There's no denying the fact that the number of full-time teachers is falling and this is backed up by studies and research. There are many reasons as to why this is happening such as workload and pay but Modern Languages is one of the areas being affected.Spanish in particular is one language that's affected as there aren't enough qualified teachers available to cover the demand. In order to deal with this problem, the shortfall is being met by French teachers who are being drafted in to teach Spanish without having the necessary skills or qualifications to cover a completely new subject.‍

Why French Teachers?

‍Having the ability to teach a language such as French does provide a small amount of knowledge of what is required to teach GCSE Spanish. However, this does not mean that they can simply step in and take over. Spanish teachers, just like French teachers go through the relevant training in order to teach the subject and that is different from French teacher training. While the basics are there, there is no doubt that using French teachers to fill the gap will have a negative impact on students in numerous ways.The languages are different and that is the simple fact of the matter but there is hope that French teachers can pick up the skills required easier and quicker than someone who has no prior knowledge of teaching a language.

‍Uptake of Spanish is on the rise

‍Over the last few years, languages such as French and German have been on the decline. Fewer pupils are choosing to take French and German but are now turning their attention to Spanish and so there are not enough teachers to cover with the demand. This is where French teachers are being called on to help plug the gap.With this in mind, French teachers are now looking to improve and enhance their skills in preparation for taking on the role of covering Spanish. To do this, they have been using the services of The Spanish Academy in order to become term-time ready. It is imperative that they understand what is expected of them and that they have the ability to deliver lessons in a way that help students to learn and develop.Students are now seeing Spanish as one of the most important languages for their future as well as the future of the UK.

‍Becoming ready to teach SpanishIt might seem daunting for any French teacher to make the step across into a territory which involves them teaching a subject such as Spanish. With the correct Spanish tuition and Spanish lessons, they can be brought up to speed as much as possible with what is required of them in order to deliver the curriculum.Teaching the curriculum in a way that gives pupils the level of learning they require is vital but in order to achieve this, French teachers have to be given the correct direction and tuition to make a difference.