A teacher praises her student

Professional development for teachers

Here you’ll find a wide range of free, self-access training and resources designed to help you build the skills and knowledge you need as an English teacher.

All TeachingEnglish professional development resources are aligned with the British Council Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework for teachers, to help you plan your learning and develop the areas most relevant to your professional growth.

You can explore resources in a way that suits your goals:
- by professional practices – to focus on specific areas of teaching where you want to deepen your skills and expertise
- by professional development levels – to find resources matched to your training and experience and see how they can help you progress within each area.

Each resource includes a timer icon to show how much time you’ll need, helping you plan your learning effectively.

Group of secondary-aged learners working together to complete a task. The group has learners of different genders and ethnic backgrounds.
Course closed
Course
9–12 hours
Knowing the subject
Planning lessons and courses

TeachingEnglish: Communicative tasks

Create meaningful, communicative tasks that promote learner autonomy and purposeful language use.

boy and girl laughing and writing on a blackboard
Course closed
Course
9–12 hours
Knowing the subject

TeachingEnglish: Understanding language systems

Develop your understanding of functional language and grammar and learn how to apply this knowledge to your teaching through reflection, analysis and effective presentation of use and form.

A group of primary-aged learners in a classroom sitting at desks. A White teacher is giving a Black learner a high-five.
Course closed
Course
9–12 hours
Understanding my learners
Assessing learning

Teaching English in primary

Discover how primary children learn and apply this understanding to your classroom practice. Explore the role of assessment in the primary classroom and learn engaging, age-appropriate strategies for learner evaluation.

Young Asian learners reading a book together in class
Video
Knowing the subject

Teaching reading and writing

Explore our series of videos giving practical tips and strategies for teaching reading and writing skills.

A young Black teacher stands at the front of her class explaining something
Video

New video series: Teach for change

Explore ways to help your learners think critically, listen with empathy and take positive action on real-world issues with our new video series for teachers.

Animated teacher writing 'Responding to pushback' on a whiteboard
Managing the lesson
Understanding my professional identity

Responding to pushback

How can teachers respond to negative reactions to certain topics? Watch this video to learn practical strategies for dealing with negative feedback from learners, parents or even colleagues.

Animation of teacher writing 'creative and collaborative equals real-world impact' on the board
Video
Understanding my learners
Using 21C skills or core skills

Creative plus collaborative equals real-world impact

How can social justice education move beyond the classroom and into the real world? Watch this video for practical strategies for making a real-world impact with your teaching.

Animated teacher writing 'Avoiding harm and respecting boundaries' on whiteboard
Video
Understanding my learners
Using inclusive practices

Avoiding harm and respecting boundaries

How can you explore social justice in your classroom without upsetting learners or causing harm? Watch the video to learn how to talk about sensitive topics with care, confidence and respect.