Sarah F.
About me
| Sarah F. | |
| Music | |
| Music | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Wentworth | |
| 1995 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Freelance ELT Professional, Editor and Proofreader | |
| Self-Employed | |
| Senegal | |
| Education |
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A day in the life of a Freelance ELT Professional, Editor and Proofreader in Senegal
After graduating, I went into teaching English as a Foreign Language. I had done the RSA Cambridge CELTA qualificaiton in the summer before my 3rd year at university so I was already qualified when I graduated.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
I am self-employed.
What do you do?
I work on ELT (English Language Teaching) projects. Work to date includes:
- proofreading a set of graded readers for primary learners
- adapting and editing content for an online course
- editing a workbook for A2-level learners for National Geographic Learning
- training to be an item writer for Oxford University Press
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
After graduating, I went into teaching English as a Foreign Language. I had done the RSA Cambridge CELTA qualification in the summer before my 3rd year at university so I was already qualified when I graduated. I did summer school in the UK for 2 months, then 1 year posts in Turkey, Portugal and Brazil teaching at private language schools. I found all these jobs through newspaper adverts and writing on spec. After 4 years of teaching I decided to train to a higher level and transfered from IH Recife to IH Istanbul to teach there and study for the RSA Cambridge DELTA qualification part-time. I then worked for Istanbul Technical University, did short stints in New Zealand and Mexico before going back to Istanbul to teach at the same university and later on the British Council as an hourly-paid teacher. I also worked part-time for a Turkish publisher and at Enka Schools teaching English to the teachers. I was also a speaking examiner for the Cambridge Key, Preliminary and Young Learner exams. I found out about these jobs on the internet or by word of mouth/contacts. I took some time out after having childen, though I did some speaking examining in the UAE, where we were based for 2 years and I taught part-time for a short while a the British Council in Senegal after that. We then went to England, where I worked in ELT Assessment for 7 years on the Cambridge Assessment English exams. I also studied an MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (by distance) while I was working there. I found the job with Cambridge through Guardian jobs and the job required previous teaching experience abroad and experience as an examiner. We then relocated back to Senegal in August 2018 and I am now working for myself to fit round my husband's job and my children's schooling. It took me some time to decide what to do here as teaching at the British Council was not financially viable and didn't fit round my children's school hours/holidays but I wanted to put all the proofreading and editorial experience I had gained at Cambridge Assessment English to good use. I trained up further and got the CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading) Proofreading 3 and Copy-editing 2 qualifications and I am currently an Intermediate of the CIEP, and hoping to work my way up to Advanced level. I am a member of ELT Publishing Professionals and have found all my work there or have been approached by publishers who found my profile there. I was also tipped off by a former colleague that OUP were looking for item writers and I have trained to write exam items for them and am currently awaiting the 1st commission.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Yes, because I hadn't thought any further than teaching English abroad and never thought I would work for myself.
Describe your most memorable day at work
That would have to be one night when I stayed up working until 1 am in order to meet a deadline. The material got held up elsewhere and I needed to work on it and get it back by the deadline the next day. With children at home during Covid-19, I had been working day in day out starting at 6 am and trying to fit in as much around as them as possible.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
Each project is challenging in its own way. One thing that strikes me is that publishers want a ridiculous amount of work done in an extremely short time.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
I work at home and have the occasional Zoom meeting. It is quite lonely but fits around school hours so it is flexible in that way and I can work from anywhere so I can still work if I am visiting England.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
I was in the orchestra and the Concert Band, Big Band and played in a couple of musicals. I was the Secretary of the Concert Band for a bit. That required proofreading and accuracy, which are very important in my job.
What would you like to do next with your career?
I'd like to contribute more to coursebooks for the school market. I'm currently in the middle of editing a workbook, which is really exciting. Perhaps in the future I would like to write coursebooks.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Be flexible and gain as many skills as you can. Never stop learning. Try to clock up as many courses as you can. Explore as many options as you can, including those that you don't think you will be interested in as you may find interests that you never thought you might have.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
I can answer questions on teaching English abroad as well as proofreading and editing.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
I'd be very happy to hear from students.
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