English Language Teaching as a Second Career

Sarah Shin makes a compelling case for the demographic changes in education and the accompanying challenges and opportunities for training a new breed of ESL teachers who bring profound real world experiences to their classrooms. A 'must-read' for teacher trainers and for baby boomers contemplating how the next chapter in their life story will be written!

-- G. Richard Tucker, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Although many ESL teachers now enter the field with extraordinary experiences and knowledge in other professional areas, this is the first book to address second career teachers. With a foundation in research in teacher education and human development, this volume offers readers new information and interesting and helpful reports that will inform career path development.

-- Liz England, Shenandoah University, USA

Sarah Shin shines a welcome light on a vital, and largely hidden, area in the preparation of English language teachers – those who begin their TESOL training as they move towards retirement from other careers in varied professional areas. After building an immensely convincing case about the pressing need for well-trained K-12 English language teachers in diverse, pluricultural English-medium contexts such as the USA, she uses an ethnographic approach to uncover the experiences of retraining, and the skills and talents this group brings to the ELT profession. Her account makes for fascinating reading, and will be welcomed not only by those working in the ELT field, but also by a wider general audience interested in entering this field.

-- Anne Burns, University of New South Wales, Austr