Antonia Paterson
My Masters dissertation was an exploration of Critical EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and from there I began my own EAP journey. I have been teaching EAP ever since, and have never looked back; for me, the move from teaching General English and EFL to teaching EAP was a natural and fulfilling one, and I felt I had found my niche. I therefore wish to continue working in this specific area. I am currently teaching in China but it is my desire to come back to the UK within the next few years. I would like to find a position teaching EAP in a leading university in the UK. Finding a role that enables me to engage in materials and course development (a particular interest of mine) and also continue to engage in research would be the ideal. Having experienced the positive effects of engaging in research in an educational environment (including positive effects on teaching through developing understanding of students and their needs; greater self-awareness of my own practice; and deepening knowledge of my field) research is an aspect of my work I hope to continue.
I enjoy the organisational aspects of leading courses and teams, and hope to find such a position in due course. However, the joy of my work is in the teaching and the contact hours with my classes, and so finding a teaching position in the UK is my number one goal. I would relish the opportunity presented in the UK higher education environment of working with students of many nationalities and would like to broaden my understandings of various cultural influences on writing and thoughts by working with them in an EAP context. The vast majority of my experience has been in China, so coming to understand and be sensitive to students of a whole variety of different nationalities is something I will enjoy working towards. I would also like to use all the experience I have gained teaching Chinese students to help such students in the UK make a smooth transition to their new educational environment.
