Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies E-Book

Michelle Maxom

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 538

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Learn to:

• Put an EFL course programme together from scratch
• Let your students loose in skills classes – from reading to listening
• Deliver grammar lessons in a logical and intuitive way
• Cope with different age groups and capabilities

Your one-stop guide to a career that will take you places

If you thought that teaching a language that's second nature to you would be easy, think again! Explaining grammar, or teaching correct pronunciation while simultaneously developing your own skills as a teacher can be a huge challenge. Whether you're on a training course or have already started teaching, this book will help launch your career and give you the confidence and expertise you need to be a brilliant teacher.

• Make an educated decision – decide between the various courses, qualifications and job locations available to you
• Start from scratch – plan well-structured lessons and develop successful and effective teaching techniques
• Focus on skills – from reading and writing, to listening and speaking, get your students sounding and feeling fluent
• Get your head around grammar – teach students to put sentences together, recognise tenses and use adjectives and adverbs
• All shapes and sizes – tailor your lessons to younger learners, one-to-ones, exam classes and Business English learners

Open the book and find:

• TEFL, TESOL, EFL – what all the acronyms mean
• The best course books and materials to supplement your teaching
• Advice on running your class and handling difficulties
• Lesson plans that you can use in the classroom
• Activities and exercises to keep your students on their toes
• Constructive ways to correct and assess your students' performance
• Ways to inject some fun into your classes
• Insider information on the best jobs around the world

'An invaluable manual for anyone thinking of embarking on a TEFL journey. Michelle Maxom's step-by-step guide provides practical tips to get you started and offers key advice to help unleash the creative English language teacher within.'
– Claire Woollam, Director of Studies & a Teacher Trainer at Language Link London

Leseprobe

Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organised

Part I: Getting Started In TEFL

Part II: Putting Your Lesson Together

Part III: How to Teach Skills Classes

Part IV: The Grammar You Need to Know – and How to Teach It

Part V: What Kind of Class Will I Have?

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started in TEFL

Chapter 1: Discovering the Wonderful World of TEFL

Understanding Why English

Looking at the TEFL Marketplace

Considering countries – both home and abroad

Changing with the seasons

Teaching trends

Getting Out There

Preparing to leave town

Setting up elsewhere

Thinking About a Stint or a Life in TEFL

Filling gap years and career breaks

Planning a new life

Addressing some qualms

Chapter 2: Looking at What TEFL Teachers Actually Do

Answering Common Questions

Can I teach English without knowing the students' language?

Do I have to translate?

Will the students be children?

Do I have to know all the grammar in the English language?

Can I teach without a degree and formal qualifications?

I hated language lessons at school. Will the job be like that?

Are there lots of books and exercises for students to work through?

What kind of person makes an ideal TEFL teacher?

Does it matter that I'm not a native speaker?

How many students will I have?

Is it okay if I don't ‘talk posh'?

Will the students like me?

How will I know what to do?

Talking to Students and So Much More – Teaching Basics

Teaching the easier words first

Focusing on the most useful words

Giving students room to talk

Keeping things relevant

Recognising What Your Students Want from You

Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs

Teaching the Teacher

Finding your level

Being an unqualified teacher

Getting initiated

Becoming a qualified teacher

Getting on Course

Entering introductory courses

Signing up for a certificate course

Keeping your distance

Going for a diploma course

Staying in for in-house training

Banking on Salaries

Finding Work

Part II: Putting Your Lesson Together

Chapter 4: Starting from the Beginning: Planning the Lesson

Deciding What to Teach

Beginner

Elementary

Pre-intermediate

Intermediate

Upper-intermediate

Advanced

Proficiency

Keeping Things Relevant

Getting into Grading

Setting Aims and Objectives

Getting Your Timing Down and Planning for Interaction

Assembling Presentation, Practice and Production

Introducing the point

Analysing the point

Trialling the language

Giving your students free practice

Stepping Out of the Spotlight to Let Your Students Shine

Chapter 5: Standing in the Spotlight: Presenting to the Class

Eliciting Answers – Ask, Don't Tell!

Creating Interest with Visual Aids

Showing and telling – pictures and objects

Travelling along timelines and tenses

Using the board effectively

Doing Concept Checks

Introducing Vocabulary

Sharing function and connotation

Fish and . . . ? Teaching vocabulary in chunks

All right mate! Teaching posh words and slang

Talking about words that mean the same and opposites – synonyms and antonyms

Presenting Grammar

Chapter 6: Holding the Reins and Letting Them Loose – Giving Students Practice

Practising New Words

Practising with the whole class first

Practising alone

Practising in pairs

Practising in groups

Moving to the Production Stage

Writing and speaking

Role-playing in pairs

Getting dramatic in groups

Giving Instructions

Putting Students into Pairs and Groups

Trying Out Practice and Production Activities

Writing a blurb

Doing class surveys and reports

Playing Mastermind

Producing predictions

Chapter 7: Giving Correction and Feedback

Knowing What to Correct and When

Judging accuracy, timing and value

Exploring the nature of the error

Letting Your Fingers Do the Talking

Using your hands

Teaching with body language

Leading to Self Correction

Progressing by prompting

Examining echoing

Encouraging Peer Correction

Scheduling Class Feedback

Wielding Your Red Pen

Marking with correction codes

Choosing written errors to work with

Marking criteria

Praising the good bits

Exposing Progress

Chapter 8: Being Materialistic! Using Course Books and Other Materials

Wasting No Time Reinventing the Wheel

Listing Popular Course Books and Published Resources

Going for general English books

Imparting business English

Starting off younger learners

Adapting Your Course Book

Catering to a class of mixed ability

Dealing with mixed age groups

Setting tasks

Making Use of Authentic Materials

Designing Your Own Materials

Using What's at Hand

Chapter 9: Who's The Boss around Here? Managing Your Classroom

Running Your Classes Effectively

Organising Your Classroom

Considering basic equipment

Arranging the room

Establishing Classroom Rules

Keeping Order

Troubleshooting

Dealing with disruptive students

Handling a lack of participation

Attending to poor attendance

Part III: Teaching Skills Classes

Chapter 10: Taken as Read: Teaching Reading Lessons

Choosing a Text

Starting with the ABCs

Reading whole words

Graduating from words to sentences with the help of punctuation

Looking at length

Judging interest and relevance

Working with the Text

Getting ready to read: Pre-reading tasks

Finding your way around

Getting the gist

Getting down to the nitty-gritty

Predicting

Summarising

Handling Vocabulary

Before you set off

Along the way

Try another route

Working on Skills Associated with Reading

Including reading-related skills

Doing more than reading

Reading Case Study

Chapter 11: Write or Wrong? Teaching Writing Lessons

Putting Pen to Paper

Paying attention to basic writing skills

Completing sentences

Moving on to paragraphs

Structuring a Writing Lesson

Energising the class with pre-writing tasks

Setting the writing task and explaining the stages

Registering the Right Degree of Formality

Writing Case Study

Chapter 12: What Accent? Teaching Pronunciation

Repeat after Me

Repeating first

Repeating as a class and individually

Using Phonology: Sound and Spelling

Getting to know the 44 key sounds of English

Using phonemes in class

Adding Emphasis to Words and Syllables

Impotent or important? Placing emphasis on syllables

Emphasising words

Improving Fluency through Pronunciation

Watch Your Tone! – Intonation

Chapter 13: Setting Their Tongues Wagging: Speaking and Discussion

Getting Students Talking

Warming up

Talking about communicative activities

How About You? Extending Conversations

Helping students depart from the script

Following up

In My Opinion – Agreeing, Disagreeing and Negotiating

Expressing an opinion

Interjecting, rephrasing and summing up

Planning a Discussion Lesson

Choosing the right topic

Creating structure in the discussion

Paying attention without taking over

Chapter 14: In One Ear, Out the Other: Learning To Listen

Structuring Your Lesson

Choosing a Listening Activity

Finding material from the real world

Choosing the material from course books

Using CDs and DVDs for authentic listening

Whetting Students' Appetites

Motivating students to listen

Running through some pre-listening tasks

Come Again? Repeating the Text

Listening for the basic idea

Listening for detail

Planning Follow-Up Activities

Part IV: The Grammar You Need to Know – and How to Teach It

Chapter 15: Stop Press! Student to Deliver Sentence

Starting with the Basics: Subjects, Verbs and Objects

Thinking about subjects

Activating verbs

Acting on the object

Proposing Prepositions

Introducing Articles

Using the indefinite a/an

Getting specific with ‘the'

Foregoing the article altogether

Describing Adjectives and Adverbs

Sprucing up a noun with an adjective

Expanding on verbs with adverbs

Connecting with Conjunctions

Differentiating conjunctions

Weaving conjunctions into writing and speaking

Chapter 16: Feeling Tense? Sorting Out Verb Tenses

I Speak, I Spoke, I've Spoken: Identifying the Tenses

Beginning with the Present Simple

Staying Continuously in the Present

Going Back to the Past, Simply

Remembering a Moment in the Past

Presenting the Present Perfect Simple

Sharing experiences

Continuing from the past until the present

Anticipating expectations

Noting recent changes

Acting in the Present Perfect Continuous

Moving from the past until the present

Showing recent changes

Getting to the Past Perfect Simple

Seeing the structure

Plotting a timeline

Focusing on the Past Perfect Continuous

Expressing the Future

Doing the future simple

Going into the future continuous

Getting to the future perfect

Looking forward to the future perfect continuous

Talking about ‘To be going to'

Chapter 17: Exploring More Important Verb Structures

Knowing Your Modals

Identifying modal verbs

Comparing the modal verbs and what they do

Sorting Out Phrasal Verbs

Following the rules about separable and inseparable phrasals

Teaching phrasal verbs

If I Were You . . . Conditional Structures

Being general: The zero conditional

Depending on the possible: The first conditional

Imagining the second conditional

Reviewing the past with the third conditional

Part V: What Kind of Class Will I Have?

Chapter 18: Putting Students to the Test

Testing Early to Discover Your Students' Needs

Having them test themselves

Assigning levels through placement tests

Testing for proficiency

Testing to Establish the Best Course

Testing progress

Testing achievement

Marking Tests

Looking at Alternatives to Testing

Chapter 19: Getting Specific: Teaching Just One Student and Business English

Evaluating One-to-Ones

Listing pros and cons for the student

Talking pros and cons for the teacher

Planning and teaching a one-to-one lesson

Working at Teaching Business English

Chapter 20: Getting Youth on Your Side: Coping with Younger Learners

Teaching Kids' Classes – Dream or Nightmare?

Looking at how little ones learn

Sorting out what young learners need

Imagining Once Upon a Time

Getting the grammar

Expanding vocabulary

TEFL Tiddlywinks: Using Games to Teach

Adapting real games

Using games from course books

Tuning-In to Songs and Nursery Rhymes

Choosing the right song

Teaching your class to sing

Keeping Teenagers Interested

Intriguing students with international English

Spelling out abbreviations

Playing Kim's game

Offering advice with problem pages

Chapter 21: Making the Grade: Handling Exam Classes

Exploring University Entrance Exams

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Going for More General English Exams

Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) exams

Other exams

Sharpening Study Skills and Exam Techniques

Writing especially for exams

Reading for exams

Speaking in exams

Listening in exams

Teaching Exam Classes

Organising your course

Using English exam papers: Teaching what sounds ‘English'

Chapter 22: Distinguishing Monolingual and Multi-lingual Classes

Speaking the Same: Monolingual Classes

Predicting errors

Using the students' language

Pointing out the pitfalls of monolingual classes

Creating an ‘English' environment

Diversifying with Multi-lingual Classes

Building rapport

Managing learning

Going beyond language: Teaching culture

Applying Case Studies

The English class in Italy

The English class in London

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Liven Up an English Lesson

Bring in Real-World Objects

Step Outside the Classroom

Browse the Net

Start a Project

Let the Students Teach

Starting Out with ‘Once Upon a Time'

Open Up Your Life

Move Around

Play a Game

Get Musical

Chapter 24: Ten Great Resources for TEFL Teachers

Making the Most of EFL Reference Books

A grammar reference to fall back on

A book with grammar lessons to save the day

Looking It Up! Making Use of the Dictionary

Browsing Websites

Finding work

Planning lessons

Reading the English Language Gazette

Attending Professional Seminars

Getting Your Hands on Real Stuff

Maps

Newspapers and magazines

Personal memorabilia

Playing Board Games

Roping in Friends and Family

Pointing to Charts and Posters

Appendix A: Lesson Plan Templates

Appendix B: TEFL Locations around the World

Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies®

by Michelle Maxom

Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, LtdThe AtriumSouthern GateChichesterWest SussexPO19 8SQEngland

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Michelle Maxom began teaching part-time in 1997 after doing an intensive Trinity TESOL certificate. She later moved to Italy where she furthered her studies in EFL and honed her skills working with students of all ages and from a wide variety of backgrounds. She toured secondary schools and gave seminars in Caribbean literature and Britain's multi-ethnic culture showing how the English language can open doors and minds. On returning to the UK she took on the post of Director of Studies at a central London EFL school, bringing it to accreditation by the British Council for the first time and learning how to work behind the scenes in the industry. She has made an instructional film for Thomson ELT and become a specialist in one-to-one courses. Since becoming a freelance teacher/trainer Michelle has delivered work experience programmes for trainee TEFL teachers, taught on intensive TEFL courses in person and tutored those taking distance learning courses. She is a member of the College of Teachers.

Michelle loves voluntary work, finding out about other languages and working at home by the river Thames.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Mrs Keturah Samuels, her children past and present and all my family members who approach life with such faith, courage and grace.

Authors' Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my colleagues and students who responded to this project with such enthusiasm. You truly inspired me.

During my career there have been certain TEFL people who have given me special support. These are the folks at Salisbury School of English, Oxford School Mantova, Avalon School of English and TEFL Training. Thank you for giving me one stepping stone after another while allowing me to be myself inside and outside the classroom.

The input from Wejdan Ismail, Simon Bell and Kathleen Dobie at John Wiley has been invaluable. I certainly could not have written this book without you.

Last but not least, thanks to Mum, Monique and all my dear brothers and sisters for constantly egging me on and for putting up with me.

Publisher's Acknowledgments

We're proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

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Acquisitions Editor: Wejdan Ismail

Publishing Assistant: Jennifer Prytherch

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Indexer: Cheryl Duksta

Introduction

The English language is officially big business. There could be as many as a billion students learning English around the world at this time and that is reason enough to consider moving into Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). However, when you combine this with the freedom the job gives you to move around the world and earn your keep, the case for TEFL gets even stronger. While English speakers move out to different lands, students of English migrate to other parts of the globe in search of a better life and new horizons.

Teaching English is something people do when they are ready to change their lives and this book gives you some of the basic tools you need to make that happen.

Most people who speak the language well can teach others to some degree. We do it all the time with children and with foreign friends. We explain words and concepts to each other on a daily basis. TEFL is an extension of what we do naturally and this book helps you zoom in on your language skills and structure them. People often surprise themselves by discovering that even without attending months and years of language study, they can teach. You are probably no different.

About This Book

I have been teaching English for many years now and I have found it an entirely rewarding experience. I have met the most fascinating people and had a hand in helping others reach their goals. My goal in this book is to help you enjoy TEFL too by giving you the confidence and know-how to get a job and deliver effective, engaging lessons.

You could read the book from cover to cover before deciding whether TEFL is for you. If you do, you will have a solid overview of the skills involved in teaching English well. On the other hand, you could use it as a resource that you dip into whenever you need some input because your lessons are falling a bit flat or you are short of ideas. The table of contents will point you to specific areas of concern or maybe even areas you have never thought about but should have.

A book of this size can't cover all the different ways of planning and delivering a lesson. There are probably as many teaching techniques as there are TEFL teachers, so I have chosen to present the tried and tested path to solid courses. If you do come across other effective ways to help students don't discard them because they are not included here. Use TEFL for Dummies as a starting point. Hopefully it will inspire some great ideas of your own.

I should also mention that this is not a photocopiable resource book with ready made lesson plans. The aim is to show the kinds of activities and techniques you can use with your classes, adapting them to your own situation.

This book is not strictly applicable to teaching in language schools which have their own trademark methodology and materials. In such cases the schools will expect you to teach in very defined ways with little room for other techniques.

Conventions Used in This Book

Throughout this book I use a few conventions which you need to know about up front:

I use the words student and learner interchangeably.

Presentation, Practice and Production written with capital Ps refer to specific stages of a lesson, not general concepts.

English refers to whatever is normal in most English speaking countries not just England. There are so many countries where English is an official language that I have chosen to keep it simple in this way.

Web addresses appear in the book in monofont type, so they stand out.

Sidebars – boxed text on a grey background – are chunks of material which you might find useful as background knowledge, or as enhancements to the techniques you read about in the main text. Fun and helpful, but not essential reading: skip them if you want.

Foolish Assumptions

I wrote this book with the intention of helping people who want to teach English for the first time, or who are inexperienced at the job and need some tips to improve their teaching.

I assume these things about you:

You are a native speaker or proficient in speaking English.

You are not a fully qualified TEFL teacher although you may have an initial qualification.

You want to do a responsible job in the classroom and give students value for money.

You are more interested in the mechanics of teaching than the methodology behind language learning.

You are not enrolled on a full TEFL course leading to a diploma or MA.

Please note that this book is not for you if you just want to improve your own English. The focus is on how to explain language points to students not simply to you, the reader.

How This Book Is Organised

This book is organised into six main parts, and two Appendixes. The parts cover the TEFL industry, putting together lessons and their content, and then to the courses as a whole.

Part I: Getting Started In TEFL

In this first section of the book I cover the information you need to know about the kind of people who go into TEFL and what the job can do for them. I help you to decide whether to only teach for a couple of summers or as a career, by explaining what the job entails. I tell you what the students expect from you too. You find out about the qualifications and training you need, if any, as there are different kinds of courses you can enrol on. As well as this, I include the points you need to keep in mind if you are moving abroad to teach. This is an introduction to the industry as a whole.

Part II: Putting Your Lesson Together

For most people who are new to teaching or have never done it before, the task of finding a point to teach and then working out how to package the information into an effective lesson is rather overwhelming. In these chapters I break the lesson down into different stages, known as Presentation, Practice and Production so that there is a clear structure for learning. There is also advice on how long the stages should last and who should be doing the talking. I include lots of examples and suggestions for classroom activities, whether you use a course book or design your own materials. You find out when and how to correct the students' errors and keep them in check during the lesson through good classroom management.

Part III: How to Teach Skills Classes

In language courses there are four main skills which need to be included to make students truly proficient. These are listening, speaking, reading and writing. In this part of the book I take a look at each skill in isolation, showing you how to put a lesson together which is dedicated to one skill. These lessons have a slightly different structure from grammar and vocabulary ones. There is also a chapter on pronunciation which is so vital to good communication that there are phonetic symbols and particular techniques for assisting students to speak clearly.

Part IV: The Grammar You Need to Know – and How to Teach It

Grammar for foreign students is the topic of this section. It is the area which so many native speakers dread teaching, not having done much of this at school themselves. Although this book is not an exhaustive reference on the English grammar, here I cover most of the questions you need answered in order to hold your own in the classroom. You can you use this part of TEFL for Dummies along with your dictionary and reference works if you want to go deeper. So, you review the way sentences are put together with subjects, verbs and objects. Then you find out how to improve your students' sentences with adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions. I present each tense explaining what it does and what it looks like. Finally there is a chapter covering modal verbs, phrasal verbs and conditional structures. There are lots of suggestions on practising grammar too.

Part V: What Kind of Class Will I Have?

First in this section I provide advice on using tests to get students in the right class and how to use testing progressively during the course. Following this there are sections on different kinds of courses and advice on handling them. You learn about one to ones classes, business English, teaching young people from small children to adolescents and exam classes. Finally, I compare two kinds of classroom situations. The first is the class with students who all speak the same language and the second is the class with students from all around the world. I take a look at one nationalities of students in detail. As a TEFL teacher you need to be ready for anything!

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Part VI is the part of tens which gives you ten tips each on a couple of TEFL issues. The first offers suggestions on making your lessons more lively and the second one looks at resources you can use to improve your teaching skills.

There are two appendixes offering you extra information. Appendix A gives you templates which help you plan, observe and assess lessons. Appendix B takes a brief look at popular locations around the world for TEFL teachers and gives you an idea of what to expect from the country and the job.

Icons Used in This Book

When you see this icon, you know you'll be getting a real-world illustration of a language teaching idea or situation to help you grasp what's going on.

This icon draws attention to points you should try to lodge in your memory.

This icon highlights helpful ideas for making your lessons run more smoothly.

If you want practical suggestions for how to go about teaching a particular point, look out for this icon.

This icon alerts you to common mistakes among newer teachers and suggests pointers to help you avoid problems.

Where to Go from Here

If you have never taught English before but are considering it as a source of income, the best place to start is probably Part I. That way you'll know what the job is before you start digging deeper. For example Chapter 3 tells you about who is eligible to teach.

If you are living abroad and have already examined the local demand for English lessons you probably know who your prospective students will be. In that case, take a look at Part VI as you can start finding out about specific teaching situations. You could browse Chapter 19 on business English, for example.

Existing teachers should already know something about their shortcomings, be it explaining grammar (Part IV) or correcting students (Chapter 7), so you can find individual chapters which deal with your weak points. Perhaps your boss has just given you a new kind of course which is making you nervous and you want to know the best approach: Try Part VI.

Be confident as you proceed. There are many things in your favour:

You already know English. You have probably been learning it since infancy.

You have probably taught someone something before and seen them apply what they have learned.

Most people who start out in TEFL are not academics. They just enjoy travelling and like people but they manage to pull off great courses. You can too.

If you gradually go through this book you will have all the information you need to get started.

Part I

Getting Started in TEFL

In this part . . .

This part covers the TEFL basics. Here's where I tell you all you need to know about why TEFL is a great idea and what the job can do for you, whether you want to teach whilst travelling round the world, or as a full-time career.

This part tells you what to expect in the TEFL environment and what the students expect from you, too. You should also dip in here to find out about the qualifications and training you need to meet your requirements and those of prospective employers. I also include the points you need to bear in mind if you're planning to move abroad to teach.

Chapter 1

Discovering the Wonderful World of TEFL

In This Chapter

Realising the need for English teachers

Finding out where you can teach

Travelling to foreign lands

Considering how far TEFL can take you

So you want to teach English as a foreign language. In this chapter you get an overview of the industry and an idea of what the lifestyle of a person in this rewarding career is really like.

Understanding Why English

Many factors contribute to the market for Teaching English as a Foreign Language The historical factor offers the legacy of the old British Empire that took the language around the world. The political factor gives the current dominance of the USA. Science and technology have developed with English at the forefront. In addition, there's a need for a global language to make international communications smoother, and tools such as the worldwide web truly accessible around the planet.

These days English is viewed as a language which gives you access to the world. Some want to study at prestigious English-speaking universities; some want a high flying career with international connections. Others just want a better chance in life and move to wherever the money seems to be, and then again, some just love Hollywood, international rock stars or their English girlfriend. Even the free-spirited backpackers need English to get by in far-flung lands.

Looking at the TEFL Marketplace

For most would-be TEFL teachers, the draw of the job is the ability to travel and work. Even if your responsibilities don't allow you to leave your own shores, at least working in TEFL brings other travellers to you.

Considering countries – both home and abroad

Before entering TEFL, give some consideration to where you want to teach and who your ideal students would be. Subtle differences exist between the criteria for teachers in English speaking countries and elsewhere. The training you need for particular student groups also varies. In addition, unlike a career change at home, teaching abroad presents challenges you may not have considered.

Staying in the home market

Finding work in TEFL in an English-speaking country can be more difficult than doing so abroad. The problem is that, unlike being a foreigner overseas, you have no novelty value when you're at home. As many English-speaking nations are economic powerhouses, they tend to have various regulatory bodies governing the employment of teachers and trying to ensure high standards in education. In other words you need to jump through more hoops to get a decent job.

Very often TEFL jobs are advertised as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) or ESL (English as a Second Language).Teaching English as a Foreign Language, English as a Second Language and English for Speakers of Other Languages are all the same kind of work depending on which country you're in and who your students are. There's a slight difference between learning a language to survive in the English-speaking country you now live in and learning English while you're in a non-English speaking country.

ESOL students may be refugees or economic migrants who need help with day-to-day situations such as seeing the doctor or understanding letters from their child's school.

Many students are entitled to attend government funded courses or free classes run by charitable organisations. In addition, private language schools offer courses from two weeks up to two years. In the latter case, students pay for their lessons and often have other activities to make the experience more fun, including a social programme that teachers generally get involved with too.

Although the basic skills of the job are the same in each sector, you may not be eligible to apply for all of these jobs. The first thing you need is to be able to speak English well (whether you're a native speaker or not). Most employers require teachers to have a first degree and a TEFL qualification (certificate, diploma or Master of Arts) although in the public sector you usually need a qualification specifically for teaching adults in further education. Non-graduates can often get onto a training course but fewer job opportunities are available to them.

Amongst countries in the European Union things have been changing. Citizens of the EU have rights in the UK, including the right to enrol on courses offered by the state. This means that instead of learning English in their home country and then moving to the UK to look for work or higher education opportunities, it's quite feasible to move over and then learn the language through the state system and full immersion. There have been quite a few changes in the number of jobs offered in countries like Poland for these reasons. Unfortunately the British economy is not what it was, and as the world struggles with the recent banking crises, people are thinking twice about their prospects abroad anyway.

Working abroad

You can find far more opportunities for TEFL abroad than on home soil. The world is a big place, after all! However, despite the thrill of setting off on a new adventure overseas, you need to approach a TEFL work with a balanced outlook that considers both the advantages and the disadvantages.

The advantages are that:

You get to experience another culture and broaden your horizons.

You're involved in a rewarding occupation through which you can help others to change their lives.

You get paid as you slowly travel around the world.

If you already live abroad, you can find a job before you have mastered the local language.

You work with a skill you already have, speaking English.

But the disadvantages are that:

It's difficult to know what kind of employer you're getting involved with until you arrive in the country.

Once you've given up your home and job it isn't quite as easy to turn back.

You may feel thrown in at the deep end. Even if you get extensive training first, when you actually have your own class, most of the time it's just them and you.

You're unlikely to get rich. The best most EFL teachers abroad can hope for is a decent standard of living by local standards (which may be different from what you're used to) and enough money saved to get back home again.

You're out of the loop as far as your home country is concerned, both socially and professionally (if you already have another line of work).

So many TEFL operators in the world – almost anyone who speaks the language well can find work somewhere but, as with jobs on home soil, the best opportunities go to graduates with a recognised TEFL qualification.

Ask a school abroad if you can contact one of the current foreign teachers to get some insight into local living. Even if the school declines, you can still put out some feelers among friends and Internet forums such as on www.eslcafe.com. You can ask just about anything and you'll find someone out there who can help you find the answer.

Changing with the seasons

More often than not, TEFL jobs abroad follow the academic calendar. So in most countries jobs start in September or October and run for nine months to a year. Start looking for a good contract in the summer if you want to fly off in the autumn. Some positions begin in January, so December isn't a bad time to look for a position either.

Considering China

These days many TEFL teachers are heading to China. It has become one of the biggest economies in the world and is a huge market for the TEFL industry. It's estimated that less than 1 per cent of Chinese people in China currently speak English and with a population of over a billion, the potential is huge.

That being said, there isn't as much regulation of language schools as you find in other countries, so you need to be very cautious about visas, work permits and contracts and make sure that they're genuine.

With such a large country, you should also give some thought to where you want to teach. Some like to be around other Westerners so they don't feel lonely, whereas others want to immerse themselves entirely in the new culture. Apparently the weather varies greatly too, inside and outside the classroom, so check that you're going to be working in a climate you can manage and that the school has appropriate facilities – like air-conditioning.

When the academic year finishes, students visit English speaking countries so they can practise their language skills. That's why TEFL job opportunities in the UK and other similar places mushroom for the summer. You can often find short contracts from two to twelve weeks long at summer schools. Advertisements for these jobs start appearing in spring, typically in March and April.

So if you want to work all year round, check whether your school closes for long periods and if so, make sure that you can save enough to tide you over or find a temporary position for the ‘holidays'.

Teaching trends

English language teaching has become more tailored to the varying needs of students. ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is big news, so instead of studying general English for years, more students are opting for business English, EAP (English for Academic Purposes) or similar courses that address their needs more directly.

Another trend is towards online learning and training for students and teachers. Many resources are available on the Internet so students feel less inclined to ask a teacher for help in person these days. And with fewer students around, employers are looking for a higher standard from their teachers.

Getting Out There

There's a lot to think about when you shut up shop and re-establish yourself in a new location. You need to prepare your mind in advance, not just your suitcase.

Preparing to leave town

If you already know where in the world you want to teach, find out as much as you can about what you're likely to meet in terms of bureaucracy and daily life.

Find the answers to these questions:

Do I need a working visa?

Do I need any jabs?

Will I be eligible for medical treatment and if not what kind of insurance covers me in case of emergencies?

Which home comforts may I need to take with me?

What are the implications for my tax and pension contributions back home?

Have I set up a forwarding address for my post?

What do I know about the currency and economy? How much money do I need to take and in what form?

Don't close your home bank account if you can help it. It's really tricky to start all over again when you return because you often have to provide proof of address and accounts for three months just to rent a flat. Have your paperwork sent abroad or to a safe place back home.

Setting up elsewhere

Arriving in another country is a very exciting and frightening experience. When everything is new, you can find yourself feeling a bit isolated and homesick at first, especially if you don't speak the language, but if you're open minded things usually get better.

Use these tips to help start feeling at home:

Learn the language to a reasonable extent.

Be curious. Find out all you can about your new environment.

Listen to advice. Local people try to advise you about all kinds of things. You don't have to follow it all but if you pay attention you'll probably avoid some pitfalls.

Accept invitations. If your students are going for a drink, go along from time to time (as long as your employer approves).

The lifestyle of an EFL teacher is usually a pleasant one. Jobs are most often three to five hours a day plus the time you spend preparing. So you can usually find time to explore your surroundings. Take some of your lesson planning out and about with you as you try out local cafés and beauty spots. You may find that if you look different from local people, they start conversations with you out of curiosity or on the other hand they may just stare. Either way, be friendly. When people get used to seeing you around, they're more likely to accept you being there.

A small piece of advice is to judge accommodation by local standards. If you must complain, save it for your friends back home. It does annoy people when they hear ‘In my country . . . ' too often.

Use the Internet to keep in touch with your friends and family. Even though you may be too excited to keep in touch when you first arrive, you'll miss your mates a bit when things settle down, so don't lose touch.

Thinking About a Stint or a Life in TEFL

Some spend a few months in TEFL, others a couple of years and still others a lifetime. Believe it or not, TEFL work can meet all of those needs if you're brave enough to set your reservations aside and go for it.

Taking someone from the basics of the language to independence is continually rewarding. There's something very special about hearing or seeing the penny drop in a lesson.

Filling gap years and career breaks

TEFL is the perfect antidote to a life chained to a desk. You may be one of those professionals who find that you just can't bear the rat race unless you take some time out. Sales targets can really lose their appeal when you can't see what's really being accomplished by your work. For students, gap years in TEFL can give you the kind of life skills and experience that lectures just can't match.

Real benefits can be gained from taking a year out; they include:

Refocusing: You may have thought you had it all worked out but suddenly you wonder whether your chosen path is really what you want. Giving yourself time to think and look at other possibilities should set you straight.

Recharging your batteries: Perhaps you've made the right career choices but you're a little burnt out. A short diversion into TEFL can energise you again.

Appreciating what you have: Seeing how others live can really help you see the good in your own lifestyle when you return home.

Giving something back: You can use TEFL to help people who don't have the same advantages as you.

Broadening your skill base: You can gain by:

• Finding out how to be independent

• Leading a team

• Taking responsibility for yourself and others too

• Building rapport and communicating with others

• Solving problems

• Improving your planning and organisation skills

Planning a new life

On a personal level, TEFL can take you around the world, which is a goal in itself for many people. But even if you don't cover the whole globe, it's fascinating finding out new things about yourself or rediscovering them. Being in a new environment helps you to sort out the things you want to do from the things you previously just went along with and being exposed to other cultures truly inspires the imagination.

If you do happen to take to the job like a duck to water, you can work up the career ladder too. Once you've been teaching for a couple of years and you have a TEFL certificate (representing at least 100 hours of tuition) you can then become a senior teacher, which introduces you to teacher training roles and added responsibilities such as controlling learning resources. There may be extra money in that but by this time you'll be ready to take your skills out-side the classroom sometimes anyway. The next steps are ADoS (assistant director of studies) and DoS (director of studies), which are positions offering a higher salary but which generally require additional qualifications – namely a diploma or master's degree. The problem with managerial roles though, is that they tend to take you away from teaching and into the office. So you may want to embark on more of a sideways move:

As an official examiner for the exams students of English as a Foreign Language sit.

As a teacher trainer.

As a materials writer.

As a home-stay course provider, who accommodates and teaches students in their own home.

As a marker for distance learning courses.

As an agent connecting students with schools and colleges in different countries.

Addressing some qualms

Do you still need a final push to get out there? When you speak to people who have taught EFL, you usually find that there's no need to hold back if this is what you want.

Some common fears include:

Money: You don't need to have huge amounts of money put by. Save enough to pay for some TEFL training, a return flight, and enough to set you up in the local currency (which may be comparatively little).

Commitments at home: Although you have commitments, if you think positively you may be able to get nine months abroad without changing your whole life. Have you asked your boss about taking an unpaid sabbatical? You never know, he may be keen on the idea. You can also speak to an estate agent about letting your home for a year and even your loved ones may be happy for you to take a break (in my experience, they love to have a place to visit for a free holiday).

Age: Don't start thinking that only youngsters get TEFL jobs. Students love to a see a mature face in the classroom. Most employers expect older teachers to be more dedicated and have a better work ethic, so there's no need to write yourself off.

You may just have the time of your life working in TEFL, so go ahead and take the plunge.

Chapter 2

Looking at What TEFL Teachers Actually Do

In This Chapter

Addressing common concerns

Looking at basic teaching methods

Meeting your students' needs

In this chapter you get an insight into the world of teaching English as a foreign language. You find out what the job entails from the teacher's point of view and the student's too.

Answering Common Questions

Many would-be teachers are plagued with fears and insecurities about what TEFL is really like and whether they're up to the challenge. In this section I give you some of the most common – and commonly troubling – questions and their answers.

Can I teach English without knowing the students' language?

In a word, yes! The only language you really need to know well is English. Some schools use the students' language in the classroom but this is by no means typical of the TEFL industry as a whole, and it's positively discouraged in most cases.

With so many different kinds of teaching situations and places to teach in, you'd have to know the language of everyone you may meet in the classroom at any point in your career, so neither you nor any other teacher would ever get started.

Do I have to translate?

Even though your students inevitably speak to you in their mother tongue from time to time, you can respond in simple English, with gestures or pictures. Of course, you may not understand what they're saying anyway and this just gives them real motivation for learning your language. In a way, it makes the whole situation more authentic.

If you do translate in the classroom, you have to be absolutely certain that what you're saying corresponds exactly to the students' language. Students sometimes expect one language to translate word for word into another, but it just doesn't work like that. For example, you can't translate ‘bon voyage' into ‘good journey' if you want to get the sense of the expression.

Will the students be children?

Youngsters in many countries need English lessons, but the state takes care of this by using primary and secondary school teachers. TEFL teachers sometimes give support to the state education system but do most of their work in the private sector. Parents often pay for extra English lessons, especially during the summer months.

However, many adults and teenagers preparing for work abroad or in an international environment have a great desire to learn English. These students are highly motivated and usually well behaved.

Do I have to know all the grammar in the English language?

You don't need to know every last bit of English grammar, but you should aim to have a good working knowledge of all the tenses and be able to identify and explain all the parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives and so on). Check the chapters in Part 4 for some help with grammar issues.

The aim of TEFL is to produce students who can speak the language almost as well as you can, at the most. In reality, very few students have the time and resources to stay in the classroom setting beyond upper-intermediate or advanced level (proficiency is the highest level). As soon as students feel confident that they can use English for whatever purposes they need, they often get on with their lives. This is why you don't need to know every last predicate and gerund.

Can I teach without a degree and formal qualifications?

Yes you can, but finding work is easier if you have them. Most schools advertise vacancies for graduates in any discipline who have a TEFL certificate comprising about 100 hours of training.

However, if you actually live overseas and are prepared to trawl around the local language schools, you may find that these schools welcome native speakers with open arms, without or without the typical entry requirements.

Get some training if you can as this gives you better opportunities.

I hated language lessons at school. Will the job be like that?

I remember some of the phrases I learnt in my O-level French lessons. Most of them are pretty irrelevant to my life now and even to my life back then. Fortunately, language teaching has moved on rather a lot in the last thirty years. So these days there's less emphasis on grammar drills and more emphasis on practical role-playing and creating a relaxed learning environment.

Even if education in general in your chosen destination is still rather dry, you can expect to teach according to the livelier techniques of the modern TEFL industry.

Are there lots of books and exercises for students to work through?

You can make use of the stacks of course books, work books and resource books on the market but most schools encourage teachers to use their own ideas too. Depending on the country and the employer, you probably have a book and syllabus but a fair amount of latitude as well.

Most large bookshops have a section on English as a foreign language, so have a browse through some popular course books to get an idea of the kind of material teachers use. Some examples of course books that are popular in many countries are titles such as Innovations, Cutting Edge and English File, which are available for each level of English students and cover elementary, pre-intermediate and so on.

What kind of person makes an ideal TEFL teacher?

A good EFL teacher enjoys meeting people and is interested in other languages and cultures. The most successful teachers are often the ones who can put the students at ease and who have a sense of humour.

On the other hand, it's not all about personality. You have greater insight into the students' learning issues if you speak another language yourself, but this is not a must.

You definitely need to have a methodical approach, which usually includes taking the time to do your research and preparation before you enter the classroom. So, in a way, good teachers of English are also good students of their subject.

Does it matter that I'm not a native speaker?

The answer to this depends on your level of English, who you're teaching and in what situation. Most employers expect you to be proficient in English and have excellent, native pronunciation. You may get away with fewer skills if you're teaching young children or if you're teaching in your own country where native English speakers are in short supply.

You're far less likely to find work in the private sector in an English-speaking country because students who pay to travel to and study in the UK, for example, quite reasonably expect their teachers to represent the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation of that land fully. However, in the public and voluntary sectors this may be different, as the students are usually immigrants who may relate well to a fellow immigrant who has found her feet in the English-speaking community.

How many students will I have?

Most classes have 10 to 20 students in them, but I have heard of ‘classes' with more than 40 students, which are actually more like lectures. It depends on the country, the economy and the integrity of your employer.

Is it okay if I don't ‘talk posh'?

Yes, but you need to have good grammar and a clear speaking voice, with or without a regional accent. If native speakers have trouble following you, you need to make some changes. However, there's no point trying to sound aristocratic because the vast majority of students are unlikely to mix with the upper-class set in real life anyway.

Will the students like me?

Although you should aim to put your students at ease so that they're more receptive to learning, you're not there to be their best mate. Students should like your lessons and respect you as their teacher. If they happen to like you personally, it's a bonus, not a prerequisite for a good course. In general, you can be a likeable teacher by being fair, considerate, responsible and well prepared.

How will I know what to do?

If at all possible, get yourself some training and observe some lessons before you start teaching. Once you've done that, speak to your colleagues for tips and guidance.

Use up-to-date course books to help you. Most course books have a teachers' book too that gives you a complete lesson plan and some even include online training so you can see model lessons.

Talking to Students and So Much More – Teaching Basics

The human brain is a marvellous instrument with the built-in capacity to decipher language. If you hear the same words in the same context enough, you start to work out what they mean – it's like cracking a code. You discovered this as a baby. Mum said the word ‘teddy' every time she waved that cuddly little chap in front of your face and pretty soon you made the connection. Perhaps your Indian neighbour says ‘Namaste!' every time he sees you. Pretty soon you understand that this means ‘Hello!'

Picking up language this way is almost effortless. However, busy people wanting to learn a new language can't go back to the restful days of babyhood, or take a couple of weeks to pick up a simple greeting. So, when students attend language classes, they need a system or methodology so that they can measure their progress and balance this against the money they pay. The next sections give the basics on teaching methods.

In the classroom, students learn actively through direct instruction from the teacher and pick up the language incidentally at the same time. It's surprising how many of your favourite phrases your students imitate just because you drop them into your lessons. A couple of mine are ‘Okie dokie' and ‘Here we go'.

Teaching the easier words first

When you pick up a language by hearing it spoken, everything is thrown at you at the same time and you have to wade through a lot of ‘noise' before you hear something you recognise. However, when you teach systematically you generally start with easy words and phrases and then add a bit more each time. You save the most difficult words for the end.

In TEFL you grade whatever you say so that your speech matches the students' level of English. When you start a beginners' course, for example, you use a lot of pictures, gestures and repetition to put across the meaning of basic words like ‘car' and ‘bus'.

Figure 2-1 uses an imaginary language – we can call it Dummese – to illustrate a dialogue typical of a Dummese beginner-level lesson.

The teacher in Figure 2-1 uses only four words to teach ‘car' and ‘bus' – ‘deeba' and ‘dooba' respectively. How about ‘Dum dim'? They must be equivalent to ‘this is a . . .' in English. With only four words to decipher, the visual aid of the pictures, along with the reassuring smiles of the teacher, it's quite easy for students to crack the code.

The lesson would logically continue with another few words connected with vehicles and transport as you use easy words in a clear context and build up from there. If you had to pick out words like these by listening to a complicated traffic report in Dummese, you would have a much more difficult, if not impossible, task.

Figure 2-1: Starting off simply with props.

Focusing on the most useful words

In theory you can spend your whole life learning a new language, especially a global language such as English to which new words are added or borrowed from other languages all the time.

Most people, however, make do with a few thousand words and leave the rest to those who particularly need them. So the question is, if English has around half a million words in its vocabulary, which ones do you teach? Obviously, you can't teach them all.

The idea is to focus on teaching the words that allow the students to function competently in the language.

You only have 90 minutes or so per lesson, and perhaps 60 hours or so to complete a course, whether it's a beginner, elementary or intermediate course. With that in mind, you can't afford to be sidetracked by talking about words that particularly interest you but are seldom used.

Your students need to know all the words typically associated with a given level of English so that they can measure their progress and move on. The best way to become familiar with what students need to learn within each level is to refer to the syllabus at the beginning of an EFL course book. Usually the syllabus sets out the vocabulary areas and grammar chapter by chapter. In most cases the language school has approved a course book or set of materials, which you should use as your guide.

Giving students room to talk