Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Daqi Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Huanggang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
What makes an English teacher successful? Many people might contend that in order to be an effective English teacher, one should be a native speaker. In many cases, native English speakers are those most suitable to teach English, but not necessarily always. There are advantages and disadvantages of being a non-native English-speaking teacher, and to better understand the position of these teachers, I will discuss the pros and cons and relay some important skills that are necessary to perform the job successfully. Oftentimes, native English-speaking teachers find it much easier to get a job teaching English. This is because even teachers who are very good in English commonly make grammar mistakes or errors in word choice. As opposed to their native language, it is very difficult to hear whether phrases “sound good” together in English. Additionally, pronunciation tends to be more difficult for non-native speakers, and because of these factors, they are rarely hired in more linguistically developed countries like Western Europe, which could contribute to a lack of confidence in some teachers. While it is important not to understate those disadvantages, it is also true that non-native speakers bring something unique to the table when it comes to teaching. Many times, it is the case that, because non-native speakers have had to learn English as a second language, they know the grammar well and are familiar with the way learners of a second or foreign language typically acquire new language, often even more familiar than native speakers. As the first unit of the TEFL training mentions, it is common for native English-speaking teachers to speak perfectly but have little understanding of grammar or why sentences are constructed the way they are. Another characteristic of these teachers is their willingness to teach in underdeveloped countries. For example, I have a friend from the Ukraine who is living in Vietnam because there is a good opportunity for her to be able to teach students who are new to learning English. She mentioned that it was much easier for her to be hired in a country like Vietnam versus a country like Germany because the collective English level of those two counties is very different. The final advantage that non-native speakers have in teaching is their lived experience with learning English and the personal struggles they have endured to attain a high level of English knowledge. In this way, they know what it takes to be faced with the challenge of learning another language and, thus, are able to relate with their students in a deep and meaningful way. This can be the factor that sets apart good teachers from great ones. Ultimately, for non-native speakers to be successful, they must possess a certain set of skills which take a lot of work to acquire. They must also have an outstanding knowledge of English, make very few grammar mistakes and be able to speak clearly with good pronunciation, all the while possessing the attributes of a “good” teacher. Although it might not be as common or even as desirable to be a non-native English-speaking teacher, having success in the classroom is not impossible for those willing to put in the effort, and the value they add to the global English-teaching community is immeasurable.
