From Asia to South America, these TESOL students made the world their campus this summer and came home better prepared for careers in their field.
For some BYU students, the best classroom is on the other side of the world—in the middle of the Mongolian countryside or deep inside an Ecuadorian rainforest. Studying TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at BYU normally involves lesson planning and student teaching in Provo, but several TESOL students took their studies abroad this summer. No matter the destination, they left an impact on the lives of those they taught and in their own lives as professionals.
At Home and Abroad
Over a billion people around the world are learning English as a second language, and that learning looks different everywhere. In the United States, for example, English learners have countless opportunities to practice the language. They can talk with the cashier at the grocery store or watch a movie at the theater. But only about 25 percent of English learners study the language while in an English-speaking country. The other 75 percent learn the language in continents like Asia or South America where the majority of the population do not speak English. In countries where English can’t be practiced at the grocery store or movie theater, teachers have to adapt and find other ways for English learners to use the language.
Studying abroad provides TESOL students with experience teaching in these contexts, something Professor Grant Eckstein (TESOL, Second Language Learning) says “is really hard to replicate in the United States.” Many BYU students practice teaching at the English Language Center (ELC), but going abroad helps them understand “the complexities of what students are facing” in other countries. With the majority of English learners learning the language in places where English isn’t spoken, Eckstein says, “We need to have students going outside of the country.”
Missionary Work in Mongolia
Rachel Bowden (TESOL MA ’28) spent her summer working with missionaries in Mongolia. Unlike most missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, those who are called to serve in Mongolia don’t proselyte. Only native Mongolian missionaries proselyte, while those who come from out of the country are assigned to teach English. Before entering the field, non-Mongolian missionaries must first attend the Missionary Training Center, where they work with the ELC to receive training and a certificate as proof that they are qualified to teach English.
While in Mongolia, Bowden assisted both missionaries and local teachers in their English teaching efforts. She observed their classes, offered feedback, and occasionally taught alongside them. The experience was different from her previous experiences with TESOL in the United States. Learning English in another country “really does change how people learn,” she says. Teaching in Mongolia, Bowden found, required some adaptation. She says, “It helped me understand my students better when I understood the culture more.”
Bowden says being “part of the front lines of missionary work” also made for an extraordinary experience. Providing further training to the missionaries helped them better teach their students and build rapport in the area. She says she witnessed “so many miracles” while working alongside the missionaries, whose efforts to teach English helped strengthen the Church’s presence in Mongolia and bring Mongolians to the gospel.
As she begins her master’s program at BYU this fall, Bowden is exploring the many career paths available in TESOL. Training other teachers in Mongolia showed her that there are other behind-the-scenes jobs that she also enjoys. Studying abroad helped her find what interests her within the field, and she hopes other students can have that same opportunity.
Supervising in South America
TESOL students also had the opportunity to study abroad in Peru and Ecuador. Addison Fisher (TESOL MA ’26) took on a supervisory role, leading other student teachers as they taught locals across the two countries. The students taught in a variety of locations, including universities, elementary schools, and even a family-owned bird reserve.
Fisher enjoyed experiencing TESOL through her role as a supervisor. During the summer, she reflected on how she could best “help the students through helping the teachers.” Similar to Bowden, Fisher found that working in a different role showed her that TESOL does not always have to mean teaching—it can lead to administrative roles as well.
She also discovered that going abroad helped her see what learning looks like in other locations. In both Peru and Ecuador, student teachers interacted with local teachers, and “there were times when our cultures clashed” in terms of different teaching styles, Fisher says. Being able to understand others made it possible to break through those cultural differences and better teach the language.
Part of her role included assessing how local teachers enjoyed working with BYU students. Fisher says, “All of them just talked about how wonderful it was working with our student teachers,” and their only concern was that they wanted them to stay longer. Eliseo Sauñe Lagos, an English teacher from Peru, said that learning English “is a necessity” for “almost any career” in Peru. Having native English speakers come to help teach the language—even though they could only stay for a couple weeks—“made an impact,” Lagos said. Fisher encourages students to study abroad because “the experiences they’ll gain and the people they’ll meet will be invaluable.”
Explore TESOL study abroad programs and other opportunities on the Kennedy Center website.