What Do You Have To Have To Become A Teacher

For the purpose of this article I assume that there is absolutely no difference between TEFL and TESOL, they are both a means of teaching English to people who do not have it as their first language. So why do people think to themselves sitting at home, maybe I will train to be a teacher, but not a regular teacher that we all grew up with at school. But someone who teaches the English language to non English speakers in foreign countries. Well the reasons are varied but almost everyone can identify themselves with at least one. Some realize that the jobs they work in are not quite what they thought they would do growing up. So in search of excitement and something more worthwhile they sign up to TEFL. Others like myself are really gypsies and have a great urge to...  [Read more]

  Then, we have a set of objectives and aims. Here, the learner objectives relate to what we're hoping the students are going to be able to do by the end of your lesson and quite often, that can be a useful way of writing out what the objectives are. So, we would start the sentence "By the end of the lesson, students should be able to?" and then a list of two, three or four items that we're expecting the students to be able to do by completing this lesson. The learner objectives are different to the teacher aims the teacher aims are what you are expecting from that lesson itself. Now, when you first start teaching, quite a normal aim might be to complete the lesson successfully, to get through the whole thing without having any problems. As time goes on and you become more...  [Read more]

When training to teach English as a foreign language, or any other subject for that matter, at some stage the need arises to examine what exactly it is that makes someone a good teacher. After all, if you do not know the qualities you should possess, how are you to become one? The TEFL International handbook provides a summary of teachers? own suggestions of the characteristics required, and lists personality traits such as patience and kindness, and skills such as the ability to motivate, understand and entertain (1). The handbook uses this list to surmise that a good teacher is one who ?cares about his/her teaching, but cares more about the learning of the students? (2). If the students? needs are therefore the number one priority, then self-analysis on the part of...  [Read more]

When training to teach English as a foreign language, or any other subject for that matter, at some stage the need arises to examine what exactly it is that makes someone a good teacher. After all, if you do not know the qualities you should possess, how are you to become one' The TEFL International handbook provides a summary of teachers' own suggestions of the characteristics required, and lists personality traits such as patience and kindness, and skills such as the ability to motivate, understand and entertain (1). The handbook uses this list to surmise that a good teacher is one who 'cares about his/her teaching, but cares more about the learning of the students' (2). If the students' needs are therefore the number one priority, then self-analysis on the part of the...  [Read more]

The topic of teacher accents in the ESL classroom is much debated. I am sure most teachers can relate to a story or experience. In South Korea, like many Asian countries there is a strong focus on the 'American English'. All listening tapes, dialogues, transcripts and texts use American linguistics and accents. Even the international TOEIC and TEFL tests for a long time were using American accents. As a New Zealand citizen being strongly advised to develop an American accent can be hard to comprehend.Kachru 1986 writes 'what actually happens is that language and power go together. American English is accepted for the power and superiority which America as a nation has acquired in the areas of science, technology, commerce, military affairs and politics'. I tend to agree and...  [Read more]

A few weeks ago I went up to my Japanese friend and told her ?Good Afternoon? in Japanese. She smiled and told me that while correct, Japanese people don?t usually greet each other in that manner. I thought it was odd because that?s the way I learned it back in my university days. She equated it to saying, ?How many times do you greet your friends by saying, ?Good Afternoon? or ?Good Evening??? After thinking about it, I realized that I rarely use the standard ?Hello? or ?Hi? but rather ?Hey? or ?What?s up?? While completely acceptable and understandable for Native English speakers, I didn?t know that this simple greeting could cause a bit of confusion. When I taught English in an elementary school in Korea, I had a co-teacher whose English abilities were quite...  [Read more]

Teaching is not merely sharing of information or knowledge, but also an expression of values and attitudes. What teachers usually get back from their students is what they themselves have brought to the teaching-learning process. The role of the teacher is multi-faceted and diverse. Just some of the roles that a teacher must take on are that of motivator, mentor, decision maker, coach, facilitator, psychologist, parent, speaker, actor/actress, assessor, organizer, model, observer and disciplinarian amongst others. Ultimately in the world of TEFL, the teacher teaches language, reading, writing, speaking and listening. To be able to do this, the teacher must take on many other roles which make it one of the most challenging professions. To put it mildly, teaching is not for...  [Read more]

What makes a person intelligent' Is an intelligent person good at math or language' Howard Gardener theorized that there are many different ways people can be intelligent, this became known as multiple intelligence theory. In this paper I will briefly discuss who Howard Gardener is, what are the multiple intelligences and how can we use them in our TEFL classrooms.Howard Gardener was born in 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He went to Harvard to study history and had Eric Erickson as a tutor. ' Howard Gardner's interest in Psychology and the social sciences grew... and he graduated summa cum laude in 1965"(Smith) . In 1966 he entered Harvard's doctoral program and became part of the Project Zero ( a research team on arts education). He completed his PhD in 1971 and...  [Read more]

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL - Earn TEFL certificate Online and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: A.J. - South Korea said: I?ve gained so much knowledge during this course. Lesson planning, classroom management and basically to be a good teacher is what I will always remember about this course. I am happy that I made the right decision to do this course because it has helped me become a better teacher to my students. I learnt so much and enjoyed it. The information I learnt helps me everyday in class, especially with younger students. I plan to use the information I learnt in this...  [Read more]

Being an EFL teacher can bring numerous rewards and happiness, but even the most experienced EFL teacher runs into challenges in the classroom from time to time, especially when teaching young learners. Challenges may range from wondering how to organize the seating of your students in the classroom to having a student that is disruptive. There are many challenges that TEFL teachers face, and unfortunately many are not given the resources/ideas or training that is beneficial and essential in maintaining a productive and homeostatic classroom. This is an essay about some of these challenges, and of course some ideas for classroom management.Classroom management can be challenging for anyone, but especially for the new teacher who has little experience in this area. It is not...  [Read more]

China has been proclaimed to be the largest market for English learners. In the last twenty years, progress in teaching and learning of English has exploded. Arriving in China August 1993 was not my first time there. Though it was my first time in the Northeast. I was to spend the next twelve years of my life in the city of Shenyang. An industrial city of 7 million people. My first impression was that it was like being in a 1950´s black and white movie with no sub-titles.. I was to teach at Shenyang Institute of Technology. My first year, I had 800 students. All except one of the classes, were freshmen. One was a class of 25 graduate students. Shenyang was my home until October 2005. There were tremendous changes in China during those years affecting...  [Read more]

China has been proclaimed to be the largest market for English learners. In the last twenty years, progress in teaching and learning of English has exploded. Arriving in China August 1993 was not my first time there. Though it was my first time in the Northeast. I was to spend the next twelve years of my life in the city of Shenyang. An industrial city of 7 million people. My first impression was that it was like being in a 1950´s black and white movie with no sub-titles..I was to teach at Shenyang Institute of Technology. My first year, I had 800 students. All except one of the classes, were freshmen. One was a class of 25 graduate students. Shenyang was my home until October 2005. There were tremendous changes in China during those years affecting all aspects of life....  [Read more]

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL - Cambridge Online Celta Courses and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: C.H. - China said: As time goes by, I have spent over five months on taking this course since December last year. Frankly speaking, I really appreciate the TEFL course which offers me lots of beneficial and practical teaching methodology, and this content plays a crucial role in my teaching career. Firstly, it gives me scientific guidance in terms of the teaching theory. To be specific, I become much clear about what roles a teacher needs to play at the different stages of a lesson...  [Read more]

After completing a TEFL certification course and working as an English language teacher, some people look to branch out into other avenues of the teaching profession in order to gain more experience or to earn a higher salary. One such route is to become a TEFL trainer. Teaching people to become classroom teachers can be a very rewarding and well paid job and a route into management positions or even setting up your own language school. The first and most obvious requirement is to successfully complete a TEFL course. This experience will give you the basic knowledge you need to teach English and also a valuable insight into what it takes to be a good teacher trainer. Crucially, it is not necessary to be at the top of the class when taking your course, as many of the best teacher trainers...  [Read more]

Many new teachers are intimidated by the prospect of having to teach grammar. There are several reasons for this. Many of us aren't that familiar with grammar rules to begin with, the many exceptions make English grammar a complex subject, and finally, grammar just isn't that exciting to most teachers or students. For these reasons, there can be a tendency to question whether teaching grammar is really that important in the first place.So, is teaching grammar important' I believe it is. Ed Swick says, 'The rules of Grammar for a language learner are like the rules of the road for a driver. In order to be able to drive properly and maneuver with other drivers, you have to know the rules that everybody goes by' This is true of language to. If you follow the rules of...  [Read more]

Located in the east of the country, Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, is its largest city and the most populated city in the region of Central Asia with around two and a half million people calling it home. The city became the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan when the country became independent in 1991. Tashkent has a long and interesting history which is evidenced in its delightful architecture. The exhibition halls and metro stations are particularly good examples to look out for. One of the best ways of experiencing local life in Tashkent is to drop by one of the numerous local markets, which are thriving social centers for the local inhabitants. The nightlife in Tashkent is exciting and varied and you will find the best clubs, restaurants and teahouses in Uzbekistan in the city....  [Read more]

Volunteer teaching can be the most rewarding experience of your life or a total nightmare depending on your expectations and attitude. You need to be realistic about what kind of person you are. Are you the type who can travel the world making your own contacts and decide independently where best to spend your tine? Or are you the type who needs to know exactly where you will be sleeping each night and exactly what your days will hold? Most of us fall somewhere in between. People often ask why should I pay to volunteer somewhere? Aren?t they already getting my time and effort for nothing? Well is most cases it costs the organisation money to have you there, sometimes the benefit outweighs the cost for them and sometimes not. ?In Nicaragua, I often heard the comment...  [Read more]

TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language refers to teaching English to students for whom it is not their mother tongue. TEFL can take place in English-speaking regions, for example in language schools or summer camps or before the start of a university degree, but usually occurs in the student´s own country. There, TEFL can be either within the state school system, or private, either in an after-hours language school or with a one-on-one tutor. The teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)Taking a TEFL course as a non-native English speaker was a great experience, with a wild awakening. Life has a way of bringing surprises, not bad or good, they become what you make them to be, and the outcome depends on how you embrace...  [Read more]

IntroductionIn this article I will gather the most common problems/difficulties Thai learners have when learning English. I will spot the main difficulties you as the teacher will deal with and I will give my tips/solutions of how you can understand the problems and deal with them.The article is based on own experience and new information I have learned from this course.Some of the major differences between Thai learners and European learners are:Certain students can be reluctant to talk and produce English in class. It can be caused by natural shyness or just the fact that they cannot express themselves in English or it can have its roots in cultural issues.How do we deal with these issues and how do we know if certain behaviour is caused by student´s culture or by natural ...  [Read more]

Classroom management requires a positive relationship between the teacher and the student. A teacher, who has a good rapport with their students, will have a better outcome. Respect for each other, will prove positive in both the relationship and study.Obstacles to this rapport may involve the classroom set up, which can create problems, such as with rows. The students, at the back, are disadvantaged. Dr. Scott Mandel Pacoima (Middle school) states ''the further back you go, the more discipline problems there are with visual, oral and physical stimulation from the teacher is increasingly diminished,,,'1.An alternative, he suggests, is to arrange the chairs and tables into a three sided box shape. In this fashion, every student is in the first row and the teacher...  [Read more]

TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language refers to teaching English to students for whom it is not their mother tongue. TEFL can take place in English-speaking regions, for example in language schools or summer camps or before the start of a university degree, but usually occurs in the student´s own country. There, TEFL can be either within the state school system, or private, either in an after-hours language school or with a one-on-one tutor. The teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Taking a TEFL course as a non-native English speaker was a great experience, with a wild awakening. Life has a way of bringing surprises, not bad or good, they become what you make them to be, and the outcome...  [Read more]

One of the more noticeable differences between students on the TEFL course is the different uses of the English language. The main differences being between the British and American English. On area that I thought could have become confusing when teaching would be the pronunciation of different words by different English speakers. As a rule it is generally agreed amongst English teaching programs that neither type of pronunciation is the correct version however they do insist on consistence of usage. So when a person starts to teach in British English using relevant terms they should maintain that throughout. Grammatically both types of the language follow the same rules. However there are variations? of form words that are used. For example the past participle for...  [Read more]

Check out Tesolcourse.com about Cambridge TEFL Online Course and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: A.L. - Australia said: I have thoroughly enjoyed this TEFL course. As a native english speaker one assumes that teaching their own language may be much easier than it truly is. For me the revision of grammar especially practicing the tenses (past, present and future) was very useful. I think that when preparing to teach students a language you have to really remain encouraging so their experience is a positive one. You have to always be patient and anticipate problems that may arise with such...  [Read more]

Cape Town, located at the southern tip of the African continent, is one of South Africa’s capitals and has won numerous accolades from international newspapers and travel magazines. Surrounded by a beautiful natural environment and with the infrastructure of a modern international city, Cape Town has plenty to offer visitors from all over the world. Cape Town is known as the “Mother City” and is the oldest city in South Africa. The area that is now Cape Town was first noted by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. Visitors to the city will have the chance to explore the long history of Cape Town at the many museums throughout the city. Cape Town has plenty of attractions for travellers to explore including beautiful beaches, refreshing botanical gardens, picturesque...  [Read more]

'Red is rojo. Green is verde. Blue-Azul, Negro-Black'? As a high school student I opted to take a foreign language course in Spanish. Honestly, I do not remember a lot of the language (and I even took four years!), but what I do remember are those elements that were taught through the use of song. The example above is sung (and continues) in the tune of ?Are you sleeping?? In this same course we became familiar with a few popular Latin American songs; one such song was ?Amor Prohibido? by Selena. I may not be able to recall the meaning of all the words in the song, but I can still, nonetheless, successfully sing through the entire song with correct pronunciation. My experience and current research have shown me the immense power that songs can have in the...  [Read more]

'Motivation can be induced artificially, but its effects then are temporary' (2). It is important for teachers to learn skills to motivate their class in ways that will move away from a 'temporary', to a lifelong or long term 'want' to learn. The International TEFL course as well as several others, suggest different ideas and methods of how best to use motivation in the classroom. Though there are different methods, the goal remains the same.The International TEFL course teaches using the ESA method, (Engage, Study and Activate). This teaching method allows the students to quickly become accustomed to the teaching structure. Students know that out of each lesson they should expect a well organized, clear teaching point with plenty of engagement and activation with their peers....  [Read more]

Classroom management requires a positive relationship between the teacher and the student. A teacher, who has a good rapport with their students, will have a better outcome. Respect for each other, will prove positive in both the relationship and study. Obstacles to this rapport may involve the classroom set up, which can create problems, such as with rows. The students, at the back, are disadvantaged. Dr. Scott Mandel Pacoima (Middle school) states ??the further back you go, the more discipline problems there are with visual, oral and physical stimulation from the teacher is increasingly diminished,,,?1. An alternative, he suggests, is to arrange the chairs and tables into a three sided box shape. In this fashion, every student is in the first row and...  [Read more]

Teaching idioms and slang is quite a subjective topic. I believe that it is an integral part of teaching EFL. I agree with the school of thought that says that slang and idioms are an every day part of our language and it is important that foreign students are aware of the most common forms they are likely to encounter, the appropriate use of these language forms and what is considered to be taboo in polite society. An important matter to consider is that although students can find endless reference books on almost every other form of the English Language, slang and idioms are not considered part of the syllabus and paid no or very little attention. If we do not teach idioms how is a student ever going to cope with phrases such as - To bury the hatchet, to be in...  [Read more]

There are many different paths on the road to becoming a teacher. As a college student in the United States it seemed there was only one: get certified in your state and start teaching. However, as I explored the idea of teaching internationally I found that as many teachers as there are, there are almost that many different paths to becoming, and developing your career as, a teacher. There are a few ways to become a certified teacher in the United States. Someone looking to be a teacher can get certified in college with only one year of student teaching after graduation, or she can enroll in a post-graduate masters program at a university. Either way, extra work beyond a simple undergraduate degree is necessary. In order to teach in the International School...  [Read more]

While it is true that the vast majority of newly qualified EFL teachers start out by working in a mainstream job, either online or in a traditional classroom abroad, there are other options out there for those who are looking for something a little different. Some of these options require a certain level of experience, while others are open to anyone regardless of their work history. Teaching English in your own country: Your TEFL certificate is valid worldwide, so you can also teach English as a second language in your own country. If there are a lot of non-native speakers, for example, immigrants in your area then this can be a good teaching opportunity. Volunteer English language teaching: Some volunteering jobs are available which pay a stipend and offer food and accommodation...  [Read more]