Teaching, UX and Speaking the Same Language

The awesome DXC Dev team in Vietnam who took us out for Christmas day

I’m halfway through my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course— and I love it.

I wasn’t sure at first. The idea of teaching felt a bit daunting. I’ve never taught before, and anything new comes with some fear.

But along the way, I realised how much crossover there is with the work I’ve already done.

TEFL classes feel a lot like UX workshops: a room full of people with different confidence levels, different backgrounds, different goals — and your job is simply to guide, listen, and help people get where they want to go. That’s the main thing.

Doing User Testing — My Way (and on the cheap)

True to my usual MO, I couldn’t just dive into something new without a bit of user testing.

I reached out to three friends to ask about their experiences with learning English — and working in digital — Who I trust completely (check out their LinkedIn profiles - all awesome):

Dawid and I lived together in a shared flat in Bristol years ago and have stayed good friends ever since. He’s from Krakow and a seriously talented engineer.

Hieu heads up development for a company I collaborated with when I worked for a global corporate. He’s based in Ho Chi Minh City and once hosted me for Christmas (see photo) — a trip I’ll never forget. His insight is always grounded, honest, and practical in the best way.

Ewa, who managed the CMS and digital at another global organisation, worked alongside me when I was leading UX. Also from Poland.

All three were kind enough to share their experiences — with digital work and with learning English. And as a UX designer and an aspiring English teacher, this kind of practical, real-life insight is gold alongside the academic stuff.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I realised something: If my career shifts in the future, there’s a beautiful crossover between UX, testing, language learning, and mentoring. These things overlap far more than I ever thought. Here's why... you need to ask real people if you want to do things properly. And work out what they need to know so you can guide them to achieve what they want.

What They Told Me

From Dawid (Polish Engineer):

“Games and movies with subtitles taught me the basics. BBC Radio 4 helped me tune my ear to the UK accent. But nothing prepared me for the chaos of real, casual English when I moved to Bristol. I rode buses just to eavesdrop on conversations. And then I read Garth Marenghi — which, honestly, felt like the final boss of English.”

Dawid always says what he thinks, and always finds out the best way to solve any problem logically. And I love that. (Also, I love Garth Marenghi)

From Hieu (Head of Development, Vietnam):

I worked with Hieu for years. He and his team built most of the functional journeys for the global insurance company I worked for — and unlike so many third-party dev teams, he never just ticked off what was in the user story. If something I designed didn’t quite make sense, or wouldn’t integrate well with the backend, he challenged me. And I challenged him back. The best kind of collaboration.

“I picked up English from anywhere I could — and I’m still learning today. The biggest leap was when I worked in New York, practising pronunciation with a native teacher and learning through everyday life. You really need that kind of environment. My kids study English at school, but I don’t see them improving, and it worries me. In this society, without English, it’s hard to move forward.”

A very real reminder of why English matters — not just academically, but for opportunity.

From Ewa (Polish Website Manager, now living in England):

I worked with Ewa in a newly set up team that brought digital in house, rather than having to rely on agencies. She's a great digital manager, and is always straight talking - in whichever language. Again, we needed to be on the same page - me managing UX and Ewa managing CMS. Collaboration was key!

“At high school I had private lessons and did a GCSE in English, but at university I was lucky — I had an amazing teacher. Still, my best learning came when I moved here as an au pair. You can certainly learn grammar and vocabulary, but the combination of words and sayings are learned on the job.”

English isn’t just a language, it’s a thousand tiny unwritten rules that only make sense when someone offers you a cup of tea and you realise “I’m alright” actually means “no thank you.”

What I’m Learning

The key, I think, to teaching is planning — and being human.

Not workshop-planning in the same UX sense, but something close. You need enough structure to keep people engaged, but not so much that it becomes patronising or rigid.

You’re there to empower. To build confidence. To solve a problem in a positive way.

I’ve mentored UX, design and content juniors over the years, and I’ve always learned just as much from them as they have from me.

Reading the room is where the UX-to-TEFL crossover becomes impossible to ignore.

In UX discovery sessions, you might have C-suite leaders, non-technical stakeholders, introverts, extroverts, data-lovers, group learners, solo learners — all with different ways of engaging. And you're there to bring them together around a shared goal.

TEFL is the same.

You’re helping people speak the same language — literally.

You’re giving people the confidence and clarity to communicate, to connect and to move forward.

It feels like the perfect crossover.

And finally — my favourite thing from asking friends for their thoughts:

When I asked Ewa if she had anything else to add, she said:

“Children will always correct you. Adults generally feel uncomfortable correcting anything. Kids don't care and are straightforward.”

Amen, sister. 🙌 Tell it like it is. In a language everyone understands. (And below... thanks 'Garth', and Dawid, yes I will lend it to you!)