Course overview

At Portsmouth, studying TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) offers you the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills you need to become a teacher of English as a second language, abroad or in the UK.

Students learn from a teaching team with a wide range of experience of teaching at primary, secondary and tertiary level, and in the state and private sectors in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and in the British school system. Many have published widely in their specialist areas of English teaching and linguistics.

A distinctive feature of the course is the opportunity for suitably qualified students to enrol on the Trinity College London Cert TESOL, a professional qualification in teaching English to speakers of other languages, as part of the degree programme. (Please note: It is not an automatic right for students to enrol on the Trinity College London CertTESOL . There are a limited number of places and students must meet the entry requirements. These include a written test and an interview.)

Course content

You will study the English language and how it is learned and taught in order to acquire the necessary professional knowledge and skills.  In the first year you will be introduced to the fundamentals of the study of language, as well as the basic principles of teaching methodology. In the second year, while you deepen your knowledge of language, the learner and methodology, you will have the opportunity to teach some English language classes. In your third year you will research an aspect of English language teaching/learning which interests you.

Year 1

• Languages, Society and Mind
• Working with Texts
• Language & Language Teaching 1
• How Language Works
• Studying at University
• Starting Language Research

Year 2

• Development of Learning
• Second language Acquisition and Bilingualism
• ESOL Teaching Practice
• Language and Language Teaching 2
• Two options from:
  • Meaning in English
  • Style in English
  • Managing across Cultures
  • TESOL Materials Assignment
  • Nation, Language and Identity
  • Languages
  • Learning from Experience

Year 3

• Dissertation/Major Project
• Learners & their Contexts
• Principles & Practice of ELT
• Two options from:
  • Using Technology in ELT
  • Language Education & Development
  • Creative Activities in the Language Classroom
  • English in the World

Teaching and assessment

This is a course based to a large extent on experiential learning. There will be opportunities to teach classes, observe professional teachers and also to experience learning a language yourself. You will be prepared for teaching experiences thoroughly, including through peer teaching.

You will participate in seminars, where issues encountered in lectures or reading will be discussed and explored further. In workshops you will work on the practical application of theories. The University’s virtual learning environment will enable you to build effectively on the knowledge and skills gained in class.

Our assessment methods are varied, with relatively few formal examinations. The emphasis is on continuous assessment. Assessment include essays, case studies, a dissertation, oral presentations and research projects but also lesson plans, observation of classes, reflective journals, profiles of learners and linguistic analyses.

Career prospects

After you complete this degree, you have various possibilities:

• Students with the Trinity Cert TESOL are equipped to teach in language schools worldwide;
• you could  apply for  a PGCE in English for Secondary or Further Education;
• students from outside the UK  can return to their  own country to teach;
• after some teaching experience, you can do an MA in Applied Linguistics and ELT;
• you can work in educational publishing or in curriculum-related areas.

This programme does not confer Qualified Teacher Status in the UK.

Facilities and features

Why study at Portsmouth?

Portsmouth is unique in that the University is based in a campus that is in the heart of the city and also by the sea. The School of Languages and Area Studies is situated in the heart of the city campus and it has an excellent reputation for teaching languages. In 2005, the Sunday Times wrote, 'Languages is one of Portsmouth's greatest strengths'. Our research is also of international excellence, which is proven by the fact that we were awarded top mark in the last research assessment exercise.

With the School's wide range of options excellent teaching, state-of-the-art facilities and resources, plus the opportunity to visit other institutions abroad, why would you want to study anywhere else?

Facilities and resources

The course offers the opportunity to enrol on the Trinity College London CertTESOL, a professional qualification designed to equip graduates with the appropriate skills for a first teaching position in TESOL.

Students will be part of the School of Languages and Area Studies, located in Park Building, just behind the Guildhall in the centre of the city. Park Building houses two large modern lecture theatres, a number of smaller lecture theatres, seminar rooms and three computer suites. The Learning Resources Centre provides facilities for independent study.

You will also have access to the University library, which has recently undergone an £11 million extension, housing more study room, IT spaces, a new café and space for an extra 60,000 volumes.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) TESOL for the academic year 2012/13 (opens in new window).

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) TESOL for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).