It can be done. The good news is there are an enormous number of teaching positions available around the world, and not enough English teachers available to fill them. If you want to teach abroad quickly, the door is open wide. You need to make some careful preparations beforehand, though.
The ten steps for finding a teaching job in ten days or less begin on the next page. Before you rush there, please read on, as there are a couple of things you need to be aware of:
Firstly you should ideally be a native English speaker; someone who has grown up in an English-speaking country with English as their first language; alternatively someone who has learned English very well. If your English is not of a good standard, then you should improve it before attempting to teach it to others.
Secondly, you should obtain a recognised TEFL Certificate. English teaching schools and training establishments in most countries require it.
Getting qualified
If you already have one, you are ready to proceed. If not, you should enrol in an Online TEFL course with certificate.
You cannot secure a good teaching job in most countries without a recognised Certificate or Diploma. This cannot be emphasised strongly enough. Few people can stroll into a classroom and begin teaching without any prior training. The assumption that because you can speak a language you must be able to teach it, is a false one.
Previous experience of teaching one-on-one lessons to private students is very different from standing in front of a classroom of 20 or 30 expectant faces.
You need to manage the classroom, keep discipline and prepare your lesson content in advance, even though the school provides the books and materials.
You may also take more than one class per day, and these may also have students learning at different levels. You need to be able to take all this in your stride by learning how beforehand.
How is your own grammar? The correct use of tenses and their names. How long is it since you were taught English yourself, rather than just using it every day?
Foreign students are taught correct grammar in addition to conversational English. It’s possible your students are more familiar with grammatical terms than you! Most students can spot an incompetent teacher a mile away, and when they do, your life can be made miserable.
A good TEFL course will provide you all the basic skills you’ll need to start your career abroad as an English teacher. You will learn how to:
- plan lessons and exercises that everyone including you will enjoy;
- engage your class and keep their attention with interesting activities;
- keep discipline and control – without being overly strict;
- teach grammar, vocabulary, speaking, listening, reading and writing;
- most importantly, you will be able to walk into a room full of students of any age or age group, and teach the English language with confidence.
The World TEFL School offers one of the most widely accepted TEFL certificates available, including an entry-level qualification after just 2 days training.
No experience or qualifications are required to enrol and students can choose from a number of training centres in the UK as well as around the world.
