Modern Languages and Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Learn the essentials for teaching languages to others, while simultaneously going through the experience of learning a language yourself.

Our course is ideal if you want to teach English to non-native speakers, but the knowledge and skills you develop will also prepare you for a range of other possible careers in the media, in administration, in business and in education; in fact, any job where the ability to apply critical thinking to problems, to conduct independent research and to communicate the results of your work to others are required.

You study topics which give you a thorough grounding in English Language, and teaching English Language to others, including:

- Linguistics and sociolinguistics

- The structure of the English language

- Second language learning

- Practical training in TEFL methods

You also study up to two of the languages offered at Essex: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese, completing at least one language to Mastery level. Each of these languages is widely used in the business world, and can take you to a level of near-fluency, and so many of our graduates go on to develop successful global careers with international firms looking for language specialists.

We also offer a month-long summer course with fees paid for by us if you start a language from scratch via the intensive route.

We are a leading UK university for language and linguistics research (REF 2014), a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, placing us firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK and ranked in the top 100 for Linguistics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2021)

If you want a global outlook, are interested in human communication, and want to study for a degree with real-world practical value in a world-class department, welcome to Essex.