Languages help students to go far

Language students from Stirling University are swapping the campus for schools and universities around the world as part of an international placement programme.

Six Masters students in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) have travelled to Brazil, Germany and Hungary, to put their teaching skills to the test.

The overseas university partnership has tripled in size this year, with Hungary and Germany joining the potential placement destinations for students.

Peerapat Singlong, from Thailand, has recently travelled to Hungary to take up a teaching placement at Széchenyi István University in Gyr.

Student Yingying Wu, from China, is undertaking a placement in Germany in partnership with Leuphana Universität Lüneburg.

She said: “When I moved to Stirling, it was the first time I had been away from China, and it’s been such an exciting experience.

“I’m now looking forward to applying the skills I have learned in the MSc in TESOL at this University in another country and also to gain experience teaching in a high school in Lüneburg.”

Stuart Milne, from Aberdeen, has travelled to São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil, alongside two other Stirling students – from Thailand and Vietnam. The Stirling cohort will help Brazilian undergraduates prepare to sit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam.

Dr Vander Viana, lecturer in TESOL and applied linguistics at the University of Stirling, said: “The opportunity to apply their English language teaching skills abroad is a fantastic opportunity for our TESOL students to practice what they have learned throughout the year on the Master’s programme and to add to the practical skill set that they need to enter or progress in the job market.”