What our members say about being an ALL member
ALL membership is beneficial at all stages in your language teaching career. From initial teacher training, through to classroom practitioner, co-ordinator, Head of Department or independent consultant, ALL is your professional community supporting you through every step of your journey.
That was amazing! Glad I joined the Association, looks like it's going to be a great support network. Good luck everyone on your teaching journeys!
Benefit from the support and encouragement of fellow practitioners
I love the opportunities for professional development and networking, sharing good practice with like-minded colleagues from different contexts. We can learn so much from one another!
Thank-you for encouraging me to attend the ALL Primary Languages Conference Online (ACAPULCO) Conference yesterday. It was brilliant! I will definitely be there again next year! (And I will make sure I take part in the raffle next time, too, as the prizes were amazing!)
Being an ALL member has given me access to a nationwide community of friendly linguists with whom I share many ambitions, experiences and values. I enjoy reading the ALL magazine to learn about the latest trends in MFL teaching and to pick up some tips, but for me, the greatest benefit of ALL membership is access to the in-person events. We have all missed out on these recently due to the pandemic, so they are arguably more important now than ever. Meeting ALL members from different schools reminds you that you are not alone in facing the challenges of MFL teaching. ALL events give you fresh ideas, a renewed sense of purpose in your everyday work and greater cause for optimism for the future. Come and join us!
Being an ALL member has enriched my life hugely and in many different ways. First and foremost it’s the PEOPLE. Working in a London primary school as a languages specialist can feel quite isolating so when I first attended a meeting (at Nadine Chadier’s North London primary hub maybe ten years ago?) I realised I had found my people and there was no going back. Passionate, enthusiastic languages teachers, open and willing to share their fantastic ideas, plans, experiences and resources; I couldn’t believe my luck. I soon set up my own South London Primary hub which still meets every term, always accompanied with tea and biscuits. I have attended Language World (wow- not to be missed) and the January event at the BFI many times. Last year I was thrilled to be invited to conferences in both Milan ( on developing international programmes in schools) and then in Malaga ( on using CLIL in the classroom) thanks to ALL and ERASMUS + Both were extraordinary; I met some amazing people and learnt a lot, as well as savouring much delicious food and wine! In Malaga I met Ingrid Vanoutryve, an educational psychologist from Vence near Nice and after sharing a glass of rouge and some delicious aperitifs we agreed to do a house swap. This summer she came to my home in Brixton and I took my children to her apartment in beautiful Vence. Thanks again to ALL!
Join your professional community
The Association for Language Learning (ALL) is the UK’s major subject association for teachers of foreign languages. We support and represent teachers of all languages in all sectors. Whether you’re a languages co-ordinator in a primary school, specialist languages teacher, or working outside mainstream education, we can offer you the support you need.
Keep up to date with the latest news and developments
Belonging to the association helps teachers to find out important information about changes to Programmes of Study, examination board specifications and the latest research too.
Become involved and play an active role in the ALL community
I joined ALL as a student teacher and the warm and welcoming environment of my local ALL branch spurred me on to quickly become more involved and play an active role in the ALL community. ALL has also given me the chance to share my practice-based research. It is wonderful to find a space where people who are passionate about language learning come together, from trainee teachers to experienced ones, to share their experiences, discuss language education, laugh together and also talk about problems or worries in the profession. Members of ALL benefit from becoming part of a great community where working together and sharing resources, ideas and knowledge are treasured. It is important to feel that there are others out there who are as passionate about language learning and teaching as you are and encourage you to fulfil your dreams and strive to become the best you can be.
What our primary sector members have to say
Passionate about the value of language learning
ALL has been part of my life throughout my career in education - as a classroom teacher, curriculum leader, primary languages consultant, adviser and inspector and teacher-trainer. In each and every one of these roles, I have appreciated the generous sharing of good practice and expertise which has been so readily available from our professional community. When working today with trainee teachers or primary languages colleagues, I always direct them to our association as the essential go-to source for the very best up-to-date information and support. It is vitally important that all of us who are passionate about the value of language learning can feel confident that we have a voice to truly fly the flag for languages. Thank you ALL.
Up-to-date with what is happening in the world of languages
Being a member of ALL means that I am always up-to-date with what is happening in the world of languages. The weekly email updates provide a wealth of information about all aspects of language learning which I would never have known about. I love hearing the ‘Languages Today’ magazine drop through my letter box as this means that there will be plenty of interesting articles to read over the next few days. It is a professionally produced magazine and it is in colour. I like to attend the ‘Language World’ conference each year, if I can, as this is a fantastic opportunity to access excellent CPD seminars. There is a reduced price for members which is most welcome.
Add your voice to your professional community
As a member of ALL, I value the support it offers to language learning in this country and recognise the importance of its voice and influence; as such, I feel that it is right to ‘give back’ what I can and offer my skills and enthusiasm to the Association.
Join your professional community
The Association for Language Learning (ALL) is the UK’s major subject association for teachers of foreign languages. We support and represent teachers of all languages in all sectors. Whether you’re a languages co-ordinator in a primary school, specialist languages teacher, or working outside mainstream education, we can offer you the support you need.
Language World remains excellent value for money
I joined ALL on qualifying in 1995. ALL materials are always spot-on in supporting my practice, and in helping me to develop languages in my schools. Local CPD offered by branches is always of an excellent calibre and Language World remains excellent value for money in terms of networking, information and inspiration! I have been given career opportunities through ALL, working with a fabulous group of practitioners across the country on a DFE project. This allowed me to share and develop good practice, meet other teachers who inspire and also helped develop my own career into training, ITT and now Primary Languages as an SLE. ALL takes the lead in representing language teachers, and their volunteers running branches and hubs are key to this. My Primary Hub welcomes teachers from across the borough who would otherwise be isolated in their roles in school. This voluntary role allows me to give back a little to ALL and ensure its continuation.
A more confident practitioner!
When I joined ALL, I had left my position as a secondary teacher and struck out on my own as a primary languages specialist. Membership keeps me in touch with current news and developments in language teaching and also introduces me to like-minded language teachers all over the country with whom I share and network. Being an ALL member has definitely made me a more confident practitioner!
What our secondary sector members have to say
Support and inspiration at difficult times
It is hard to believe how tangible yet distant the memory of the lockdown period now feels, over a year later – the isolation, the pressures, the coping with challenges every day!
From midway through my NQT year in 2020, and then later as a newly appointed Head of German in 2021, my teaching career has been unequivocally shaped by a culture of flexibility and adaptation, and even more so by the need for creativity.
Everything that ALL provided was such a comfort at that time – from the threads of conversation on Twitter to the shared ideas on the website, the publications and the webinar sessions. Over time, this gave me the confidence to present my pedagogy at ALL London’s Show & Tell and more recently at the Language World Conference 2022.
ALL has been instrumental in my development as a languages educator and I look forward to pursuing many other opportunities together in future.
Take control of your professional development
Joining ALL and becoming an active member has been very beneficial for my own professional development: I have become more involved with the Association and I have been part of a supportive network of professionals.
Strategies for language learning and teaching
Belonging to ALL has provided me with lots of up-to-date information, advice, interesting facts, strategies for language learning and teaching, training and so much more, which I have been able to share with others.
Better informed, more discerning and critical, more supported...
I wanted to be part of something larger than just my school languages department. Initially I wanted to learn, gain new ideas for teaching and learning. Later I wanted also to share my practice with others and feel I was giving something back to the profession. I will be a member of ALL as long as I continue in teaching (and probably much longer!) because the two go hand in hand, As an ALL member I am better informed, more discerning and critical, more supported and more enthusiastic in my job!
Fantastic friends and high quality CPD
ALL has enabled me to make fantastic friends, have quality CPD and kept me up to date with all things MFL.
A source of new ideas or resources
I have been a member of ALL for over 20 years. I have been to national and regional conferences and even arranged local network events. I rely on ALL for information about the changing situation of languages and as a source of new ideas or resources. Through ALL I am in touch with a network of language teachers, and together we have made sure our voice is heard. I have seen how we have changed language learning, moving away from repeat-after-me repetition of whole sentences, to an expectation that learners can express themselves through their understanding of the language.
ALLNet newsletter - a fantastic weekly roundup of news
There are many benefits of ALL membership, such as access to the extensive resources available through the ALL website. The ALLNet newsletter offers a fantastic weekly roundup of news and events related to Language teaching. I love being a volunteer and doing my part to share ideas and best practice. In 2016 I was awarded the ALL Secondary Language Teacher of the Year award by ALL and have met so many wonderful linguists through my ALL membership. Membership is a must for new teachers and those seeking great ideas!
Meet and learn from other ML teachers and trainers
I joined as a Goldsmiths' PGCE student to be part of the ML teacher community. Since then I have greatly valued attending national and local 'get-togethers' where you can meet and learn from other ML teachers and trainers who want to support, generously and modestly sharing their useful tips on teaching imaginative lessons. You also get the chance to hear and debate with 'decision-makers' who represent the national agencies and who refer to ALL as an authoritative voice for articulating its member views. Above all, I get a real buzz from volunteering and making friends with like-minded professionals who love their craft and their subject area.