In the olden days when I was a young teacher, we hardly ever used the words “teacher trainer” in different sorts of biodata. Instead, the word “lecturer” or, in those days when competitions were not very frequent, the much coveted “Tenured Lecturer” were used. In all cases, the word “lecturer” was followed by a specification of the subject and place where the position was held (e.g. Lecturer in English Language I at Escuela de Lenguas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba). In those happy days we never used the now widely spread “teacher trainer” in the all-encompassing fashion in which it is used today. These days, no matter how upsetting this might be to many, It is not surprising to read somebody´s name followed by a most reckless succession of terms such as teacher, teacher-trainer, presenter (obviously international), consultant, certified specialist in… (and we are left wondering who and on what grounds the term "certified" warrants the purported specialization)and a number of other always vague characterizations of the trades that our “trainers” engage in in order to earn a living.
Now the most distressing fact is that some of these self-appointed “trainers” have never in their lives taught at any College of Education, Teacher Training College or other Higher Education institutions devoted to the education of teachers, and in some very awkward cases, the alleged trainers have not themselves graduated from any college ,that is to say, have successfully completed a formal course of studies at one such institution (not to be confused with : have attended an extramural holiday course or attended first year Profesorado and never got beyond that), or are graduates in any other subject but English, but “have taught English all their lives” and strongly advocate “life-long learning”, or have finished secondary school at a so-called bilingual institution and “enjoy teaching and French cuisine”. Does all this barrage of impudent allegations make someone a “teacher-trainer”? Does all this give someone the right to stand in front of a group of professionals (many of which have a large number of years of classroom experience) and “train” them? Isn´t it high time we started paying closer attention to our intended trainers‘qualifications and demanding more professionalism on the other side of the counter? This might (even if to a small extent ) be a way of ensuring the kind of professional training we all deserve.
Dr. Omar Villarreal
Editor