The role of English language learning experiences in the development of TESOL preservice teachers’ identity capital

In our globalised world, English as a dominant language has become a means for enhancing employability, economic growth, transnational mobility, status, and prestige. In accordance with this, many education systems include English education at all schooling levels. As a result, English language learning has become a major part of many students’ educational experiences. However, how this experience contributes to shaping their employability, especially employable identity, remains an open question. Aiming to address this gap, this chapter draws on Tomlinson’s (2017) model of graduate employability as a theoretical framework and uses a qualitative case study design. Based on data collected from narrative frames and individual interviews with two preservice teachers of English, the study identified the preservice teachers’ levels of investment made toward English language learning, abilities to draw on English language learning experiences to articulate a narrative of employable identity, and self-concepts relating to future role as teachers of English. These findings show that the participants’ English language learning experiences that spanned over many years contribute essentially to the development of their identity capital which they could use to develop and project themselves as employable graduate teachers. The chapter offers implications for English language teacher educators and future employers.