Part-time World Language Instructor – Memphis Area

Tennessee Language Center

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Job Summary

Help others discover new worlds through language.

The Tennessee Language Center (TLC) is accepting applications on a rolling basis for experienced part-time language instructors in Arabic, Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish to:

• Teach group language classes in-person to adults in the Memphis area
• Provide custom language instruction to individuals and businesses in the Memphis area
• Develop NEW group world language classes for middle school (5th-8th grades) and high school (9th-12th grades) language learners

Each group course meets for 2 hours, once a week, for 9 weeks.  Part-time instructors typically work between 6 and 20 hours per week, about 36 weeks per year, depending on staffing needs, term enrollments, and instructor availability.

While TLC offers both online and in-person classes, we are adding in-person classes in the Memphis, TN area, by July 2023. In-person teachers must live in the West TN / Memphis area.

About Working with TLC

TLC teaching assignments will be offered in person for language learners at beginning, intermediate, and advanced proficiency levels. World Language instructors work with the Tennessee Language Center (TLC) on a part-time basis. They may teach group classes during our regularly scheduled terms and/or provide custom language instruction to institutional and private clients as requested and available. TLC primarily teaches adult language learners in group classes, but we are currently expanding our course offerings to include dedicated classes for middle and high school learners.

World language classes are where it all started for TLC so our part-time instructors are truly the heartbeat of our organization. We are dedicated to ensuring their success through ongoing professional development, regular feedback, flexible scheduling, fair pay, and administrative support.

Job Responsibilities

Responsibilities and Duties
Responsibilities and duties of part-time World Language teachers who teach in-person classes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Review and confirm your course schedule for the upcoming term.
• As needed, create new course descriptions (with Can Do statements, course materials with ISBN and link to website to purchase materials).
• Participate in the 90-minute all-instructor teacher meeting scheduled at the beginning of each term. (Note: These meetings are not an additional 90-minutes paid because they are included in the regular duties of the 2.25 calculated hours of class).
• Once you and your students receive the announcement that the course has been confirmed, email a Welcome message to all the enrolled students, and closely monitor the class list in order to send the Welcome email when any new student enrolls.

During term

• Lesson planning, grading, feedback.
  Course instruction. (Instructors must arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of in-person classes)
• Class observations: Each active teacher is required to decide between EITHER a) one peer observation (2 hours) and complete a 15-minute observation form OR b) a choice between an observation by the WL director of an instructor’s class or an in-class activity to elicit student feedback. For all options, instructors will be asked to complete a self-evaluation and then participate in a feedback/evaluation session with the WL Director. The Director will mention the options available. (Note: The observations/ discussions/ self-reflections are not compensated work as they are included in the regular duties of the 2.25 calculated hours of class).

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree* in any field
• Native or near-native speaker of the language(s) for which applying to teach:  Currently offered languages include: Arabic, Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish
• English proficiency – minimum level of Advanced High (ACTFL) or C1 (CEFR)
• Minimum of one (1) year of experience teaching the language(s) and the age group (adult, middle/high school age) for which applying to teach or willingness to complete teacher training with TLC training prior to employment
• Demonstrated ability to teach with strategies for delivering comprehensible input and provide learner-centered and differentiated instruction focused on the negotiation of meaning and communication and making connections with the target culture(s).
• Transcultural competence gained by being raised or educated in a country where the target language is spoken, by living in a heritage community in another country or by demonstrating through professional experience or academic preparation a deep understanding of the products, practices and perspectives of the communities where the target language is spoken
• Must be able to work respectfully with individuals of all cultures, backgrounds, perspectives and abilities
• Must have some experience using classroom technologies

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MA or PhD)* in the language(s) seeking to teach with TLC, Applied Linguistics, Language Pedagogy, Second Language Acquisition or related field
• Experience using a Learning Management System (LMS)
• Online language teaching experience
• Experience with curriculum development for language materials
• Experience with proficiency testing (candidates with OPI Tester certification are especially encouraged to apply)
• *U.S. equivalencies of the credential(s) must be verified, and applicants must provide a credential evaluation, e.g., from World Education Services (WES), when applying.

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

To Apply: Please email the following to worldlanguages@tennessee.edu:

1. Detailed Resume/CV – listing education and describing work experience
2. Letter of Interest – addressing qualifications and experience related to the stated required and preferred qualifications for the position
3. Professional References – names and contact information for three (3) professional references
4. Answers to the following questions: Are you available to teach in-person only, online only, or both modalities? Generally, what are your days and hours of availability to teach?

Details

• Date Posted: March 14, 2023
• Type: Part-Time
• Job Function: Educator
• Service Area: Education
• Salary Range: $20 per hour, minimum
• Working Hours: Typically 6-8 pm, one weeknight per week