From a Local Classroom to the Global Stage: Are you ready for New Voices?
Have you ever thought about presenting at an international event but wondered whether you were good enough? Perhaps you've delivered workshops in your school, or at a local conference, but the idea of presenting to a global audience feels different? Maybe you're waiting until you feel more confident or more knowledgeable? Whilst it may feel uncomfortable to put yourself forward to speak to a global audience, just know that many teacher trainers who you may have seen speaking confidently at conferences or webinars started in exactly the same place!
So, if you not sure yet if you feel ready to put yourself forward for Macmillan’s 2026 New Voices program, read the journeys of three teacher trainers from the local classroom to the global stage. We hope their stories will inspire you and give you the confidence to apply for this unique opportunity which is all about allowing yourself to step forward and embracing that challenge!
From questioning myself to inspiring others
Anna’s Journey
When people ask me how I came to do what I’m doing now I can only say that my journey to training on a global stage certainly wasn't planned! In 2001 I started as a language teacher in New Zealand, and at the time I didn’t even consider speaking at conferences, I was simply trying to make a difference at my school. My first steps into teacher training came through working as a Director of Studies when I discovered that I was passionate about enabling others and creating spaces where we teachers could learn with and from one another.
Looking back, those early workshops were incredibly important because they helped realise that I had something to contribute. After nervously presenting at my first overseas conference, I was approached for some training work by a global organisation. One presentation led to another and gradually, I found myself working for various organisations with larger audiences of teachers in different parts of the world. Whilst I slowly found my feet and voice, there were many moments when I questioned whether I was good enough or whether I knew enough. Because who was I to stand up in front of all those talented teachers with years of experience?
Over the years working in Australia, China, Japan, Ethiopia and various countries in the Middle East, I discovered that teachers everywhere seem to share many of the same challenges and hopes. So, whilst contexts may be different, the underlying challenges teachers face regarding motivation, engagement, responding to learners’ behaviour and managing their own wellbeing are often remarkably similar. This helped me understand that you do not need to know it all. Sharing your own challenges and how you approached them in your context can create a connection and inspire others to try out what worked for you or tweak it, so it better suits their context.
3 things I wish I had known when I moved onto that global stage? Top of Form
Local challenges are more global than we may think
You don't need to know everything to share something valuable
Confidence grows through action
From Spain to the world: One webinar at a time
Harry’s Journey
My teaching journey began in Brazil in 2007 before taking me to China, Vietnam, Australia and eventually Spain, where I spent the last fifteen years teaching and training teachers. My first steps into teacher training came when my Director of Studies encouraged me to to deliver training sessions at my local academy and at local conferences. My steps onto the global stage were not something carefully planned but emerged during the pandemic.
With everything going online it was a great opportunity to be able to get into the webinar world and share my passion for integrating sustainability and environmental awareness into English language teaching. It was also a great chance to learn from others about living and working in different places across the globe. Doing webinars made my work more visible globally which led to collaborations with a range of organisations and enabled me to connect with teachers from every inhabited continent. I discovered the shared commitment educators have to make a positive difference in the world. Now, whilst I was extremely lucky to have had a bit of experience on a smaller scale before I went global which calmed my nerves a bit, I was obviously really nervous. But one great tip was to brush my teeth before I went live and it really helped!
What I love the most about my journey is learning about how different people teach across the globe. I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with people on each of the habitable continents and learning about their approaches to learning and their beliefs about sustainability has been eye opening. The thing that surprised me the most was just how welcoming teachers are, whoever you work with the overall feeling is that teachers generally enjoy training sessions and want to learn from you in training sessions.
3 things I wish I had known when I moved onto that global stage? Top of Form
People attend training session to learn, not to criticise
Just remember, you're good enough
Enjoy the experience and have fun
From a local voice to New Voices presenter
Armanda's Journey
My entry into teacher trainer happened organically in Romania where I work as a teacher, trainer and researcher. It was my passion for teaching and sharing ideas with others that drove me to be brave enough and submit my first proposal to present internationally in 2019. After this I began presenting at international teacher association conferences across Europe such as Croatia and Malta, gradually building my up international experience and confidence in sharing experiences from my classroom with wider audiences.
Presenting for New Voices in 2025, however, I still see as one of the most significant steps in my career as it was my first truly global experience which felt unique because of the diversity of the audience. New Voices tends to bring together teachers from across continents, cultures, and educational contexts. One thing to keep in mind is that what works in one context may not work in another context so knowing this pushed me to think creatively about how to adapt my local ideas and frameworks so they could be useful in other contexts I had not experienced myself.
Whilst I felt a bit of pressure presenting to a global audience, that disappeared quick quickly when I discovered a welcoming community of teachers. That sense of connection was what surprised me the most during New Voices. Despite presenting online, interactions in the chatbot showed me that educators everywhere seem to be eager to learn from one another and I could feel the energy coming through my screen! One participant wrote that my presentation had changed the way they thought about critical media literacy which helped me realise that even a short 15-minute presentation could have a meaningful impact. It felt empowering that I was able to contribute to other teachers’ practices and make a difference through simply sharing my passion for teaching!
3 things I wish I had known when I moved onto that global stage? Top of Form
You do not need to be a big name in the profession for your ideas to matter
Your classroom experience is your strength
Follow your passion
Final thoughts
As the stories above show, the journey from local to global presenter rarely begins with complete confidence. Although Anna, Harry, and Armanda followed different paths, each of them had moments of doubt, each questioned whether they were knowledgeable enough, or ready enough. Yet, none of them waited for confidence to arrive before taking that next step!
Presenting to a wider audience may feel vulnerable because it means sharing your ideas, experiences, and sometimes even your uncertainties with others. But it is often through that vulnerability that professional growth, connection with others, and new opportunities emerge. Perhaps the biggest take-away from their stories is that you do not need to be perfect or the expert to have something valuable to contribute!
New Voices is not looking for perfect presenters. It is looking for authentic voices, fresh perspectives, and practical ideas that can inspire others. So, if you have been sitting on the fence, wondering whether to apply, perhaps this is your sign to take the plunge, to share your idea and trust your experience. Because if you don't apply, nothing changes. But if you do, you never know where that first step might take you...