English Language Teaching Certificate Program

teacher participants meet twice a week for:

1. one (1) lecture presentation (Mondays 7:30-9:00 p.m. AZT)
2. one (1) small-group practicum discussion (Wednesdays or Thursdays 7:30-9:00 p.m. AZT).

Teacher participants will work in small groups to submit a conference session proposal related to their success in implementing new ideas in the classroom. Up to 30 proposals will be selected for showcase at the ELT Conference in Baku planned for June 2025.

A cohort of 100 secondary-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher participants will be selected for the program. Priority candidates are those who:

1. are actively English language teachers (excluding teachers of other subjects who use English)
2. currently work for a government school (employment verification included)
3. identify as “early career” professionals (within the first 10 years of English language teaching in government schools)
4. have relatively little previous experience with professional development opportunities
5. are confident with spoken and written English language 
6. demonstrate motivation to learn and implement change into teaching practice

Priority will be given to teachers meeting the listed eligibility requirements and those serving government schools in the regions as opposed to Baku City.

Applicants are required to submit a signed document verifying their current employment as an EFL teacher at a public school in Azerbaijan. Please download the employment verification form below, and submit a signed copy in the appropriate field of the program application.

• 7:30 PM Nov 7, 12, 20 and 25: Live Applicant Info Sessions via Zoom
• December 1: Application Closes
• December 3-5: Zoom Interviews
• December 16: Selection Notice
• December 23: Acceptance Deadline/Waitlist Notice
• January 6-10: Enrollment

Alison M. Turner, PhD. is an Assistant Professor in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the World Languages and Cultures (WLC) Department at North Carolina State University. She promotes an asset-based perspective, recognizing and tapping into students’ funds of knowledge (Moll et al., 1992) and community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) when working with immigrant, refugee, and English language learning students and families. Her research also focuses on exploring the effect of Professional Development (PD) curriculum choices on English language teachers’ classroom practices. She served as the Practicum Discussion Leader for the Azerbaijan ELT program in 2023 and will return in in the role of Academic Content Director.

Paula Wilder received her M.A. in TESOL from Greensboro College and her B.A. in English from Guilford College. She currently serves as the director of English for academic purposes and continuing education for non-native English speakers at Durham Technical Community College. Paula has been responsible for the creation and implementation of academic EFL curriculum programs at two community colleges in North Carolina and has worked as a consultant for other community colleges that are in the process of implementing their EFL programs. She is also an instructor in the TESOL certificate program at N.C. State, teaches English composition, serves as a thesis advisor, and has designed and taught Academic Writing for ELLs and TESOL: Adult Language Learners in the M.A. TESOL program at Greensboro College. Paula has also taught at Harvard University’s Institute of English Language. In 2014, Paula received the TESOL International Ruth Cryme’s Award and was a runner-up in the 2016 TESOL International Teacher of the Year Award. She has presented her research in a variety of venues, including Oxford University, TESOL, Int’l, UNC-Charlotte, N.C. Community College System Office Conferences, SETESOL, Carolina TESOL, TALGs, NCADE, and NCEI. She has also conducted teacher training workshops in Canada, Mexico, and China.

Cate Madden serves as the director of the NC State University Intensive English Program. She has worked in the field of ESL both as a teacher and program administrator for more than 25 years. In the classroom, she has had the privilege of teaching all skills involved in English language learning to all types of language learners including bilingual elementary children, university-bound internationals and business executives from around the world. Ms. Madden currently serves two professional organizations (TESOL and NAFSA) as a reviewer for national conference proposals within the field of ESL and has presented at EnglishUSA, NCAIE and Carolina TESOL conferences on the topics of language assessment and professional development.