Official Proposal for Teacher Assistant Program

Dear Abdullah,
I am writing this proposal to introduce an effective idea that I found quite beneficial in my time
working at New Horizons. I will break this proposal up into three main parts which are the following:
1) An overview of the program
2) How the program is to be implemented
3) General benefits for the implementation of this program in A2Z School of English

An Overview of the Program

The teacher assistant program is a program aimed at giving potential teachers hands on training before
embarking on their journey of ESL teaching. The main purpose for this program is to test potential
students in real life situations to form a kind of empirical understanding of how all potential teachers
will function in the classroom and under stress.
For this program, we have the choice of which candidates we wish to utilize. For example, we can
choose from graduate students who have shown a desire to enter the field of ELT or we can choose
from teacher candidates who have submitted their CV and we are considering employing them in our
School.
Once we have chosen the best candidates to be utilized in the program, we will distribute them
according to their skills and experience. For example, a recent graduate who has no previous
experience in ELT will be place with a teacher in Access A or B, and an applicant who has a bit of
teaching experience will be placed in a class such as 2A or 3A. However, if we choose to run the
program over a two-term period, we have the option to give the applicants one lower level class for the
first term and one intermediate level class for the second term.
That brings us to the topic of the length of the program and how many hours the applicant should spend
in the classroom before being given their own class. This is an issue that needs to be discussed further
and cannot be abridged in this short proposal. However, I will suggest a one-term schedule that could
be implemented.
One-Term Program Requirements
In this section, I will present a list of requirements that any applicant must fulfill to be eligible for work
in A2Z School of English.
1) Applicants must teach at least 6 hours in the classroom which are to be observed by the teacher of
the class. An official observation sheet will be issued to the teacher which they will submit back to the
management of the School upon completion of the term as part of the applicant's portfolio.
2) Applicants must observe at least 6 hours in the classroom of lessons given by different teachers in
the School at different levels. The applicants will be given an official observation sheet in which they
will give detail of their observation. These sheets will be collected by the teacher and added to the
applicants portfolio.

3) All applicants will be give four writing assignments to research and compose an essay on. These
topics will be graded by the management and not by the teacher. Standards will be set for these essays,
and if the standards are not met, the applicant will be given another opportunity to correct the mistakes
that were made in the first essay. These essays, once corrected, will be added to the applicants
portfolio.
4) Applicants will be required to observe all workshops and training sessions held in the School.
Failure to attend these functions will equal in complete dismissal of the applicant.
These 4 points shall form the basic requirements for all applicants. However, more can be added upon
discussion or upon a need.
Role of the Assistant in the Classroom
The assistant is to play a major part of all classroom functions. He will have many duties that he has to
perform in and out of the classroom that will be used to measure his ability to handle the
responsibilities of teaching. From these duties are the following:
1) Assisting the teacher in the preparation of the class, which includes: activities, lesson planning ideas,
checking homework assignments, etc.
2) Assisting the teacher in the classroom with observation of students during activities and participating
in any feedback sessions with the students after the activity.
3) Taking an active role in discussions with students. This does not mean that the assistant will jump in
a group and hijack the conversation from the students. It does mean that the assistant will assist
students in coming up with ideas for a discussion, assist in error correction, and monitor students to
make sure they are using the target language.
4) Assisting the teacher in assessing the students' levels as well as giving feedback on how to handle
students who have fallen behind in the classroom..
How the Program is to Be Implemented
This is a very simple issue. We have two choices when it comes to candidates for this program.
1) We can choose from current applicants who have shown a good ability to function in the classroom.
2) We can choose from current graduates that are willing to participate in the program and have shown
a desire to be an ESL Teacher in the future.
Once the candidates are selected, they are to be given classes and grouped with teachers based on their
abilities and the needs of the School and not on their preferences. The issue of whether the teacher has
the right to accept or reject the assistant is an issue for discussion at a later date.
The program will have to be promoted in 6A and 6B classes to get the attention of prospective
graduates that have a desire to be teachers. This program can also be promoted in TOEFL and IELTS
classes as some of these students also share the same desire of being teachers.

Some of the Benefits of an Assistant Teacher Program

The benefits of this type of program are three fold in that this program bears benefit for the School, for
the teacher, and for the prospective candidates.
Benefits for the School
The benefits are the following:
1) More productivity in the classroom. This comes about because the teacher will have an assistant
which means they will have more ability to prepare activities for the class and they will help in
monitoring students.
2) Better trained candidates to choose from instead of taking blind chances pulling teachers off the job
market.
3) Indirect training for the teachers in that the teacher who has an assistant has to step up their game
and perform at a higher level. This will come about because the teacher will be under the microscope
with the assistant.
Benefits for the Teacher
1) They have to perform better and act more as a role model for prospective teachers.
2) The teacher will be forced to do more research to aid the assistant in completing their tasks and
preparing for classes.
3) This program automatically puts the teacher in a training role which aids in his professional
development.
4) The teacher will have more time to prepare for classes and someone to assist in checking papers
which means a decrease in the workload of any teacher who has an assistant.
Benefits for the Prospective Candidates
1) The best training available on the market today.
2) Hands on, real training that will increase their level of confidence in the classroom and place them in
more of a leadership role.
3) Introduce candidates to books on theory of ESL which increase their level of English while
simultaneously improving their ability to function in the classroom.
4) A chance at gaining employment at A2Z School of English if their performance meets the passing
standards we have previously set.
In conclusion, it can easily be understood that this is a win/win situation for our School. We have
nothing to lose by implementing this program and we have everything to gain. We have the chance to
take on a new role of not only being the new innovative institute in Yemen, but also to take on a new
role of being the leading institute for teacher training.