Colombian Language Teachers Abroad: An Overview of Their Professional Experience

Main Article Content

Liana Mercedes Torres-Casierra

Abstract

This article presents the preliminary results of an enquiry on the work experience of Colombian language teachers who have entered the workforce in foreign countries. The study aims at unveiling aspects of the personal and professional experience of those graduates that might be relevant for pre-service teachers in local degree programs ahead of their potential move abroad in a growing international mobility context. The study includes data from surveys and personal interviews carried out with a group of 26 participants whose narratives of experience invite one to consider the variables that may either facilitate or hinder one’s teaching practice in a foreign workplace and the intercultural communication issues that language teachers may need to deal with. A reflection is brought forward on the needs that teacher training programs at university level in Colombia should address to broaden the scope of their graduates’ likely move abroad.


 

Article Details

How to Cite
Torres-Casierra, L. M. (2021). Colombian Language Teachers Abroad: An Overview of Their Professional Experience. HOW, 28(1), 121–140. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.28.1.579
Section
Research Reports
Author Biography

Liana Mercedes Torres-Casierra, Universidad del Valle

She holds a PhD degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Sydney, and a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics (TESOL) from Macquarie University, Australia. She currently works at Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Her research interests include migration studies, curriculum development, and language testing.

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