Teaching

							Title:
Teaching

Word Count:
666

Summary:
Teaching English as foreign languag
e is an excellent option for visiti
ng new parts of the world. If teach
ing English isn_t for you, internat
ional schools require native Englis
h speakers to teach other subjects
as well, such as mathematics, scien
ce, history, and the arts.
Keywords:
Teaching

Article Body:
Teaching English as foreign languag
e (or second language) is an excell
ent option for visiting new parts o
f the world. Because English is com
monly used for diplomacy, higher ed
ucation, business and technology, E
nglish teachers and classes are in
high demand around the worldwide.
Knowing how to teach English also p
rovides you with an excellent skill
 to be used in volunteering. There
are opportunities around the world
where people would benefit from kno
wing English, yet they do not have
the funds to enroll in classes, or
perhaps they don_t have access to a
ny classes at all.

If teaching English isn_t for you,
international schools require nativ
e English speakers to teach other s
ubjects as well, such as mathematic
s, science, history, and the arts.

What is TEFL, ESL, EFL, etc.?
There are lots of different abbrevi
ations and acronyms to refer to tea
ching English. Here is a quick simp
lifier&

ELT:     English Language Teaching o
r English Language Training
EFL:     English as a Foreign Languag
e
ESL:     English as a Second Language

ESOL: English for Speakers of Other
Languages
EAL:    English as an Additional Lan
guage
TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign
Language
TESL: Teaching English as a Second L
anguage
TEAL: Teaching English as an Additio
nal Language
TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers
 of Other Languages

All of the above abbreviations are
used for essentially the same thing
, however, you may notice that gene
rally ESL is used for non-native sp
eakers learning English in an Engli
sh speaking country, and EFL is for
  non-native-speaks learning English
  in a non-English speaking environm
ent, such as their own country. Mor
eover, Americans tend to use ESL mo
re, and British teachers tend to us
e EFL. EAL is an attempt to bridge
the gap between the two. Oftentimes
  people learn English not as their
second language, but as their third
, fourth or more. Also, EAL avoids
using the word _foreign_, which is
considered by the more politically
correct to have an unpleasant infer
ence.
Do I need a certificate to teach Eng
lish?
There are many opportunities around
 the world to teach English without
 a certificate. However, certificat
ion does help, especially if there
is an application process involved
and positions are competitive.

Do I need to speak a foreign langua
ge to teach people English?
Theoretically, to teach English you
 should only need to speak one lang
uage. However, if you are teaching
in a foreign country, there is no d
oubt that some knowledge of that co
untry_s culture and language can ma
ke your job much easier, and probab
ly allow you to make your lessons m
ore relevant and interesting for yo
ur students. If your students are o
f mixed international backgrounds,
then knowing one or two foreign lan
guages may not be of assistance to
the entirety of the group.

There is some benefit to your teach
ing if you do in fact know a foreig
n language or have learnt one. By h
aving first hand experience of bein
g a student, you are able to have a
 more complete perspective of the s
tudent/teacher relationship and the
 trials and tribulations of those y
ou teach. Moreover, learning anothe
r language provides you with valuab
le insight about grammar, such as v
erb conjugations and tenses, which
come naturally to a native speaker.
 Many other languages use similar g
rammatical formats as English, and
by learning a foreign language you
might be able to examine your nativ
e language more carefully.

Do I need to speak English as my na
tive language to teach English?
You certainly don_t have to speak E
nglish as your native tongue; howev
er you must have excellent fluency
and writing skills to start a train
ing course for certification. Often
times non-native speakers make the
best teachers, however. If you_ve b
een through it yourself then you ar
e able to relate to what your stude
nts will be dealing with.

How long will it take to become cert
ified?
Certification is a pretty quick pro
cess, usually taking four weeks or
considerably less. You can take the
 course full time, part time, or th
rough distance learning. There are
options to suit whichever method or
 time frame you prefer.