The Teacher Experience

Work Package 3 (WP3) focuses on the experience of language teachers, at a time when recruitment and retention across the UK jurisdictions is an increasing challenge. As the number and breadth of undergraduate language programmes reduces, retaining the teachers already in the profession becomes ever more important. WP3 looks at attitudes towards language teaching as a career, and supports newly qualified and post-probation teachers (NQTs) to grow in confidence and move into successful teaching careers.

The work package has two strands. The first collects data, through a suite of surveys, to understand attitudes towards language teaching among upper secondary students, undergraduate and initial teacher education (ITE) students, MFL mentors (in Wales and Scotland only), British Council language assistants, and teachers of languages and other subjects, across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. The surveys are available in Welsh, Irish and English, and some respondents will be invited to complete a second survey later in the project to track how attitudes change over time. The second strand develops and delivers a mentoring programme, bringing together 40 mentors and 40 mentees for one-to-one online sessions to support newly qualified teachers of languages.

Research Questions

What are the key factors influencing attitudes towards teaching languages as a profession across the range of engaged stakeholders, and how could this explain the challenges being experienced in ITE recruitment for languages?

How do the needs of newly qualified teachers compare across the Celtic nations?

To what extent does mentoring raise self-reported confidence, competence and a sense of belonging amongst newly qualified teachers? What are the required conditions, and what is the potential impact on teacher retention?

Get Involved

We are keen for our surveys and mentoring programme to reach as many people as possible. Please help us share information about the surveys, and about the mentoring programme for newly qualified teachers, with colleagues and on social media.

Sharing the Findings

Findings from WP3, together with WP1, will be brought together in four round-table events, one in each jurisdiction, producing a report to inform jurisdictional policy on teacher and ITE recruitment. The mentoring strand will also produce a toolkit, alongside a report on lessons learnt and sustainability.