Experienced lecturers’ advice on the possibilities of finding students interested in learning Serbian as a foreign language

Abstract

This paper describes methods, techniques, and approaches for finding students interested in learning Serbian as a foreign language, with the aim of providing meaningful assistance to novice teachers in initiating successful teaching engagements in a competitive market environment. Based on the responses of twenty participants, two phases in the professional career development of Serbian as foreign language teachers were identified. The first phase involves teaching Serbian to foreigners under lowrisk conditions via electronic interactive platforms and in private foreign language schools. The second phase involves teaching in their own private schools, characterized by the need for independent management of all organizational activities, including promotion and student recruitment. The research results indicate that teachers of Serbian as a foreign language have a solid understanding of the basics of digital marketing, as evidenced by the methods, techniques, and approaches they employ in their teaching practice to find interested students. They advertise their courses through promotional texts and flyers distributed in their local neighborhoods, placed in restaurants, cafés, and libraries, on specialized websites, social media platforms, or by adding locations on Google Maps. Additionally, teachers promote themselves equally through platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram pages, YouTube channels, and their personal websites.