Claire McGilvray spent most of her youth working with children. As a teenager, she was a mentor for for-risk youth and regularly took jobs as a camp counsellor. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in International Development and History from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Claire wasn’t sure what career she should pursue.
“I was always interested in teaching, and I thought it would be a good way to give back to communities, so I decided to go back to school and pursue it,” said McGilvray.
Having grown up in Toronto, Claire wanted to return home and thought Humber Polytechnic would be a good fit for her to pursue continuing education in the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduate certificate program.
“Everyone talked a big game about Humber online and on student forums,” said McGilvray. “Plus, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue a master’s degree later, and Humber’s TESL program has a wonderful pathway into a master’s program at Niagara University, so enrolling in the program was a no-brainer.”
Humber’s TESL graduate certificate program builds confident and knowledgeable teachers who develop a complete understanding of best practices in teaching English as a second language (ESL). The curriculum exposes students to a wide range of theoretical issues, including adult second language acquisition, learning theories, linguistics, the emerging field of teaching and technology and portfolio-based language assessment (PBLA).
The program also provides students with the opportunity to immediately apply their learning through classroom observations and practice teaching, allowing them to obtain 50 hours of hands-on experience.
“We had two work placements, one in the first semester and one in the second,” said McGilvray. “From day one, I was learning teaching methods and practices in real-life classrooms.”
McGilvray always had an interest in supporting newcomers to Canada, having grown up in a diverse community. She applied to teach online at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan through Humber's Global TESL Practicum and Internship program, for her second work placement.
The Global TESL Practicum and Internship program provides students with an exciting learning experience that will enable them to build competitive employability skills, build a broader professional network, immerse themselves in a new culture, and gain a global perspective.
During the Global TESL Practicum and Internship program, students not only complete the practicum requirements of Humber’s TESL Graduate Certificate but also refine their teaching skills as a member of our select international partner teaching staff with hands-on experience and individual mentorship provided by Humber and partner faculty. Students taking the Global TESL Practicum and Internship are also eligible for stipends from the host institution and bursary from Humber, which enable them to have a successful experience abroad without financial stress.
"In Japan, I was teaching primarily first-year post-secondary students who were eager to learn English," said McGilvray.
“It’s challenging to gauge how you will be with students in a classroom until you’re actually in front of them,” she said. “But I think Humber did an excellent job of preparing me with various strategies I could use in real-world teaching scenarios – I didn’t feel like I was out of my depth when I started teaching.”
When it came time to apply for jobs after graduation, Claire said graduating from Humber gave her a massive edge and made her resume stand out to potential employers.
“Humber’s reputation for training adaptable teachers who are prepared to jump into the classroom is well-known. I also had strong experience teaching English thanks to my work placement, so finding a job after school wasn’t difficult,” said McGilvray.
McGilvray applied to teach English with the Japanese government, whose program places TESL educators in smaller cities and rural areas, providing every citizen with general English education.
“After applying, I learned that it’s one of the best teaching programs in the world and highly competitive,” said McGilvray. “My experience at Humber definitely gave me an advantage.”
Upon graduating, McGilvray moved to Japan and currently teaches locals in the southern state of Kagoshima.
“There are 600,000 people who live here, but in Japan, they consider that tiny,” said McGilvray. “I’m the last stop on the bullet train from Tokyo!”
McGilvray is grateful she chose to study at Humber since the experience allowed her to pursue her dream and make an impact in people’s lives.
“Anybody graduating from the TESL programs acts kind of like a cultural ambassador,” said McGilvray. “We’re a gateway into Canadian culture, and lots of people, especially in Japan’s rural areas, don’t have experience living abroad and mingling with folks with diverse cultural backgrounds.”
“It’s more than teaching. You’re opening people’s minds to a world that is bigger than their own, and you’re teaching them practical skills that will help them navigate the world if they choose to explore it.”