Katrin
Job title
Team Leader, Modern Foreign Languages
Institution and location
Oak Parks High School, Ilford
Industry sector
Teaching
Background
Learned Swedish through Swedish mother
Picked up French and German at school, and some Italian through a lunch-time club
Studied for a BA in French with History, spent the year abroad in Marseilles
Completed a PGCE in French and German
What attracted you to languages?
Speaking two languages from an early age gave me a sense of the world as much larger than the High Street where I lived and I have always enjoyed the sense of being able to communicate with other non-English speakers. I find languages exciting. I’d like to think I communicate a love of languages in my lessons. Working in European countries after university was a useful opportunity to enrich my vocabulary and use French and German daily. I realised then how useful my language skills were, my languages came alive, it was a huge contrast to learning in a classroom or lecture hall.
What is involved in your job?
My main role at work is to lead and manage the Modern Languages department of a busy secondary school. I teach 18 hours a week across the 11-18 age range including exam classes. Obviously I use my languages every day albeit at a fairly rudimentary level. A level teaching gives me the opportunity to try and stretch my skills and keeps me on my linguistic toes. Apart from teaching my job involves managing the rest of the team, promoting languages and language learning within the school and trying to raise achievement and ensure languages are kept alive in the curriculum as well as keeping up to date with all the administration, budget control, reports and contact with parents and senior management.
Do you have any advice for prospective language teachers?
Teaching is incredibly varied and never boring. It is essential to like children and enjoy interacting with them. It’s a good idea to try working with children in some capacity before embarking on the course just to make sure you do. You could also try and visit a variety of different schools first to observe some lessons and chat to teachers. Most schools welcome interested candidates. It’s also worth remembering that most Primary Schools will have to offer a modern foreign language by 2010 so it’s worth investigating the primary route too.