Nicola: United Kingdom: May 03, 2021

I consider myself to be a hard working and enthusiastic individual. I have approached many experiences and opportunities in life with a positive attitude, willing to give anything a go. Although I am very confident in myself, I am not an overly loud or outspoken person. My preference when communicating with others is to listen and reflect on the conversation before responding whenever this is possible, as it makes for clearer communicating. I feel this to be a positive attribute, especially in teaching, as it allows me to connect with others and really understand them.

Having qualified for my TEFL certificate at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have not yet had much opportunity to use my newly qualified skills. However, I feel that my university degree and my experience in informal learning settings has given me ideas on how I would approach teaching. I would emphasise confidence building and creating a positive learning environment for the students. This will allow them to explore the language they are learning without fear of reprimand or humiliation.

I am confident in my communication skills as throughout my life I have had a variety of experiences in which to practice. One key experience is that my sister has autism, which has meant that I have had to learn how to communicate with her as an individual. This can apply to language teaching, as a lot of what I say is very clear and precise as a result of communicating with her for many years. Another example of this is when I went to Zambia and helped run a children's camp. The children did not speak English, nor did I speak Bemba, but through enunciated words and clear non verbal communication we were able to successfully communicate together.