education to offer an ESL licensure program, a state certification that adds to the qualifications of a teacher,” Brody said.
“The last of the three [ESL segments] is a five-week, intensive English language program. We bring international students to campus to learn or improve their English skills,” Brody said.
The TESOL program is three months long, taught in the evenings and Saturdays. The first two months are instructional and the last month, July, is an internship. Brody said that students in the TESOL program help teach the intensive English program and use the hours spent teaching to meet the requirements.
“The difference between the licensure program and the certificate is that the licensure is for students already in education and the certificate is for those interested in teaching overseas, working in a migrant community or volunteering in those same communities,” Brody said.
According to Brody, North Carolina has one of the highest growth rates of immigrants in the nation. This, coupled with the large number of individuals interested in teaching ESL, creates an opportunity for the TESOL certificate.
“There is a growing need for people qualified to educate the growing immigrant communities. Native English speakers are in great demand for positions such as these and any who have been trained to teach English as a foreign language have a great advantage,” Brody said.
A lot of younger people are interested in teaching ESL, but not at public schools. Many of these same people are “seeking an experience abroad, living and working,” according to Brody.
Jaimee Decatur, a junior in Japanese and Japanese culture, is one such student. She is currently studying abroad in Japan and is looking forward to returning after graduation.
“This program certainly sounds promising and very useful for anyone going to teach overseas. I’m quite interested in a program like this, and think it would give me a boost over the competition in the teaching market,” Decatur said.
Decatur did have a few concerns about how new the program is.
“Results from students that have used this course successfully in their career, or even some assurance that this program will be seen as a good thing to potential employers, would go a long way in reassuring me,” Decatur said. “I’ve heard employers sometimes like to have a blank slate to work with, so this could turn out to be a handicap. Otherwise, it seems fairly sound, if new.”
When asked about the many options available, Decatur responded, “I like the various course offerings and it’s good that they offer loans.”
Brody mentioned that the TESOL program is a stand alone, non-academic program and has no scholarship linked to it, but the school does offer the Sally-Mae.
“I hope to give everyone interested in teaching English an opportunity for rigorous training in the subject and improve the education foreigners receive,” Brody said.
Further information about the program can be found at continuingeducation.ncsu.edu/tesol.html or by contacting Toby Brody. Keep an eye out for flyers, ads, emails and even craigslist for information.
