Older adult language learners, sometimes called lifelong or third-age language learners, have started to gain research attention (De Bot & Makoni, 2005; Gabryś-Barker, 2017; Gabryś-Barker et al., 2016; Martinez, 2012; Thompson, 2016). This chapter also focuses on older adults. Specifically, it takes you on a tour through the land of third-age teacher educators (TATEs) in the foreign and second language field. This is likely to represent some of the first research on the topic, as the third-age concept does not seem to have been previously applied to studying teacher educators in our field or, indeed, elsewhere. In this chapter we discuss the third age as a concept, pointing out its strengths and some caveats. Then we present a narrative study of third-agers and come to some important conclusions.

Your Guides to the Third-age Teacher Educator Realm

We are participant-researchers for the study and your guides to the TATE realm. Like other third-agers, we are retirees, who participate actively and purposefully in work and projects, often experience well-being, manage our negative emotions well and feel innovative, creative and productive. However, we have other characteristics that not all third-agers have, such as strong extraversion, experience of living and travelling abroad and opportunities to learn from other cultures.

Rebecca, a newly minted 70-year-old, consults for TESOL projects, teaches adjunct graduate courses, writes, edits two book series and various books and travels globally. Andrew, 72, does much the same (without formal teaching or book series editing), enhanced by extensive interactions with grandchildren. Virginia (Ginny), 74, works full-time in Southeast Asia as a teacher educator, runs an international charitable organisation with Russian partners, travels widely and plans the next big adventure. We are not necessarily typical of language teacher educators of our age; we are probably more ‘third-age’ than most.

What is the Third Age?

TATE means third-age teacher educators in the language field.