Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Foreign Language Teaching

What students say about our TESOL program

Every morning I wake up and I’m excited, because I get to go to the school and share my knowledge with the students.

“I am so grateful for the program, it’s what made my CV stand out to the embassy. The Master of TESOL and FLT has opened so many doors for me.

Phuong Nguyen graduated with a Master of TESOL and Foreign Language Teaching in 2023. For more on her story see Uncover; Alumni Stories, "From Hanoi to Canberra, and then the world: Phuong on her journey to teach in the US".

One of my best experiences was studying in TESOL program ... at University of Canberra. I completed both Master and Doctoral degrees in this program. For me, the professors at the TESOL program offered me the practical learning that I needed to succeed after graduation along with a caring and supportive environment that was attentive to the needs of international students like me.  Moreover, all professors especially my supervisors were easy to reach. They always gave me great guidance and feedback.  If I have one more chance to select a place to further my study, TESOL program of University of Canberra would certainly be my first choice again.

Paitaya Meesat graduated with a B.A. (Thai) and M.A. (Thai) from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.  She also graduated with a M.A. and PhD. from University of Canberra, Australia.  Paitaya has worked as a lecturer at Dhurakij Pundit University, Thailand since 2006

It was a great journey studying at the TESOL program. I learned not only solid theoretical aspects of English language teaching, but also the practical ones. The acquisition of those aspects significantly contributed to the advancement of my skills as a teacher of English, and in turn to my career. Thanks for the lecturers who had shared their extensive experience and knowledge. Now, I'm back to learn more from the TESOL Ph.D program.

Didin Hidayat, Indonesia, TESOL Master Program 2007-2009, TESOL Ph.D Program from 2013

Practical Experience

Students undertaking our TESOL courses are required to observe and review classes at an approved institution at a location convenient to the student. Opportunities to engage in tutoring and classroom teaching (this is often the case) are also provided as part of the program.

Graduates from our program frequently find employment locally within the UC family as well as in other post-secondary language teaching programs in the ACT, across Australia and, of course, overseas.

One Story

FROM HANOI TO CANBERRA, AND THEN THE WORLD:
PHUONG ON HER JOURNEY TO TEACH IN THE US

I accessed the most advanced teaching methods from Australia and practised with the students at Hanoi University. Practicum was built into the assessment, we would learn the theory, then have a demo teaching session, teaching directly to first year students in HANU.

Read more of Phuong's story - UnCover Alumni Stories - From Hanoi to Canberra, and then the world: Phuong on her journey to teach in the US

Career Options

Wherever languages are learned there is a need for teachers. Qualified English as a Foreign or Second Language teachers are especially in demand in this era as English has become a global language. Teachers of foreign languages, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese can find jobs in government or private schools or ethnic schools which teach a variety of languages.

Opportunities for TESOL/FLT graduates from our courses are:

• Overseas: there is a huge demand, particularly for English teachers, from schools, colleges, universities and private language centres throughout the world. Most institutions, for purposes of quality, will only hire teachers with respectable academic qualifications.

• In Australia: the non-government sector is the main source of work, chiefly university and private language centres, Technical and Further Education colleges, such as the Canberra Institute of Technology, Dickson College, ANU College, and UC College.
  

Teaching languages in the Australian school system

In order to teach ESL or a foreign language in the Australian public school system you need a Bachelor Education or a Graduate Diploma of Education. Serving school teachers who are without specific academic qualifications in TESL may take our undergraduate subjects in Teaching English as a Second Language to upgrade their qualifications. Secondary or primary teachers of ESL or Languages Other Than English may enrol in our postgraduate courses for the sake of professional development and further opportunities in the teaching field.

Staff in the program are highly qualified and have rich international experience, in Japan, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, the Middle East, Great Britain, Germany, USA, New Zealand and Australia. They speak a number of languages and are passionate about the teaching and learning of languages. They have all received University of Canberra Teaching awards for their outstanding contribution to student learning. They have diverse areas of research expertise in language learning, such as language teaching methodology, blended language learning, applied linguistics, discourse analysis, intercultural communication, and lexicography.