The Contribution of Part-Time Work Experience to Pre-Service Teachers' Development of Graduate Employability

Introduction

In recent years, employers have complained about graduates’ ability to conduct professional duties and have called for universities to improve their pedagogical approaches to better prepare graduates for work and life (Abel, Deitz & Su, 2014). In response, universities worldwide have been employing various approaches to develop graduate employability. One of the most effective approaches is work-integrated learning (WIL), which has been found to substantially contribute to the development of students’ professional knowledge and skills, expanding their networks with relevant professionals, and shaping their professional identity (Gault, Leach & Duey, 2010; Jackson, 2013; Rothman & Sisman, 2016; Silva et al., 2018; Tran & Nguyen, 2018).

In the case of teacher education, WIL is most obviously used in teaching internships. Within the authentic work environment provided by such internships, pre-service teachers gain opportunities to participate in observational, situated, participatory and reflective learning (Bandura & Walters, 1977; Lave & Wenger, 1991). Through these learning activities, they can develop their employability by gaining a better understanding of their work roles and the profession, as well as further developing their professional knowledge and the skills and attributes required of them (Roth-Sitko, Everett, Marnella & D'Angelo, 2015; Salazar Noguera & McCluskey, 2017; Tran & Huynh, 2018; Walton & Rusznyak, 2013). Unfortunately, most teacher education programs postpone teaching internships until the final semesters. This delay may hinder the development of pre-service teachers’ employability, which requires substantial time.

Such a scenario can be found in teacher education programs offered by Vietnamese universities. Such programs appear to be only slowly catching up with the demands of the contemporary labor market. They mostly focus on training teachers to work in the formal education sector, although private non-formal education services are blooming in the country (Tran, 2016). Taking English teacher education programs as an example, several pre-service teachers do not work in the formal education sector but enter commercial English language centers (CELCs) instead (Tran & Huynh, 2018). English teacher education programs, unfortunately, have not yet taken this context into account. In the face of the slow rate of change in their universities, many pre-service English teachers have proactively sought positions as part-time teaching assistants (TAs) in CELCs, either paid or unpaid, to prepare for their employment in the sector. However, virtually no research has been done to explore how working in this business-focused environment influences the development of pre-service teachers’ employability.

Therefore, this chapter reports a study investigating the contribution made by working as a TA in a CELC to the development of pre-service teachers’ employability. This contribution is often neglected due to the assumption that pre-service teachers will work in the formal schooling system. The study is also one of only few that examine the effect of part-time work experience on the development of employability, as opposed to the negative consequences of working part-time while studying. Overall, the research has important implications for teacher education programs, and calls for universities to recognize part-time work as a valid WIL experience.