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Internships

Each year, Language Link offers teaching employment to a number of applicants who do not have a TEFL certificate or significant teaching experience. By joining Language Link as Teacher-Interns, these applicants receive 4 weeks of intensive TEFL training in Moscow prior to the start of their contract. They are then allocated their own groups and begin teaching independently, but training continues throughout the course of their paid 9-month internship in the form of seminars, written assignments, observations and feedback from supervisors, as well as regular academic support with Language Link's Teacher Trainers. There are approximately 30 vacancies for the Internship every year. Normally, our interns are recent university graduates looking for both an international experience and the opportunity to develop their skills as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. Intern Profile - Who are we looking for? Experience has shown that success as a teacher is not necessarily dependent upon having a formal TEFL Certification. This should not, however, be interpreted as meaning that almost anyone is capable of teaching English. Indeed, someone considering an Internship should realize from the start that speaking English is not the same as teaching English. In that same vein, being a university-trained English teacher without a TEFL qualification is, again, no guarantee of success in an English as a Foreign Language classroom. What must be remembered is that your greatest tool, a thorough knowledge of the English language (in the best of cases), is often of little value when facing a class of non-English speaking students. Therefore, it must be asked, 'How do I teach English if my students cannot speak English?' The answer lies in methodology and temperament. Of this latter quality it must be understood, students want to like their teachers; thus successful teachers owe part of their success to the following qualities: friendliness, a warm smile, enthusiasm, approachability and that sense of caring, called empathy. Indeed, many TEFL-qualified teachers have failed for exhibiting a lack of these traits, and though arousing a sense of empathy for the foreign language learner should be a crucial and mandatory part of any validated TEFL course (most often accomplished through the use of a mini-foreign language learning experience), learning to empathise is a more difficult endeavour. If possessing the aforementioned qualities were enough, then an internship would not be necessary. In other words, liking their teacher is not enough. The student must also be able to respect their teacher, and this is where learning methodology must come into play. Remember, good looks and a sense of humour can get you into a classroom, but it is never enough to keep you there. This is the role played by the training that an Intern receives. At Language Link, we are aware that the majority of those wishing to undertake an internship would not be able to support themselves were they to go through an unpaid traineeship. Therefore, Language Link has created an on-the-job traineeship which combines authentic classroom teaching with a programme of on-going in-sets and seminars. To see if you qualify for the Language Link Trainee Internship Programme (TIP), please review the 'Entry Requirements' below. Entry Requirements Applicants must: be at least 20 years old by the end of the course have an awareness of language and a competence in English, both spoken and written, which will enable them to succeed on the Teacher Training Internship Programme as well as to complete the written assignments successfully have the potential to develop the necessary skills to become effective classroom teachers While holding a degree would be helpful, it is not mandatory.