ABSTRACT
For many newly qualified English language teachers the first year in full-time employment is an extremely challenging time where survival is often regarded as the main goal. This chapter begins by summarising the key factors, outlined in literature and research, to explain why novice teachers find their first post so demanding. The author goes on to argue that some of these problems arise from a disparity between what teachers are exposed to on their pre-service training courses and what they subsequently experience when taking up their first teaching job. In the final part of the chapter he suggests that teacher trainers need to acknowledge the existence of such a disparity and reflect on their practice to consider how it might be reduced. He also outlines what academic managers might do to support newly qualified teachers in the workplace to help bridge the gap. His observations are based on personal memories of his first teaching post in Turkey more than 25 years ago as well as his considerable experience as a teacher trainer and mentor. Much of the data presented stems from a 12-week research project the author conducted involving newly qualified English language teachers at the British Council in Cairo. The main focus of this case study was to investigate how these novice teachers changed their approach to lesson planning during their 3-month probationary period at the school.
