Question:
I hope this is on topic, lads. Could anyone tell me where i begin to learn
about Teaching English as a Second Language? I have no idea what
qualifications i need to begin nor where to get them if I ain't got them. I
live in Nottingham btw and have an 'A' Level in English language and
Literature.
Answer:
If you want to teach ESL, that means you want to teach in England or one of the
other anglophone countries. If you want to teach English as a Foreign Language
(TEFL), that means you want to teach in a foreign country.
What you need to do either depends on what country you are talking about and
how well or regularly you want to be paid.
Many Asian countries have cram schools that ask only that you be a native
speaker of English from one of the anglophone countries. Some require that you
be young and energetic, and others (there was one in Japan I knew of) that you
be willing to play the part of a trained monkey for patrons. The other
qualifications necessary are a clear speaking voice and a BA from an acceptable
university, although I suppose that might not be necessary in some countries,
but the ones I am very familiar with -- Taiwan and Japan -- require that the
degree be verified by the school. Korea may not be so stringent, but I'm not
sure.
If you want to teach at a university, you will probably have to have an MA in
something, preferrably in TESOL or Applied Linguistics or some other
English-language-teaching-related field. No MA, no college job in Taiwan or
Japan.
Another qualification you will have to have is the desire to teach language and
not literature. Despite the hype about the abilities of the Japanese and
Taiwanese (and I'll bet the same is true for the Koreans and perhaps all but
the most highly educated Mainland Chinese) to read and understand English, they
cannot, as a rule, understand literature in English unless they have been
specifically educated to do so. 99% of my university's Applied English majors
haven't a clue about how to read an understand a story, even a simple one, if
it's written in English.
The most important qualification you'll need to work in a foreign country,
though, is a resistance to culture shock, something everyone falls prey to --
some sooner and some later. I've seen lots of Westerners go back home after 6
months in Japan and Taiwan. Things are different hereand can be very
frustrating if you don't know the language and cannot adjust.
There are different cultural qualifications you'll need in different countries,
so you'll have to check out the story from people who have been there for a few
years.
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