Changing career paths: How the CertTESOL opened new doors for Suzanne

After more than two decades working in further education, Suzanne Delaney found herself looking for new opportunities to develop her skills. Having spent years as an adult literacy subject specialist, she had always been aware of the differences between literacy teaching and ESOL. However, it wasn’t until she had the chance to pursue further training that she could focus on bridging that gap.

“I felt very lucky that I was able to do this course because it was something that I’d wanted to do for quite a while,” she recalls.

Suzanne had been teaching employability and community interpreting, where she developed resources and delivered courses at Bolton College. However, she soon realised that explaining language structures to ESOL learners required a completely different skill set. “If they said to me, Suzanne, why are you using that verb tense in that sentence? I couldn’t explain it.”

Determined to upskill, when she saw a LinkedIn post about a funded CertTESOL place, she knew it was the right time. “I thought, oh, that looks amazing. That is just what I need.”

An intensive but rewarding challenge

The application process for the CertTESOL was rigorous, something that Suzanne didn’t anticipate. “I went into it thinking, I’m a teacher, this will be dead easy. How wrong I was.”

After a process involving several interviews, Suzanne found herself on the course. “Literally, after about the first week, I thought, this isn’t easy. What have I signed up for?”

The demands of balancing full-time work and study were intense, but she found the structured approach of Train-to-TEFL helped her stay on track. “They were rigorous, and I mean rigorous. You had no choice but to do your work.”

Despite the challenges, she saw immediate benefits. “The things that they were teaching us on this course, they were helping me in my work - things like miming, adapting your register, all the techniques they were teaching you, they really came into play.”

A new career and a renewed purpose

Halfway through the course, Suzanne was offered a new role working on the Alleviating Barriers Project in Bolton. “I am now working very closely with the Bolton ESOL lead. It’s all about breaking down those barriers that people have with the language and getting them into work, education, training.”

Through her work, Suzanne has been able to apply what she learned on the CertTESOL in practical ways. “Somebody came in and said, we’ve got a lady here and I can’t understand what she’s trying to say. I was like, oh right, I can try and come and try using some of my skills that I’m learning. I adapted my register, I used mime, and I managed to help her. I was so pleased about it.”

She is also now working to develop an employability course that incorporates ESOL-friendly approaches.

Final reflections

For Suzanne, completing the CertTESOL was a tough but transformative experience. “It was very difficult, but very, you know, rewarding.” One of the biggest surprises was how much she had to unlearn from her previous teaching experiences. “I think I had a lot of bad habits that I hadn’t realised until my observation feedback.”

She also developed a deep appreciation for the learner experience through the unknown language module, a unique component of the course designed to give trainees firsthand experience of being a beginner in a language classroom, helping them develop empathy and awareness of effective teaching techniques.

 “It was amazing because it really gave you a feel for how our students are feeling.”

Now, she is determined to give back to her community. “I’m going to use my volunteer days that I get at work to do some ESOL teaching in the community because I’m really passionate about that.”