Lester is the President of the Modern Languages Teachers’ Association of Queensland (MLTAQ). For 21 years he was a secondary teacher (12 as a Languages Head of Department), and in 1991 he set up the Beenleigh cluster when languages entered primary schools.

He ended his school career part-time in 2017-18, teaching years 3, 5, 6 and 8, having spent 18 years at BSSSS/QSA/QCAA ( ‘Board of Studies’) providing advice to senior languages teachers on syllabus implementation, assessment design and moderation processes.

Meanwhile, he held a 9-year appointment as an honorary associate professor in the UQ School of Languages and Cultures, and now focuses on teacher education. He has been Course Coordinator in Languages Curriculum Studies in the UQ School of Education since 2004, and Lecturer in Charge, Languages Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (online) at the ACU since 2018.