Dear All,
IĄŻve just signed up for this forum and thought that I
would try and send this around. Hope youĄŻll be able
to help me find the best way to become a qualified
Chinese teacher. Very glad to join you!
I worked as a Chinese Teacher in a secondary school in
China for two years after obtaining a BA in Chinese
Language and Literature Education. Although I have
been in UK for some 7 years, itĄŻs only recently that
I thought seriously about entering the profession of
TCFL.
My 4-year-old son, who is in pre-school, is speaking
more and more English despite our constant effort of
speaking only in Mandarin at home. We are so concerned
about this that IĄŻve decided to give up my current
job so that I can teach him and another child
(daughter of our friends) Chinese after school from
September when heĄŻll go to the local school. Then I
thought perhaps I could teach Chinese in a school
setting one day?
Having read through the informative web pages about
Chinese professional development on SAAT website, I
still have some questions. IĄŻve browsed online the
Goldsmiths PGCE Secondary (flexible programme) and
SOAS CTCFL course, which are the two closest to Oxford
where I live.
It looks that for the PGCE course, one would need
languages skills in a third language (preferably one
of the main European languages) in addition to English
and Chinese. Another drawback is that it involves
24-week school placement, with which I wonĄŻt have any
problems in two yearsĄŻ time as long as I could be
assigned to a local school. But at the moment I also
have a 2-year-old toddler to look after. Because of
our ĄŽfailureĄŻ in making his elder brother a native
Mandarin speaker, I would very much like to withdraw
his nursery place from September. Hopefully in the
crucial period of his language development, heĄŻll get
more exposure of Chinese and therefore develop Chinese
as mother tongue.
I know PGCE would be the best way of gaining a QTS but
the requirement of a European language puts my off.
IĄŻm not confident that IĄŻll be able to master French
in just two years, even if I start now. Is it
essential to meet this requirement?
As for the CTCFL course, it would suit me well in
terms of time commitment because classes are on
Saturdays. However, itĄŻs more like an initial
introduction. Will it serve as a good qualification
for the purpose of seeking employment? Or maybe it can
help one find an employer who agrees to sponsor the
GPT?
Sorry for the length of this message. I would be very
grateful for any information/advice/comments you might
be able to give me.
Many thanks
Jane Wang
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