Being a teacher doesn’t mean you have to stop learning yourself. There are many opportunities to continue your professional development and in a varied range of different fields, from young learners to one-to-one teaching. With International House’s Online Teacher Training Institute, this is even easier, as you can study flexibly with experienced tutors in a virtual community of peers in the world of teaching.
In this article, Alex Leung, a teacher at IH Ho Chi Minh City and materials writer, tells us why he decided to take two courses with OTTI and how the experience opened his eyes to how much he enjoys the world of ELT.
A new season of IH OTTI courses are starting soon, so don’t delay in applying if you are interested in studying with us!
First of all, please tell us which courses you studied with the Online Teacher Training Institute.
I have studied on the IH Certificate of Advanced Methodology (IH CAM) and the IH Teacher Training Certificate (IH TT).
Why did you decide to take the course(s) with International House’s OTTI?
The courses were part of my development and seemed interesting and flexible enough, so I could both study and work during the day and evening.
How did you find the process of learning and being taught online?
I think I felt it was very different at first and unfamiliar because you expect a solid concrete answer to each task. Now I think that the answer is there to be discussed more so.
How did you find the course content?
The content was challenging on the IH CAM with input which I liked. I think all the courses have been at a high standard with the tasks that have been set. I think it would probably be worth implementing a synchronous task at least once on one module to make it even more varied in interaction. Even though that makes it less markable, it would probably be better for the students and the type of learning environment they can participate in.
How did you feel you benefited from the experience?
I was offered more money for another job and which possibly contributed to acquiring more responsibility in my current role. I think the experience with the IH CAM opened my eyes not only to how much I enjoyed the world of ELT but to online study too.
Would you recommend the OTTI to a friend or colleague?
Yes, I would thoroughly recommend the OTTI to a friend or a colleague because of the high standard of the courses that are available, and the weekly change of modules means that they are usually fast paced courses that are interesting and thus you are always kept engaged.
Alex got his Trinity CertTESOL in 2011. He has taught in Indonesia and in Vietnam where he is at the moment. He has the IH CAM, the recently completed IH TT, and has just started a Distance Delta 3 weeks ago. He has been working at a language company in Ho Chi Minh City as a materials writer and also teaches at IH Ho Chi Minh City part time. Alex has also been involved in Pearson Tests for Young Learners as both a facilitator and an assessor, as well as a facilitator for the Pearson Test of English for General English to adults.
