Will BA Language Teaching and Learning qualify me to teach in a UK state school?

No — UK state school teaching requires QTS and typically a PGCE. BA Language Teaching and Learning prepares you for the broader ELT sector (FE, adult ESOL, EFL, EAP, materials writing). Several graduates combine the degree with a PGCE for state secondary modern foreign languages teaching.

Does BA Language Teaching and Learning replace a CELTA?

No, but it covers much of the same ground in greater depth, with structured placements. Many graduates take a CELTA after the BA for international ELT marketability; some employers waive CELTA requirements for BA holders.

Where do BA Language Teaching and Learning placements take place?

In London adult-education ESOL provision, FE college ESOL departments and partner language schools. Distance-learning students arrange equivalent placements locally through LSJHML's placement coordinator.

Can I study BA Language Teaching and Learning online?

Yes. The online route runs the same seminars over video and uses recorded classroom sessions for observation work. Distance learners arrange local placements and attend two intensive on-campus weeks per year for teaching practice.

What languages does BA Language Teaching and Learning train me to teach?

Primarily English to speakers of other languages (TESOL/ESOL). The SLA, methodology and assessment training transfers to teaching other modern languages, and many graduates apply the principles to teaching their own first or second languages.

BA Language Teaching and Learning | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Language Teaching and Learning at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want to teach English to speakers of other languages, train future teachers, or work in language-education materials and curriculum design. You will study second-language acquisition theory in depth, develop a structured classroom practice through observed placements, and finish the course with both a teaching portfolio and a research-informed final-year project.

This degree is built for the working classroom. From the first year you observe and reflect on real lessons, by the second year you are teaching short sequences under supervision, and by year three you are running full lessons in placement settings across London adult and further-education provision.

Key Features

Structured teaching placements in London adult and further-education ESOL settings across years two and three.
Second-language acquisition seminar grounded in current SLA research and British Council classroom evidence.
Lesson observation and reflection journal — develop a documented classroom practice from year one.
Materials design module — adapt and write ELT materials to standards used by major UK ELT publishers.
IATEFL-aligned curriculum covering the practice areas IATEFL special interest groups represent.
Final-year research project on a classroom-practice or materials question, supervised across the year.

What You Will Learn

The BA Language Teaching and Learning is structured around three years of moving from theory to confident classroom practice. You graduate able to plan and deliver a sequence of lessons to a defined group, justify your pedagogical choices in terms of SLA research, and adapt materials to your learners.

Second-language acquisition theory — interaction, input, output, sociocultural and cognitive accounts.
Classroom methodology — communicative approach, task-based learning, dogme, content-based teaching.
Skills teaching — reading, listening, speaking, writing, integrated skills.
Systems teaching — grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, discourse.
Lesson planning — aims, assumed knowledge, anticipated problems, staging, evaluation.
Assessment — formative classroom assessment, summative testing, CEFR alignment.
Materials design — adaptation, supplementation, original task writing.
Learner needs analysis — ESOL, EAP, ESP, young-learner and one-to-one contexts.
Teaching practice and observation — reflection journal, peer observation, action research.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers planning a career in English language teaching in the UK or internationally.
International students seeking a UK TESOL degree taught alongside one of the largest ESOL provider networks in Europe.
Career-changers from journalism, the civil service or other professional fields moving into teacher training, materials writing or academic management.
Working ESOL teachers without a degree-level qualification who want to formalise practice and progress into senior roles.

Career Pathways

The UK and international ELT sector is a substantial employer — adult and further-education ESOL, English for Academic Purposes in universities, in-company English training, international language schools and ELT publishing. BA Language Teaching and Learning graduates typically progress into classroom or curriculum roles, often combined with a postgraduate teaching qualification. Typical first or next roles include:

EFL Teacher (UK language school, international school, in-company)
ESOL Teacher (FE college, adult education, charity provider)
Director of Studies (language school, ELT centre)
Teacher Trainer (CELTA centre, in-house training)
ELT Materials Writer (major publisher, independent author)
Academic Coordinator (English for Academic Purposes, university)

Graduates progress to an MA Language Teaching and Learning or an MA in Applied Linguistics, often combined with a CELTA, DELTA or PGCE for state-school teaching.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers — the higher band is required for confident teaching.
A short personal statement; some applicants are asked for a short teaching demonstration or interview.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.