Hochschule Bremen (HSB) thrives on the people who study and work here, and who enrich the university as visitors. In our “Three questions for…” series, we introduce some of them. Here: Jeremy Hookway from the Language Centre of the Universities in the State of Bremen (SZHB), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The SZHB staff member has been teaching English at the HSB since 1998 – and he still loves his job. Why? The Welsh-born teacher reveals all in this interview.
Mr Hookway, first of all, a question: What does the SZHB offer students and staff in the state of Bremen?
My colleagues at the SZHB and I organise a wide range of courses every semester at all four state universities in Bremen and Bremerhaven. The courses currently cover a total of 22 languages. Students can attend courses that form part of their degree programmes or take advantage of additional courses offered by the SZHB. Incoming students also have the opportunity to take German as a foreign language. Technical and administrative staff can attend language courses – ranging from English to sign language. Academics benefit from our individual coaching sessions to support them in their work. In many academic communities, the language of the discipline has long been English. We at the SZHB have four permanent staff members at the HSB whom you can contact. You can find me, for example, in Faculty 3 – School of Social Sciences at the Neustadtswall Campus in the M building.
Together with your HSB colleagues Dr Anja Kamp and Prof. Dr Stefan Veltel, you received the Bremen University Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2024. A great honour for your work. How do you teach language?
My aim is to teach English in contexts that are as authentic as possible. This means I create a setting in which students and staff communicate with one another within their own field of study, thereby improving their English. In this way, they use and improve their language skills to communicate with one another in a realistic professional environment. That’s motivating. In the practical module ‘International Research Network & English C1’ of the International Degree Programme in Technical and Applied Biology (ISTAB) at Hochschule Bremen, our team has clearly succeeded so well in this that we’ve been recognised for it. I’m delighted!
What do you find fulfilling about your work?
It’s simply the best job in the world! Working with intelligent, creative young people is incredibly motivating! And I receive a lot of positive feedback. I also have plenty of creative freedom. One example is the award-winning project, which, incidentally, grew out of the HSB’s AddInno project and is funded by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education.
And then there’s the great variety: over the decades, I’ve taught in almost every faculty at the HSB: from pilot trainees to physiotherapists to leisure studies students. This has also allowed me to get to know many different colleagues at the HSB. There are so many open-minded, imaginative and helpful people here!
