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[S1137]Summer English Teaching Abroad

by Sky Joe, Sky

Have you ever think of going overseas to start a rewarding career? Has it always been a childhood dream for you to be an inspiring teacher? If your answer to both questions is positive, then you should seriously consider teaching English abroad. This profession provides you with the perfect opportunity to fulfill your aspiring dream.

If you've already considered the advantages and disadvantages, it is very likely that you know what the requirements are. You may even be studying your teaching degree as you read this. However, you may also wish to know that it is recommended that you fall into one of the following categories of people.

The first one would be those that possess the flexibility to travel freely. This is very crucial if you wish to travel overseas for a teaching career. However, many overseas teaching jobs require a much bigger time commitment than expected. Thus, you must be mentally prepared to be posted overseas for a period of more than two years.

The second type of people is the graduates that possess a teaching degree or certification. Although it's not a requirement for every program, this will give you a huge advantage over other candidates if you are certified in teaching English as a language. Getting a teaching degree is not an difficult task to achieve as most colleges now offer programs to help you get the certification. In addition, there are also short-term programs available to assist you to obtain a certificate in the fastest time possible.

Thirdly, people who are focused are more likely to able to stay in a overseas posting. This is mainly because the career will require you to be abroad and away from your family members for a long period of time. Being alone in a foreign country may cause you to become homesick and lose your motivation at work. Hence, being able to concentrate on your teaching job can help to kill off some of the homesickness.

If you are applying for teaching positions, rest assured that there is a wide range of options available. If you're a certified teacher, the best place to begin is with a school search. Try to narrow the field to areas where you're interested in teaching, and then perform some detailed research for schools or organizations in that area. If you are able to find the schools' websites, you will be able to gather most information from there. In addition, you may wish to check the job bank databases as this will provide you with another source of current job openings.

If you go through a teacher's certification program, they will also offer a job placement service which help to connect you to the correct people and places. In other words, this helps to shorten your time to find that ideal teaching position and provide you more choices. As you can see, being certified is definitely a huge benefit as it can get your foot in the door before you complete the program.

Not to worry if you're not certified to teach English abroad. There are still employers who are looking out for teachers like you. One of the preferred ways is to check out the colleges which offer teacher-exchange programs. These programs usually provide teachers with the opportunity to be an assistant teacher overseas for a semester while a foreign teacher will also perform the same in your school.

These are all good ways to get your feet wet; however, if you plan on teaching English abroad as a career, you should plan on certification eventually. This will set you up for that golden opportunity to teach overseas.

However you decide to go about it, be prepared for the fact that teaching English abroad is going to be a challenging experience. It may even be a culture shock for you if you have never been out of your comfort zone before. Be sure to unpack your sense of adventure before you embark on this unique journey!

Knowing how to teach English also provides you with an excellent skill to be used in volunteering. There are opportunities around the world where people would benefit from knowing English, yet they do not have the funds to enroll in classes, or perhaps they don’t have access to any classes at all.

If teaching English isn’t for you, international schools require native English speakers to teach other subjects as well, such as mathematics, science, history, and the arts.

What is TEFL, ESL, EFL, etc.?
There are lots of different abbreviations and acronyms to refer to teaching English. Here is a quick simplifier…

ELT: English Language Teaching or English Language Training
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
ESL: English as a Second Language
ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages
EAL: English as an Additional Language
TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language
TEAL: Teaching English as an Additional 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 generally ESL is used for non-native speakers learning English in an English speaking country, and EFL is for non-native-speaks learning English in a non-English speaking environment, such as their own country. Moreover, Americans tend to use ESL more, and British teachers tend to use 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 inference.

Do I need a certificate to teach English?
There are many opportunities around the world to teach English without a certificate. However, certification does help, especially if there is an application process involved and positions are competitive.

Do I need to speak a foreign language to teach people English?
Theoretically, to teach English you should only need to speak one language. However, if you are teaching in a foreign country, there is no doubt that some knowledge of that country’s culture and language can make your job much easier, and probably allow you to make your lessons more relevant and interesting for your students. If your students are of mixed international backgrounds, then knowing one or two foreign languages may not be of assistance to the entirety of the group.

There is some benefit to your teaching if you do in fact know a foreign language or have learnt one. By having first hand experience of being a student, you are able to have a more complete perspective of the student/teacher relationship and the trials and tribulations of those you teach. Moreover, learning another language provides you with valuable insight about grammar, such as verb conjugations and tenses, which come naturally to a native speaker. Many other languages use similar grammatical formats as English, and by learning a foreign language you might be able to examine your native language more carefully.

Do I need to speak English as my native language to teach English?
You certainly don’t have to speak English as your native tongue; however you must have excellent fluency and writing skills to start a training course for certification. Oftentimes non-native speakers make the best teachers, however. If you’ve been through it yourself then you are able to relate to what your students will be dealing with.

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

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Both Sky Joe & Joel Bleasedale are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Sky Joe has sinced written about articles on various topics from Legal Matters, Entertainment Guide and Education. . Sky Joe's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.

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