Great teaching is at the heart of what we do. We believe that investing in our teachers through a comprehensive teacher development programme is central to the success of our language courses.

As a Cactus trainer you can expect the following professional progression:

1. Dialogue

Cactus trainers are involved in decision-making with regards to their needs from the outset. They are in constant communication with the Academic and Operations teams, and have access to the Teachers’ Zone (see point 4) for the efficient administration of courses.

2. Cactus Teacher Development Seminars

We host regular seminars and conferences with experienced Cactus teacher trainers and external trainers. We encourage all Cactus teachers to attend these sessions, as they offer a useful way to stay up-to-date with modern methodologies in the classroom, and also provide a forum for teachers to meet and discuss classroom ideas and activities.

 3. Same-Language Teacher Meetings
Cactus teachers are encouraged to develop their skills as peer trainers by hosting same-language meetings. We encourage everyone to attend as they help teachers to maintain a high standard of teaching. By sharing ideas and experiences, trainers can really work on improving their teaching skills and techniques.
4. A Virtual Staffroom

The Cactus community of teachers is strengthened with the support of the Teachers’ Zone – an administration site where you, the teacher, manage your course work with us. Each teacher has a ‘virtual own page’ in the Teachers’ Zone, where we post links to course records and the register of your courses with us. This is also where you do your invoicing for our courses: the accounting programme automatically sets up the invoice for each course every month for you. You simply log on after the last day of each month you teach with us, make sure the calculations are correct and add any expenses approved by Cactus.

The page also has other facilities: you can update your contact details, CV and availability, as well as consult information about Cactus classes, levels, ideas of what to do in the first lesson, and so on.

Teachers can always contact each other, share class ideas and interesting articles etc. through our Cactus Facebook page and other social media platforms.

5. Observations

Teacher development is also monitored by regular peer and staff observations. The feedback from these is used to improve the quality and standards of courses, as well as to input into future development work.

6. Apply to be a Cactus Trainer
If you satisfy our teaching requirements and would like to work for Cactus, please complete our Trainer Application Form.

“Diana is an excellent teacher. She is punctual, pleasant, well prepared, patient, and displays a high degree of professionalism. She reviews material when appropriate and creates many diverse activities – listening, reading, writing and speaking. Most importantly, I feel she is listening to me and what I discuss as my priorities. She is very observant and prepares follow-up materials when she feels more review is necessary. I was involved in the BC school system for over 22 years, first as a classroom teacher and later as an educational and curriculum consultant. I had an opportunity to observe hundreds of teachers and Diana is a fine example of what I would classify as “top notch”. The Cactus team has, from the outset, been very hands-on in its approach to my progress. I have received weekly emails checking with me about all aspects of my learning experience. I will definitely continue with more lessons.”

Linda Smith, Elementary Spanish, Vancouver

Full information about Cactus foreign language trainers.