Bilingual instructor skills for your resume and career

There are many soft skills that are important for bilingual instructors, and these soft skills are, arguably, important for any instructor. Effective communication skills remain critical because bilingual instructors are being sought for proficiency in more than one language, and stakeholders are expecting proficiency in both. Conflict and concerns can arise if the bilingual instructor seems to be stronger in just one language. However, demonstration of superior skills in communication across all languages will add to credibility and trustworthiness in all processes and among everyone engaged in the bilingual instructional endeavors. Though related to communication, another essential soft skill is advocacy. Bilingual education and bilingualism have long been tied to political turmoil, and bilingual instructors must be prepared to advocate for their organizations, students, families, and communities. They are part of the frontline efforts in demonstrating the need and speaking to the many research-based benefits (i.e., social-emotional, economic, and cognitive benefits) that take shape through the work of bilingual instructors. Finally, flexibility is an essential soft skill because instructional requirements, new staff members, leadership changes, and an ever-changing educational environment with an increasingly diversified population constantly call for opportunities for growth and positive changes to better support all learners.

A necessary hard skill is an attainment of the Bilingual, Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development (BCLAD) certificate or equivalent requirement. Related, they need to have pedagogical content knowledge in the area(s) in which they will work, and in doing so, they need to be able to attend to these in each language of focus. Additionally, bilingual instructors’ skills should reflect in a broad range of effective technical skills that help engage all learners, including video creation, virtual meetings, lesson planning, and outcome design through learning management systems, all of which have certainly been brought to light amidst the pandemic. Given the ongoing need for a continuous cycle of improvement, bilingual instructors need strong analytical skills to attain, review, and explore data to inform ongoing practice; these skills can also allow bilingual instructors to regularly explore and implement research-based practices. Importantly, each of these reflects 21st-century skills to support educational needs.

With second language acquisition, it is of utmost importance to continue practicing that language. This means that students needing to take a gap year should consider finding ways to immerse themselves in experiences where they will be using the target language. Many students opt for volunteer work with international NGOs and non-profit organizations. Before agreeing to work for any aid organization, however, you do need to research the organization's quality and standards, their expectations of you and vice versa, and what, if any, will be your out-of-pocket expenses.