Thai language teaching opportunity for Kent students

Eight second-year undergraduates from the University have been selected to spend July and August working as English-language teaching assistants at Naresuan University in Thailand.

The students, drawn from the University's linguistics, literature, law and accounting/finance programmes, will help Naresuan students with their written and conversational English. In return, the Kent students will receive free Thai, Chinese and Japanese language courses at Naresuan.

Kent has an established relationship with Naresuan based on joint research projects between both institutions' physical science departments, and in particular the development of high impact image processing, facial recognition and forensic image analysis techniques. The English-language teaching project is an important development in this relationship. It is also an ideal way of providing a valuable overseas placement experience for Kent students, which will equip them with many of the skills necessary for employment in today’s international workplace.

During their stay at Naresuan, which is in Phitsanulok, northern Thailand, the Kent students will live in student accommodation near the campus. The majority of their teaching will be done at the Naresuan Language Centre, where they will provide individual and group language support and conversational practice during the week.

Mr James Banner, an international officer in Kent's International Development Office, said: 'This is a great opportunity for our students to gain an insight into Thai culture and academic life. Naresuan students will also benefit from gaining language support from a group of enthusiastic and gifted young people who know how English is spoken today, a valuable and stimulating addition to traditional English-language textbooks and classroom grammar.'

Student Naomi Mensah added: ‘This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, and at a time just before I go to China in September as part of my law degree programme. It will also be my first taste of Asia and I cannot think of a better place to experience it than in Thailand.

'The teaching and learning aspect of the programme is also incredibly exciting. As a student, you rarely get the chance to hone your teaching skills and so having an opportunity to develop this appeals to me, especially as I love to meet new people and genuinely enjoy teaching others what I know when I can. I also love the fact that the programme offers an opportunity to study a language and, in my case, develop and improve my Mandarin.'

Professor Alex Hughes, Pro-Vice-Chancellor External at the University of Kent, commented: 'The Naresuan project is a wonderful opportunity for students from both institutions. It also represents one of the many advantages such an international partnership brings and I look forward to hearing from those involved.'

Kent has a long history of sending students abroad on study or work placements and, with a third of employers viewing a graduate with any overseas study experience as more employable and 65% of international employers indicating that having overseas professional work experience makes graduates more employable (sources: Council for Industry and Higher Education and i-graduate), it encourages all students to do so.

Contact: pressoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 11:05am 26 June 2012