Qualities to Look for in a Second Language Mentor

Let’s be clear about one very important issue: your success in learning a second language ultimately depends upon you, not your mentor. However, a good teacher will make a big difference to how you learn a language.

What determines how a mentor teaches is obviously their own teaching preparation. There are so many second language teacher preparation programs on the market that if your mentor does not have a formal qualification then your alarm bells should start ringing and you should start looking for someone who does. As a bare minimum, your teacher ought to have a Certificate level qualification. But this is a minimal qualification and any second language teacher worth their salt will probably have a Masters degree. I’m not saying that a formal qualification guarantees that the teacher can teach well, but if they have only minimal qualifications you’d have to question their dedication and curiosity about the language learning process.

The language mentor’s expertise should consist of two aspects:

1. Language expertise. They should have native-like proficiency in the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
2. Teaching methodology. They should be qualified in a range of approaches to the teaching of a second language so that they are able to vary their approach to suit the needs of the learner.

It is worth remembering that just as you have a particular learning style, so your mentor will have a unique teaching style. Styles depend on personality, so that the classroom of an extroverted teacher may not be a comfortable place for the introverted student. Similarly, the analytical teacher will appeal to the student who likes to be shown how the grammar of the language works, while the student who likes to be immersed in lots of communicative situations may find grammar a drag.

There is no one right way to learn a language, just as there is no one right way to teach a language. But what of the students who find themselves in the class of a teacher whose style is incompatible with theirs? My advice is to adopt a two-pronged approach:

1. Honest and polite discussion with the teacher. Talk to the teacher about your preferred learning style and ask for advice. A good teacher can accommodate a variety of student learning styles.
2. Take personal responsibility for your own learning. Be clear about what you want to achieve with the language and develop your own learning program (in consultation with the teacher).

“When the pupil is ready, the master will appear.”

I ended the previous blog with this enigmatic quotation, the key to which is the first part of the proposition (“when the pupil is ready…”).  The pupil is never ready until they take personal responsibility for their learning. When they do, they will have no trouble attracting a “master”. We often think that learners depend upon teachers but equally teachers depend upon learners – real learners; the ones who are prepared to take personal responsibility for their learning. As we said at the beginning of this post:

Let’s be clear about one very important issue: your success in learning a second language ultimately depends upon you, not your mentor.