How On Earth Can Somebody Like Me Teach English Second Language?!?!

You may want to teach English second language, but it may seem a little intimidating. Those job ads tell you that you don’t need any experience, language skills or qualifications. But, how can that be? You may have some doubts about your ability to go to a strange land and teach English there if you have no prior experience. What are the main anxieties faced by new, potential teachers?

I’m not qualified to teach ESL.

Hardly anyone who goes overseas to teach English is actually a qualified English teacher. But, you’re qualified in another way: you’re a native speaker of English. You would be surprised when you get abroad, especially in Asia, Africa or the Middle East, at how few people there are who can competently speak English.

There’s a good chance that your students have already studied English in junior high, high school or college. They have probably been taught the basics by a native teacher of their own country. This will give them the basics of grammar. But, as a native speaker of English, you are a much better resource for their English learning than even the best textbooks or audio-visual materials.

In some countries, students will pay just for the chance to practice their English with a native speaker. You, in turn, will be useful to them by correcting their mistakes and introducing new things they may not know. Most of all, you are teaching them to have a conversation in English. With a native speaker they can practice listening, vocabulary and conversation skills all at once.

My students can’t understand me, and I don’t know their language.

This is not nearly as much of a problem as you think. As I mentioned, your students will have most likely studied English before. So, you’ll be teaching them to use what they’ve learned. In many schools, you will be an assistant teacher, so you will teach lessons with a native teacher who can offer explanations.

You would be amazed with what you can do using gestures, pictures and role playing! Once you have taught English for a while, you will be an expert communicator without speaking the native tongue!

That being said, it’s never a bad idea to learn a little of the language where you’ll be teaching. This is useful more for your everyday life than for teaching, although it can also help you understand your students’ mistakes if you have a basic understanding of their language.

I’ve never taught before, how will I know what to do?

Well, at first you won’t. Nobody does. This is where your flexibility and creativity come into play. Actually, teaching English overseas is more of a learning experience for YOU than for any of your students.

Most companies provide some training and teaching materials for beginner teachers. The best thing you can do at first is find yourself a few mentors who can help answer your questions and give you advice. But, nobody can do it all for you. That’s something you’ll have to do yourself.

When you go overseas to teach, you undergo a transformation. You go from being an eager world traveler, ready to fill his or her mind with new experiences and a new culture; after a year or so teaching, you become a flexible, knowledgeable, intuitive teacher. Seeing how much you have progressed in the last year is almost as rewarding as watching your students improve.

Teaching English abroad is still one of the greatest ways to see another part of the world. It offers great opportunities for self-development, while at the same time making you money!