Hi my name is Chiara Macri and I am a student at Coventry University. I have to be honest, I knew about the language courses on offer and that I had an opportunity to teach Italian – my native language, with Linguae Mundi before beginning my course at Coventry University, and even before landing in the UK. I didn’t really know what to expect though. I could teach my language and share my culture, which I was really enthusiastic about, but I asked myself: how will I teach?
The last couple of weeks of summer were completely dedicated to the Linguae Mundi summer tutor training, and I couldn’t have spent my time better. I applied online, had an interview and there I was, ready to start this adventure. Forget about social barriers and uncomfortable shyness, with the Linguae Mundi training you will be involved in practical teaching sessions, group activities and a very direct and effective immersion in the world of teaching foreign languages.
Tutors and Mentors at the training were incredibly helpful. They not only gave us hints and advice, but they put us in their positions. During each of the sessions, the roles swapped from them to us. At the end of the training, we not only had a theoretical approach to teaching a foreign language, but we also had our own practical experience, our reflections on mistakes and the opportunity to improve.
The other students were for me a model to follow. Everyone at the training was very motivated and enjoyed teaching and learning new languages. We were all from different countries, spoke a variety of languages and had different cultures and interests, but we all had one thing in common… passion! This, believe me, was very clear, especially during the ‘microteaching sessions’. I fell in love with so many different languages and now have the desire of studying them, because of the passion my training colleagues demonstrated during their brief teachings. We were together almost all day and for many weeks during that time. I am grateful for all of the beautiful encounters and new friendships I made during those weeks.
If you have ever felt enthusiastic about teaching your native language, I strongly encourage you to join Linguae Mundi tutor training, something that you will never regret.
Each year the Centre for Global Engagement offers native speakers of various languages the chance to participate in free, professional tutor training and language teaching practice. Being a tutor is an extremely rewarding experience, so if you are a native speaker of a foreign language and passionate about sharing your language and culture, we would love to hear from you.
Applications for trainee language tutors are NOW OPEN. Recruitment takes place in March and September each year.
If you would like more information before applying, please contact the Linguae Mundi team at linguaemundi.cge@coventry.ac.uk, call us on 024 7765 2985, or visit our webpage.
