Background
Upon graduating from university in Beijing with a BA in Chinese language and literature, Katie Wang spent a further four years training to qualify as a teacher. She then taught for five years in a prestigious Beijing secondary school before moving to the UK to commence her studies on an MBA. Six months into MBA and Katie decided to change and study EFL at London Metropolitan University.
While undertaking research at Sarah Bonnell School for girls in Newham, London for her dissertation, Katie volunteered to assist a Chinese student who had limited English. Katie was later approached by the Access and Inclusion department and offered a job as a Teaching Assistant. After a year she was promoted to Senior Teaching Assistant.
During this time Katie gained a working knowledge of the maths curriculum and established a Chinese lunchtime club for year 10 students. The school also sent Katie to a conference about teaching Chinese in the UK, which led to her organising a group trip to Beijing for her year 10 students as part of a British Council initiative.
Keen to gain QTS, Katie received advice from the deputy headteacher as well as from a trainee teacher at Sarah Bonnell. The school suggested a conference at CILT on routes into QTS, which recommended the OTTP to her. After being initially assessed as a suitable candidate, she was allocated an independent OTTP provider called eQualitas. The headteacher supported Katie’s application.
The OTTP took Katie just 13 weeks to complete, and included two on-course assessments and a final assessment. Katie had an internal and external tutor who supported and observed lessons, assisted in setting up an action plan, and providing training to help her to set up a portfolio of evidence. Katie was awarded QTS following her successful completion of the OTTP and passing of the compulsory skills tests in English, maths and ICT. She is now undertaking her NQT year at Sarah Bonnell School.
Interview
Q. Why did you want to gain QTS? What was your motivation?
A. I wanted to be a mainstream teacher and to know how the mainstream system worked. It is very different from the Chinese system and I wanted to make sure that the children I teach would be able to achieve their potential. This would require me to understand their learning style.
Q. What were the main barriers to obtaining QTS?
A. Management, teaching and learning styles in the UK were all very alien compared to what I was used to in China. In China there were no behaviours issues and we had 65 students in the class. The learning style here is a lot more personalised, with SEN, EAL and Gifted and Talented children all in the same class. Differentiation in the classroom to deal with these groups was a challenge and I needed a lot of support and guidance in these areas. Producing a portfolio of evidence is also more complicated here and evidence is more cross-referenced, i.e. one piece of evidence could contribute to several standards.
In China I worked very independently; I had a class and taught the same students all the time, so I knew each of them well. Here there is a much greater need for intercommunication with colleagues, as many teachers teach the same students. So dealing with discipline or parents requires close working with colleagues. Also you have many policies in the UK relating to teaching and schools, all of which need to be learnt.
Q. How could the system be improved?
A. In my experience of the OTTP it can’t be improved because it only took 13 weeks. But you do need to know who to turn to when you get stuck. It was hard during the 13 week period, but well worth it.
Q. What were the main barriers to becoming a teacher?
A. It was quite a smooth process and I was lucky to be offered a job quickly. I trained alongside others who were on the British Council’s ‘Language Assistants scheme’ – most of whom have now been offered a job in the school where they did their work experience.
Q. What are the benefits of your position that you would like to impart to others who are thinking about it?
A. It is great to have a professional job with a salary and being able to use your skills to their potential. I now have a life here and am able to conduct complementary activities around China, for example I can invite groups of Chinese students and teachers to London. Sarah Bonnell now has a partner school in Beijing and I took ten children to Beijing in May. I am also currently volunteering at the Ming–Ai school providing support and guidance for Chinese teachers working towards QTS – so I feel that I am putting something back into the system.
Q. What advice would you give to others thinking about it?
A. For Chinese people I would recommend for them to gain QTS; it is not very hard to do, so long as you organise your time and remain focused throughout, and the TES has available jobs for Chinese teachers’
