Hi, I’m Joshua James, a Visiting Assessor with Coventry University’s National Institute of Teaching and Education (NITE). I have the pleasure of working across Southeast Asia to support the next generation of international educators who are completing their iPGCE with iQTS.
What does the role of Visiting Assessor involve?
As a Visiting Assessor, I observe lessons, review trainee progress on PebblePad, and meet with mentors in the schools where our trainees complete their placements. I like to think of myself as the bridge between NITE’s rigorous standards and the diverse classrooms across Southeast Asia.
My responsibility is to ensure that what trainees learn through their studies is translated into effective classroom practice, whatever the context.
How Visiting Assessors help trainees
For trainees, having local support makes a difference. Pursuing a teaching qualification while working fulltime in a school is demanding, especially in international and bilingual settings where teachers are adapting to new curricula, cultural expectations, and diverse student needs.
Having someone from NITE who understands the challenges of local schools and the expectations of the programme provides reassurance to teacher trainees. And more importantly, it helps trainees connect theory to practice in meaningful, context-specific ways.
From teacher to School Leader to Visiting Assessor
Because I have been in their position, I can empathise with what trainees are experiencing and provide feedback that is both practical and encouraging.
In fact, I started my own career in education as a teacher in an international school in Malaysia. Over time, I grew to become the Managing Director of a bilingual k-12 school in Vietnam.
That journey taught me how demanding teaching can be, particularly for those balancing professional duties with academic study.
And I'd like to remind teacher trainees that while there may be times when the journey feels challenging, it is always worth the effort and time.
The value of diversity
What impresses me the most as a Visiting Assessor is the diversity of the trainees I support: The iPGCE programmes attract both local educators seeking to enhance their qualifications, as well as expatriate teachers from around the world wanting internationally recognised training and certification. This mix creates a rich professional environment with valuable cultural perspectives.
I have seen Vietnamese teachers leverage deep understanding of local learning styles and traditions, as well as expatriate colleagues bring fresh insights from their international backgrounds. The result is a stronger, more balanced teaching community in schools.
In bilingual schools, this collaboration is particularly valuable as teachers work to balance multiple languages, cultural traditions, and international standards.
Breakthrough moments
For me, the most rewarding part of being a Visiting Assessor is witnessing those breakthrough moments when things start to click for a trainee. Usually that happens after the second visit. The trainee starts to show confidence, reflection and is intentionally integrating theory and feedback into their practice.
Recently, I observed a Vietnamese Mathematics teacher who combined traditional problem-solving methods with the questioning techniques learned in her iPGCE studies. The result was transformative: her students were fully engaged. She recently shared that her students this year achieved the best iGCSE Mathematics results in her school’s history.
That moment captured what this work is all about: not replacing local approaches with international standards, but blending the two to achieve something even stronger.
Looking ahead
I am proud to be part of NITE, supporting the next generation of teachers across Southeast Asia.
By helping trainees adapt what they are learning to their own contexts, I hope to play a small role in building a community of educators who respect local wisdom while embracing global best practice.
