foreign language
7 Tricks for Landing a Great Job Teaching ESL-EFL (English as a Second Language)
7 tricks for landing a GREAT job teaching English as a second language and
keeping it
Have you dreamed of living in a foreign country, traveling
around the world, or meeting new people and experiencing new cultures?
Maybe you have, and thought that it was inaccessible or out
of reach. Let me tell you, it’s not!
The TEFL Explanation
Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), is a term used to describe the teaching of English to non-native speakers in a country where English is not the first language (see ESL/ESOL/EFL/ELT, which explains the differences between the many acronyms you are likely to encounter in English language teaching). It is possible for TEFL to happen within English speaking countries, in language schools for example, but teaching tends to takes place in a student’s native country. There, TEFL is used within state school systems, private language schools and even by freelance teachers. Teachers can be either native or non-native speakers.
Qualifications
There are institutions that provide TEFL certification across the globe, but there is no internationally recognised independent accrediting organisation that overlooks the issuing of these qualifications. TEFL providers tend to get their certificates accredited by organisations within their region that are able to approve teaching qualifications.
Teaching English Isn’t That Easy
Anyone who has taught or is teaching English as a foreign language will know that it’s not as easy as it might seem.
“Teaching a bunch of 4 year old’s to count to ten, what a doddle”.
Definitely not, 4 year old kids are the same all over the world, they get bored easily, they like to mess around, they need pretty much constant entertainment and stimulation. That’s where you as the teacher need to step up and constantly generate new and interesting ways to get your message across. It’s not just a case of standing in front of the class and making them repeat after you. Sure you can take that approach, but it won’t win you any friends and you’ll soon get bored too.