Can someone with dyslexia become an English language teacher?

Yes. Many people with dyslexia successfully complete teacher training qualifications such as the CELTA and go on to build successful careers teaching English around the world.

Although dyslexia can present challenges relating to reading, spelling, writing and organisation, it can also bring valuable strengths including creativity, resilience, empathy and problem-solving abilities. As awareness of neurodiversity grows, more teacher training centres and employers recognise the value that neurodivergent educators bring to the classroom.

In this article, we explore what dyslexia is, the experiences of dyslexic teachers, and how aspiring English teachers can thrive during their training and throughout their careers.

Dyslexia, neurodiversity and English language teaching

Neurodiversity recognises that differences in how people think, learn and process information are natural variations of the human brain.

Dyslexia is widely recognised as a form of neurodivergence, alongside ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.

Rather than viewing neurodivergence solely through a deficit model, many schools, universities and employers now recognise the valuable strengths that neurodivergent individuals can bring to learning and professional environments.

Useful resources include:

• www.neurodiversityhub.org
• www.cipd.org/uk/topics/neurodiversity 

Dyslexia and the myth of the perfect teacher

In recent years, much has been written about supporting learners with dyslexia. However, less attention has traditionally been paid to teachers who themselves have dyslexia.

Many people still view the teacher as the unquestioned authority in the classroom. As a result, some teachers worry that disclosing dyslexia may affect how others perceive their professional competence.

Phil Dexter, a teaching development adviser with the British Council explains:
“Dyslexia is not fundamentally a reading and writing problem; it’s more about how the brain functions. It could be issues like problems with sequencing, problems with organisation… [but] it’s often reflected in terms of reading and writing.”

This understanding continues to shape how educational institutions approach dyslexia and broader neurodiversity today.

What teacher trainers say about dyslexia in ELT

Giovanni Licata, a CELTA teacher trainer in Rome, Italy, reflects on how some candidates may avoid discussing dyslexia due to longstanding perceptions about what a teacher should be. 

As Licata notes:
“All around the world there’s still an aura around the profession that sees a teacher as the ‘authority’ in the classroom.”

He continues:
“In the years that I’ve been training we’ve had numerous candidates that I’ve thought might be dyslexic but that have never come out as dyslexic. I think that there is a bit of a stigma that they’re avoiding.”

Perhaps the most important observation is Licata’s challenge to the idea of teacher perfection:
“You want that teacher to perform flawlessly, all the time, and I think that could not be farther from the truth of an ELT classroom.”

Thinking about becoming an English language teacher?

Whether you identify as dyslexic, neurodivergent or simply want to explore a career in English language teaching, our team can help you compare CELTA courses worldwide and find the training option that best suits your goals.