Professional Development and the Precarious Practitioner: A Critical Friendship Approach

Abstract

Whilst the necessity of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to enhance teaching practice in diverse English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teaching contexts is acknowledged by the sector (BALEAP, 2024; Campion, 2016; Ding & Bruce, 2017), there are still relatively few published accounts of how such development is achieved (Fitzpatrick et al., 2022; Jarnot, 2024; Knox et al., 2024) either by individual EAP practitioners or by the institutions which employ them. This has importance for all EAP practitioners but has particular significance for those working in precarity, who often have limited access to CPD opportunities. Emerging from the three authors’ CPD collaborations on a pre-sessional programme at the University of Edinburgh over the last two years, this article critically reflects on the challenges of identifying and managing EAP professional development from both the individual and institutional perspective.  As a solution, we propose that critical friendship, supported by pro-active academic leadership, is an approach which goes some way to overcoming the personal, institutional, and sectoral barriers which may stand in the way of meaningful professional development. Drawn from our recorded conversations and written reflections about CPD, we reflect on the development of our own critical friendship and argue for an approach to professional development for pre-sessional teachers which has reciprocity, shared responsibility, and collaboration at its centre.