Teresa DeSaram’s Page

Teresa was Regional Education Manager for the Workers’ Educational Association, Yorkshire and Humber Region, responsible for the educational programme, staff team and volunteers across North Yorkshire and York.  This included successful bidding for funds to initiate and develop educational opportunities for those experiencing disadvantage and rural isolation.  In addition she was responsible for learner support and the development of e-learning across the region.

 

She is a trained linguist with a degree in Spanish with distinction from Durham University where she won the modern language prize.

 

She has been involved in voluntary activities throughout her life, initially with VSO in Latin America, where she was lecturer in English, firstly at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia and subsequently co-ordinator of English as a Foreign Language at the Universidad Pedagogica Nacional – the national teachers’ training university – also in Bogota.

 

She was appointed the LSC North Yorkshire Board member for the voluntary sector from its launch in 2000 until 2007 and was invited to join the Board of the North Yorkshire Learning Consortium in 2008.

 

Previous to joining the WEA, Teresa worked for Selby College running the adult education centre in Sherburn in Elmet and surrounding villages.  In addition she taught Spanish, at all levels to adults, full time students and business people;  and psychology on the City and Guilds Teacher Training Certificate for those wishing to teach in adult and further education.

 

She has experience of education at all levels from pre-school, as a parent volunteer helper in her children’s playgroup and primary school, through to higher education in Latin America and at York University as lecturer in Spanish on the Languages for All programme.  She has also taught at secondary level in Leeds, and in Spain as an exchange teacher.

 

Since retiring from full time employment, Teresa spends several months of the year in Spain, where she is an active member of the community, helping to facilitate the integration of British people settling in the small mountain community where she lives, teaching both Spanish and English, and translating the community website to assist the development of rural tourism.