Language teacher -French

French language teacher Eve Nachin can certainly empathise with her students. Nachin, a French native who moved to Australia four years ago and teaches at Alliance Francais, knows that mastering a foreign language can be a difficult task.

Being a French language teacher doesn’t help when it comes to learning English either.

“When I am an English student I feel like one of my students,” Nachin says. “[Being a French teacher] is not helping me at all … I think English is really difficult.”

Nachin has students ranging from beginners to experts and tries to speak French the entire class to immerse students in the language.

“It is sometimes difficult in the beginner level because people are scared and they really want to be secure, so I have to speak English,” she says.

“But when we are in the middle of the class I try to speak French most of the time.”

Nachin, 35, studied linguistics in France before completing a Masters of French as Foreign Language. She then taught French in Mexico for six years before moving to Australia four years ago to learn to speak English. Nachin has to stay up to date with current affairs in France, which she loves sharing with her students.

“When you learn about a language you learn about the culture too,” she says. “When you have very advanced classes you are talking about what is happening in France now, or you might be talking about current movies or music.”

Nachin, who speaks English fluently but has retained her French accent, says the speed with which students pick up French depends on their level of motivation.

“A lot of students ask how long it is going to take to learn French but it depends on the person,” she says.

“I have seen a lot of people start at Level 1 – the beginner level – and after a year and a half, if they have a lot of motivation, can speak very well.”

How to be a … Language Teacher
Qualifications:
The University of NSW Institute of Languages offers courses for people interested in teaching English. The Certificate Course in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) will allow graduates and non-graduates to teach English in Australia and abroad.

Course description: The certificate in the TESOL course can be completed either part-time over five months, or as a full-time four-week intensive block. The course covers such areas as the context of teaching and learning, language theory, lesson design, course design,and teaching-skills and strategies.

Students are instructed in the use of the latest teaching materials and equipment, including language laboratories and video and audio equipment. Students need to observe at least seven Institute of Languages lessons before they are paired with a teacher to take their own lesson.

Assumed knowledge: Applicants must demonstrate an excellent level of proficiency in written and spoken English. This will be done throughan interview and language awareness task prior to enrolment.

Cost: $3200
From the inside: Alliance Francaise French teacher Eve Nachin (pictured) says being a foreign language teacher is a great way to combine work and travel. However, landing a permanent position is difficult. Most language teachers work on a casual basis.

“You never know how many hours you are going to get each semester,” Nachin says. “But the job is really great.”