Wendy
Job title
Senior Programme Officer
Company and location
British Council
Northern Ireland
Industry sector
Education
Background
Methodist College, Belfast
University of London ( Goldsmiths College) – honours degree in French and Ancient Greek
Belfast Institute of Further & Higher Education – LCCI Diploma in European Business Administration
Queen’s University Belfast – Diploma in TEFL; Masters in English Language Teaching
I have spent several periods living and working abroad - one year in France as an English Language Teaching Assistant; and one year in Galicia teaching English in a private Academia. I have also spent a month in Poland teaching English on a UNESCO summer camp and a month working for the University of Leon in Spain. Whilst at school I took part in various exchanges to France and spend a summer working as an Au Pair in Belgium
Why is Spanish important for your job?
I am responsible for the management, promotion, evaluation and development of the Language Assistants programme in Northern Ireland. This includes English Language Assistants (outgoing), Modern Language Assistants (incoming) and Irish Language Assistants. In addition, I also have responsibility for the Charles de Gaulle Bursary Scheme in the UK and France.
I am sending approximately 40 students to Spain/Latin America every year to work as Language Assistants in schools and receiving 35 incoming assistants from Spain and Latin America. We work in co-operation with education departments within these countries, and the ability to converse in Spanish is a huge advantage. The meetings that we have in relation to the programmes are normally conducted in Spanish. It is also important for reading the application forms and being able to allocate candidates to posts that suit their personal profiles.
Do you speak any other language?
French
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Although I have been working on and off on the same programmes for almost 13 years, there are always new challenges to face or different issues to deal with. I enjoy the human side of the work that I do, in other words the direct contact that I have with people. As the programmes operate on an annual cycle, the participants are constantly changing, and come from a variety of backgrounds and countries worldwide; there are never two individuals the same!
I also enjoy being able to put my language skills to good use.
What experience and other job skills are needed?
In order to carry out my particular job, it helps to have spent some time living/working abroad as this gives a valuable insight into the kinds of problems and concerns programme participants will have. A good command of the French language plus a working knowledge of either Spanish/German is essential. IT skills are required and an ability to manage budgets. As a lot of the work is customer-focussed it is important to have strong communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to negotiate and be diplomatic. As the work is within the educational sector, it helps to have an in-depth knowledge of the education system in Northern Ireland and in other countries where the programme operates.
Source:Consejería de Educación