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This year's Teacher Internship Programme has seen participants from the USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Spain and New Zealand. Here's what some of them had to say about the programme.
| “ | The ITP met my expectations in that there was a lot of training – both grammar and teacher training. I have never taught before, and I believed that Language Link would help me develop the necessary skills to be a teacher. The most challenging aspects of the ITP, for me, were all (almost) personal. Basically I learned a lot about myself and my personality that I didn’t know before. I was surprised at how well organised everything was. Also, the staff is really professional. When I told people in the US that I wanted to teach abroad, everyone was very pessimistic about it. Others warned me about scams and being treated poorly by the various companies. Language Link has been very professional. I’m happy they chose me. | ” |
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Tassi McKee
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | After four years of college in a secondary education program, I came into the ITP with a chip on my shoulder. It had never occurred to me that EFL would be different from teaching social studies. I couldn’t imagine at the start that I’d learn anything, but I learned a lot. The hardest part of the ITP for me was realising EFL is a totally different beast compared to social studies. My biggest challenge is still cutting down on TTT. I was most surprised by how much I learned, and how much there is to EFL. It really is teaching. | ” |
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Kyle McCarthy
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | I was expecting to come to Russia, blunder my way through the city, and memorise a bunch of rules and tables. All of that happened, but I didn’t expect that I would enjoy it. It was stressful, but more fun than college and I am definitely leaving feeling a lot more prepared than I ever expected to. What surprised me most? That Language Link cares about us becoming good teachers. And that you can teach Russians English without saying a word of Russian. The staff is incredibly helpful. Everyone really seems to care about helping us develop ourselves as teachers. | ” |
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Allison Muschinske
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | The ITP far exceeded my expectations. The first time I got up in front of my peers to do a demonstration on the board, I was so nervous I thought I was going to pass out. I’ve gone from that to confidently getting up in front of a class of new students and I know what I’m doing thanks to the ITP. The staff were very, very helpful. I always felt I had support and felt they were very approachable. I also really appreciated the fact that they were so honest and precise during feedback. It was hard and intensive, but I really enjoyed every moment of it. | ” |
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Dante Ackermann
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from South Africa
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| “ | I feel Language Link has provided about what I expected. It has provided not only the theory but also the real experience of teaching as well. I was surprised by the support I have received from staff members in the company, not just on the academic level but also on the personal level as well. I feel the staff really did a good job at supporting me in various ways throughout the duration of this month. | ” |
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Tyson Ralston
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | The ITP met my expectations and more. Not only did I learn how to teach, but my grammar and vocabulary has gotten better. The most challenging aspect? I would say actually standing in front of a class. I overcame that and now I’m more confident. The staff were very helpful. Whenever I had questions or problems, I could always find someone for help. Thank you for not only giving me an opportunity to teach students but also for making my grammar, vocabulary and phonetic skills better than they were before I started. | ” |
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Pierre Richard Jr
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | The ITP provided a thorough grounding in the methods of teaching. It reviewed grammar systematically and gave excellent opportunities to practice teaching in a controlled environment. The long days and late nights wear you down after a while, but the end result is worth all of the hard work. The phonetics are also a bit of a challenge! I was most surprised by how much fun the course was and how well everyone got on. The staff were delightful and helped whenever they could. I couldn’t fault them. | ” |
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Laura Gardner
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the UK
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| “ | It was definitely more work than I thought, but i learned a lot. So yes, it met my expectations tenfold! The most challenging? Definitely the trial classroom lessons. We have four weeks to learn how to teach. EFL teaching is a whole other world. You have to have lots of patience, humility and commitment. I didn’t think it was going to be as hands-on as it was. I loved how interactive the ITP ended up being. It gave me lots of good experience. | ” |
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Cole Margen
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | I heard it was a good program, but it exceeded my expectations in hands-on learning. It was brilliant how we were taught not by lecture at all but by almost all activities and eliciting the lesson from us and what we already knew. The staff were very helpful. They were very engaged and personable. Any time we needed something, they dropped what they were doing. | ” |
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Jessica Van Slyke
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | I learned much more about teaching than I expected. The methods that trainers used, as well as the materials, were all very informative and reassuring. Remembering grammar rules and phonetics was challenging. The opportunity to teach with supervision was unexpected, also the professionalism. The staff was very helpful. Everyone was very friendly, professional, knowledgeable and approachable. | ” |
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Dalen Aichlmayr
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | The ITP met my expectations and exceeded them...having been in Russia before, I understood that things here can be quite up in the air, and was expecting such. The ITP proved, however, that Language Link is full of supportive staff and that they really are very prepared both to get us on our feet as teachers and make sure we’re doing ok day to day here. Teaching so many different classes and therefore not getting to know students very well was challenging, but what surprised me about the ITP was that it was fun! | ” |
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Kaitlyn Arctander
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | The ITP exceeded my expectations in terms of the amount of preparation and support I received throughout the program. The instructors were extremely helpful and willing to assist in any way possible. The practice teaching and the introduction of phonetics were the most challenging. What surprised me was the amount of teachers and instructors available to assist me with lesson planning and preparation. Also, the time and effort which Language Link staff dedicated to the program overall. The staff were extremely helpful, always available for consultation, friendly and eager to help with any problems which arose. | ” |
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Brandon Para
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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| “ | I have been looking for a program like this since college – a course that really breaks down the English language and makes it presentable to students. Along with teaching methodology, I feel prepared to teach this year. For me, the phonetics were the most challenging as I had never studied them before. The staff were very helpful, at least one person was always around and everyone always had good ideas/ suggestions. | ” |
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Rebecca Wolpert
Teacher-Intern 2011-12
from the USA
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Testimonials from previous years |
