Language education students spread their skills worldwide

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TESOL students

Language education students from the University of Stirling are heading overseas this month as part of an international placement scheme.

The Masters students in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) will spend up to two months in Hungary and Germany putting their skills to the test.

The placements will give the students the chance to expand on their international experiences, after they came to Stirling from around the world to undertake an MSc in TESOL.

Yu Gong and Wensu Xie, both from China, set off for Leuphana University of Lüneburg, in Germany, last week.

Xiangrui Li, from China, Esther Chiang, from Taiwan, and Marta Szostko, from Poland, will travel to Széchenyi István University, in Hungary, in the next week.

Marta, 24, said: “I've always wanted to teach foreign languages as I am a foreign language enthusiast and helping other people learn is something that I enjoy.

“Spending time in Hungary is the best possible option for me as I can put everything into practice and take every possible chance for self-development.”

Esther, 23, said: “I think my time in Hungary will definitely boost my cross-cultural experience which is so very important in the globalised world we live in.” 

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Dr Vander Viana
Lecturer in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
Our international placement scheme has been running for four years now, and I'm delighted to see it go from strength to strength.

Dr Vander Viana, lecturer in TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the University of Stirling, said: “Our international placement scheme has been running for four years now, and I'm delighted to see it go from strength to strength. 

“We currently offer two placement destinations to our students depending on how much teaching experience they have. Novice teachers can be tutored in one of the placements while experienced teachers have the opportunity to design, deliver and assess a full module by themselves. 

“Overall, this international placement scheme plays a key role in enhancing our TESOL students' interpersonal, intercultural, pedagogical and employability skills.  This is a unique experience that makes them stand out from other recent Masters graduates."

Background information

Media enquiries to Rosie Free, Communications Officer, on 01786 466169 or rosemary.free@stir.ac.uk