SOP Sample for MS English Language Teaching in the UK - Fresher Profile

Statement of Purpose for [UNIVERSITY_NAME]

Little did I know that one Teacher Training session was bound to prove vital in my pursuits. One of my first duties as a teacher trainee was to assist a subject teacher in delivering the topic Globe: Latitudes and Longitudes in the Geography class for 6th-grade students. I was normally explaining the topic in English. After explaining minor content and with the class coming to an end, I started asking questions from the topic taught for checking the student's understanding. Some of them were really struggling to answer the questions I had asked them. Upon asking, I was told that the students were unable to grasp the English Language. This realisation came as a shock to me as 6th graders were finding easy sentence structures to be intimidating. The next day I went to the same class and took up the same topic explaining each word and sentence in English along with their meaning in Malayalam. With a long and successful hour of teaching and learning, I could see the proud smiles on the face of my students. This was not a stand-alone case, I got to experience similar situations throughout my training period and wondered if this was a common problem faced in every school.

Later on, I came to know that students in Government Schools were only taught English from the 4th grade. The scenario had changed over the years but still, it felt that English language teaching was not precise. From that moment, I wanted to have a career related to languages and help the students develop their level of knowledge to use and handle the English language apart from the normal English subject they were taught in schools. Their smiles and glittering eyes made me understand that it is possible to use language to change the world.

I was born into a very traditional family and my parents had me married immediately when I hit the age of 18 years irrespective of my academic status. When I questioned them about my further studies, I received a response which was usual in Indian families: Do it after your marriage. However, with the support of my husband, I received the privilege of continuing my education. I pursued my under graduation in commerce after marriage in 2008. While I was in my 2nd year, due to the birth of my child, I had to take a year-long break. Completing my undergraduate studies in 2012, I was again forced to take a break and look after my second child.

It was in 2016 that I enrolled for post-graduation in commerce and completed it in 2018 but it took nearly a year for the announcement of the result which created another gap of 1 year in 2019. Realising my passion for education, I decided to take up a Bachelor's in Education, a field that allowed me to intake and spread knowledge in whatever way I could. As an undergraduate in education, I know teaching is a tough job in numerous ways. The results are slow and with the long hours, it takes time to build upon this as a career. The exposure to the scenario from the initial teacher training deepened my interest to acquire the necessary skills and techniques for English language teaching to learners of all ages. I wondered about how this would have been a challenge and deal-breaker for many thus driving me further towards this fascination with language.

During my final year, my exposure to different situations of my students and friends struggling with the language led me to value the importance of acquiring the skills and techniques required in teaching English language and a greater need for teaching English to those who wish to learn so that they can become more effective in achieving their goals, irrespective of their first language and geographical status. It is these experiences that have not only elicited my desire to complete a master course but also reinforced my passion for teaching language.

At this point, to gain the expertise in teaching language and also move ahead on my professional timeline, the masters in the TESOL program would be an apt fit for me. Therefore, it is after immense research and consultations with my mentors that I have realised how your remarkable university would provide me with not only global exposure but also a platform to strengthen my foundation. After going through your university's curriculum, I have realised that shorter yet comprehensive courses are relevant in today's day and age, and are sure to align with my experiences and education. They are imperative to both my training as a language educator and my future goals of emerging as a Leader in the Language Teaching domain. Studying under the guidance of your erudite faculty and experts, I would be gaining a rich academic experience, one that I have strived for, for years.

After gaining extensive teaching experience, I will be able to help students better communicate their individual thoughts and ideas in an ever-increasingly globally relevant language. My hope is to enter the field of English language teaching in order to continue the important work of bridging intercultural understanding from citizens of my country to citizens of another. Thus, with this aspiration and objective, I present my candidature to your university and enthusiastically look forward towards gaining several enriching and rewarding experiences.