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News | 11 December 2024

From Swedish beginner to Swedish teacher

Learning a new language while building a career in a foreign country is a significant challenge. Otis Jiang, a mathematics teacher at IES Solna, has made an impressive journey from being a complete beginner in Swedish to becoming fluent and obtaining a Swedish teaching certification.

When Otis Jiang first arrived in Sweden, he could only say "hello" and "goodbye" in Swedish. Today, he is a well-respected mathematics teacher – with a Swedish teaching certification – at IES Solna.

"After living in Sweden for a couple of months, I decided to learn Swedish because I realised how fantastic it is to live here," says Otis. "I love Swedish culture and the Swedish landscape, so I decided to give it a go and integrate myself into society."

Language as a key to reaching students
As a teacher, Otis has seen how important Swedish is in meeting the needs of his students.

"Many of our students don't have a very good command of English when they start here, so it's extra important that I, as a teacher, can communicate in their language. It helps them develop their bilingualism fully," says Otis.

The pathway to a Swedish teaching certification has been both challenging and rewarding.

"The hardest part has been learning all the grammatical rules and writing academic texts in Swedish, but this has also given me a deeper understanding of my students' challenges when they learn a new language," says Otis.

When Otis started working at IES Solna, he had already completed his Swedish courses, but he never spoke Swedish at work. Then he was paired with a mentor who is a Swedish teacher, and she only spoke Swedish with him at first.

"It was very difficult for the first three months, I'd say!" says Otis. "But then I realised that I could actually speak Swedish. The bilingual environment has helped me a lot; the most important thing is to use your skills, and you do that by talking to your Swedish colleagues and students who speak Swedish."

Otis hopes that his story can inspire others who want to learn Swedish and work as a teacher in Sweden.

"The most important thing is not to give up. By practising regularly and daring to make mistakes, you will develop," says Otis.