26 out 2017

by | in Career, Resources, Teacher Development

A question that is posed time and time again is whether teachers should take a BA in languages, known here in Brazil as Letras, or take the CELTA. I wish there was a simple answer to this question, but truth is: it’s complicated. Some would say that taking a Letras course is the way to be or become a teacher. After all, you wouldn’t expect a doctor to take a four-month course and then hold a license, or for someone to take an intensive, one-month course and then be...

05 dez 2016

by | in Career, Teacher Development

I’ll admit to having mixed feelings about this, but I’ve reached that age when I’ve turned into a kind of Agony Aunt to my younger colleagues and friends. The 20-somethings come to me with their career choices and, boy, do they ask difficult questions! Their fork in the road often goes along the lines of, “Should I do a CAE or a CELTA?”, “Should I go to college or work on my language?”, or “What do teachers need more (urgently): language or methodology?” You’ve probably seen these questions before,...

06 jan 2014

by | in Career

Ano novo, hora de colocar as promessas em prática: fazer dieta e começar a caminhar para perder peso e ganhar saúde. Há uma turma, no entanto, que ainda vai ter de esperar um pouco para começar outro tipo de caminhada: os participantes do ENEM 2014, que esperam pelo resultado dos exames para começar seus estudos na universidade. Neste post de início de ano, gostaria de me dirigir a meus futuros colegas – os próximos calouros de Letras, aqueles que neste momento aguardam a chance de iniciar sua caminhada profissional...