Language Assistants - Argentinos en UK

MARIA SOFIA GAITE (SANTA FE)

Bristol

• Oportunidad de practicar en un contexto real y significativo la lengua inglesa.
• Conocimiento del sistema educativo británico (niveles, formatos de exámenes, forma de trabajo en el aula).
• Tiempo para viajar, conocer países y personas, aprender a estar solo, reconocerse. Crecimiento personal y profesional.
• Aprender a valorar nuestro país y nuestra lengua. Valorar nuestras costumbres y tradiciones.
• Disfruta cada momento, valora cada detalle y déjate sorprender

"It's been definitely a great experience in terms of personal and professional growth. Living abroad makes you aware of your weaknesses but also your strengths and facing all the situations that arise while you're away from family and friends allow you to get ahead, which makes you feel a lot more confident. On the other hand, working abroad allowed me to learn how the educational system works in the UK and that helped me reassure my teaching principles in Argentina. I truly believe that for a student to become communicatively efficient, teachers must provide a meaningful context with lots of opportunities to acquire the language they need to express themselves. Working with projects, focusing on the process rather than the product, allowing students to reflect upon their mother tongue and the foreign language are of outstanding importance in the teaching/learning process".

MARIANO FELIX HARTFIELD (LA PAMPA)

Sherborne, Dorset

"Culture shock IS a thing. Las horas de las comidas son diferentes. La merienda no existe y de la siesta te olvidaste. La ‘noche’ empieza a las seis de la tarde y termina no más tarde de la 1 de la mañana. En invierno ya está oscuro a las 5 de la tarde".

"Extremely enriching. I enjoyed sharing bits of my language and culture with people from all over the world who, in turn, shared with me bits of their language and culture. I missed hugging people a lot at first but later I learnt how to hug the English people and they all ended up loving the Argentinian style. Extreme punctuality called my attention a lot at first. Every second counts and I had to work hard to keep up with their watches and clocks. On time is always early! I couldn't get used to the warm beers at 3 or 4 o' clock!! And trying new meals was something I was really looking forward to do. I was not disappointed with the English sweets!!"

NADYA TOLADA (SAN LUIS)

Bradford

"Sin dudas unas de las cosas que más impacto tuvo en mi vida como asistente de idioma ha sido el dialecto norteño y su tan peculiar pronunciación. Poco sabía yo que ese primer bus que tome para llegar a mi casa en Bradford seria uno de los tantos choques culturales con los cuales me iba a encontrar, Este, sin duda, ha sido una de las situaciones que más cambios ha traído a mi vida. Adaptarse a un nuevo lugar y especialmente al lenguaje que cada región maneja puede ser un desafío al principio (me llevo casi un mes acostumbrarme al modo de hablar que la gente de mi región maneja) pero al final del día es una de las experiencias más significativas. Estar expuestos constantemente al uso del lenguaje regional no solo mejora tus habilidades auditivas y de vocabulario, sino que también eleva tu nivel de inglés de una manera que jamás pensaste. Que no te sorprenda si al cabo de unos meses terminas adoptando las mismas expresiones, entonación e inclusive modismos que la gente a tu alrededor".

"The experiences have been nothing but purely enriching from the many different spheres that anyone can think of. Personally, I feel more confident and independent, capable of making decision without being afraid of losing something. The experience involved not only a change in personality but also a change of mind. I became more critical and aware of what surrounds me. Academically, I feel more confident standing in front of a class or a big audience, full of strangers. Being a stranger myself in one the finest and richest cultures in the globe, help me understand the way people conceive others and how little do we know about certain concepts that we constantly take for granted".

LUCIA AYELEN VALLARO (BUENOS AIRES)

Grantham, Lincolnshire (Midlands)

"This has been an incredibly fulfilling experience; I was able to deal with everyday situations at school in Grantham and in other areas of the country that helped me develop my speaking and listening skills. It was extremely rewarding to broaden my experience as a TEFL and analyse the similarities and differences between the British and the Argentinian educational systems. What I enjoyed the most was also what I found most challenging. I loved planning and delivering conversation classes because the students had an excellent level of Spanish and they were able to discuss several topics in detail.

Since most international students learn about traditions and the history of Spain but do not have much input on Latin American cultures, my challenge was to make my culture closer to them through different genres I believed would be appealing and meaningful to them. My experience in the United Kingdom was out of this world. I was thrilled to be working in a school in England and get to know the students and other members of staff".

Carla Gallego (Tandil, Buenos Aires)

Birmingham

"I think it is a wonderful experience to build character and broaden the mind. I'd say that the best part was the school staff. They were nothing but overly kind to me and treated me with patience and respect. Also, I really enjoyed working with people from different backgrounds and mindsets, I found it very enlightening. I had lots of fun sharing my culture with colleagues and students and leaning from theirs, especially when we could find similarities between them. The highlights were growing up and maturing as a person, that is truly priceless. Also, achieving my lifelong ambition of visiting Ireland".