The University College of the Fraser Valley is tapping into the global market for languages with the introduction of its newest program, Teaching English as Second Language (TESL).

Jim Andersen, the head of the Department of English and chair of the arts curriculum committee, says the program will give students the edge when it comes to getting teaching jobs overseas and here in Canada .

“The program is ideal for students with a sense of adventure, particularly those currently working on the Bachelor of Arts degrees who have yet to decide on a career,” he says.

While students can teach almost anywhere in the world, the best opportunities are in Asia , in countries such as Japan , South Korea and mainland China .

“It’s vast. It’s a huge market,” says Andersen. “English is so much the language of business.”

An estimated 20,000 people teach TESL programs worldwide, with about 40 per cent working in Asia . Europe and Latin America are the next biggest destinations, each employing about a quarter of the people in TESL jobs.

UCFV’s plan is to give students both the practical and theoretical background needed for TESL jobs. Many private TESL programs only focus on the practical, says Andersen, so UCFV’s certified program should give graduates the edge.

“This will give them a much higher level of qualification.”

TESL is a growth industry and offers students flexibility and the option of training for a good short-term job or a long-term career overseas, says Andersen. It also means other opportunities such as working with ESL programs in Canada .

Canadians travelling overseas to teach English generally work at private institutions, public schools or universities. The length of contracts varies but many jobs last for at least a year.

UCFV’s ESL faculty and its English department designed the new program, with help from the Modern Languages department. The organizers set it up so that students can complete their TESL certificate at the same time as they are working on their UCFV degree.

“We’re aiming at our own undergraduates,” he says.

He adds that those students who plan on teaching school in Canada might want to consider TESL as a back-up plan or even a way to help them get into a teaching program.

“This is a good plan B,” he says.

The program also accommodates people who alrady have degrees. Many graduates could earn their certificate by simply by taking the TESL courses, including a practicum, as well as two required linguistics courses and a prerequisite English course.

“We realized if we configured the program the right way, our grads could take courses too,” says Andersen.

For more information about UCFV’s new TESL program, call contact Mandy Watts in Continuing Studies at 604-864-4638 or 604-792-0025, local 4638, or visit our website at www.ucfv.ca/cs