Nora Mitchell compares her professional career to stages in a play. Act 1: A position in high-tech marketing communications for 12 years at Wind River Systems. Act 2: Working at a nonprofit and raising her children. A graduate of the Certificate Program in Teaching English as a Second Language, Mitchell is ready for Act 3: Working with international business professionals to enhance their English-speaking skills through English With Nora.
What was your experience going through the certificate?
It was great! I feel competent and educated in the field and that I have a lot to offer people. On some level, I'm sad that it's over because I really enjoyed the classes. Teaching English as a second language is such a fascinating topic because I struggled with a foreign language when I moved to France, got a job with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and had to work all day in French. I can empathize with professionals who want to do business on a global level.
I feel competent and educated in the field and that I have a lot to offer people. On some level, I'm sad that it's over, because I really enjoyed the classes.
What is your English With Nora business?
I teach business English using Skype or one-on-one. I'm currently working with Japanese professionals and am about to launch a website. I worked with a gentleman in Osaka for three months before he came to the U.S. I'm now working with a gentleman in Tokyo, as well as with Japanese professionals one-on-one in Silicon Valley. I did an intonation and rhythm class for a student and had to pull out an old textbook to get refreshed.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
My ideal would be to teach locally during the school year and then teach abroad in chunks of time—spend a couple months in Vietnam, Japan or Prague. I'd like to teach at a community college, but I need a master's degree first. The certificate gets me there part of the way. The master's will be Act 3.2!