So, you’ve been teaching EFL for some time now. You know you enjoy the nature of the work, but you are seeking to grow. There are many different directions you could head in, and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is one of them.
Before you start, you need to know: if this is the road you are seeking, this is going to require some commitment and effort.
Personally, I knew I loved the world of English Language teaching, but I also knew I wanted a change from teaching young learners. I wanted to stretch my brain and learn some new skills and teach in a different style. My journey began when a colleague told me about summer pre-sessional courses in the UK (there are also such courses abroad in places like Vietnam and China). They sounded interesting AND they paid well. It is often on these courses that most teacher’s EAP teaching experience begins.
Pre-sessional courses are courses universities offer to their international students before they embark on their academic journey of obtaining an undergraduate degree or masters.
They focus on the skills required to survive and thrive in an academic environment, ranging from effective notetaking in lectures and partaking in seminars to researching and writing extended essays and avoiding plagiarism. So, you can see they are unlike your conventional EFL classes, but they build on a foundation of a solid English language level. Most students entering such courses are already at a B1/B2 stage. The sessions act as a booster so that students can cope with this new English language environment.
Unfortunately, I quickly realised that my (then) three years of EFL experience was not going to secure me an interview (although side note – it is not impossible. I’ll explain in a moment). I spoke to friends who were teaching EAP and realised I would need to invest in a DELTA. And so that journey began. My route into EAP was a fairly long one. It took me four years before I found myself teaching on one of those pre-sessional courses. However, now, with more experience in the field, I can inform you of some of the shortcuts.
Short cut number 1 – apply last minute
If you find yourself like I once was – with three years of EFL experience – my first piece of advice is – try your luck.
If you apply for a pre-sessional position in February when most Universities are advertising, you will most likely get rejected. However, if you can afford to wait last minute (around June/July time), sometimes with a strong application which reflects your potential, you can nab a place on a course. This is because academic institutions may be struggling to find teachers – especially if they have high student numbers.
There are many pre-sessional courses out there and not always enough teachers. With Brexit as well, such institutions are finding it harder to hire the European staff they once had access to. Granted student numbers have been somewhat lower this past year, but if the pandemic situation improves, my bet is the sign-ups will also increase accordingly. It is important to keep an eye on this.
If you do manage to get onto a course and want to take things further, however, you will need to consider investing in more training. If you prove yourself on the course, you should be able to secure yearly summer work. However, if you want to make EAP a full-year-round feature in your career, then you will need to take more steps.
Short cut number 2 – head straight for a master’s degree or intensive DELTA/ Diploma in TESOL
This is not a cheap option, and it is certainly not a light-hearted endeavour. It will be hard, and it will be stressful. It will be expensive. However, if you are a UK citizen, the government now offers funding for a master’s. This makes a master’s more readily accessible than a DELTA or Diploma in TESOL as you cannot easily borrow money for the latter.
Some Universities such as Leeds have been known to offer a combined DELTA and TESOL MA course so you can kill two birds with one stone! If you have both the DELTA and the TESOL MA – the world is your oyster.
The master’s appeals to Asian institutes and the DELTA/Dip in TESOL to more Western establishments. With a one-year master’s or a three-month intensive DELTA/ Dip in TESOL under your belt, you will quickly realise you now possess the magic key to unlock some of those once firmly shut doors.
Finally, another argument for the masters, in particular, is that you do a significant amount of academic research and essay writing. This means that when you come to teach academic skills, you are already highly familiar with many of the processes and experiences your students will also now be facing.
Why did I take so long to get where I am today, you might wonder? Funding was my main issue. The government support for masters didn’t become available until 2016 and I began my journey quite some time earlier. Sometimes the academy you work for can also help support you with your DELTA/Dip in TESOL, but it is a big-time commitment and expense and often this support will only be in the form of a discount.
Any other tips for me?
Yes, check out the BALEAP website
You may wish to invest in its membership and some of its courses. This is where they advertise all the jobs, although you can also find work via jobs.ac.uk.. If you are seeking long-term to work in EAP in the UK, be very aware – you will need to be highly qualified owing to the fierce competition. This will mean possibly having both the DELTA and the masters and there are also more specific professional routes/courses on top of this such as the BALEAP and HEA
Consider China for further experience (and money) EAP is definitely on the rise there and it is much easier to gain experience overseas than trying to compete for a year-round position in the UK.
The last permanent role I applied for in the UK had 140 applicants for one position. You will find the competition less fierce abroad.
You can also read up on EAP in more detail here:
The British Council
EAP Foundation
Academic English UK
So all in all – let’s summarise
The not-so-good news? – It is going to require effort, time and money. It’s all about lining your ducks up in a row and going for it. You’ll need a strategy. And sometimes it can be about being in the right place at the right time.
The good news? – If you embark on this path you’re going to grow. You’re going to be challenged in a positive way and you will watch your confidence increase. You’ll start to feel like an ‘expert’ and that can be an empowering feeling and great for self-worth.
The world will unfold and for all your investment, your bank balance will eventually start to look much healthier compared to your old EFL salary.
Teaching at university level is also really fun and rewarding. If you’ve never been a massive fan of classroom management, you may also find this aspect eases a little. If you enjoy learning about the nuts and bolts of writing- you’ll love this line of work.
So, if this sounds like the path for you, start thinking about how to approach it. Even if you decide not to pursue EAP – getting further qualified is never a bad move.
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By Lauren Gurteen
Blog:efl teacher traveller
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