A Conversation for So you want to teach English as a foreign language.

Peer Review: A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 1

Sol

Entry: How to become a TEFL teacher. - A87768238
Author: Solnushka - U138596

OK, so this needs GuideMLing and a final paragraph and, probably a better intro, but, anyway, here it is.

Is it too long?


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 2

Z

Excellent entry sol smiley - ok.

I don't think that it's too long, and it held my attention.. my first thought was that I wanted to forward this to my friend who was thinking of TEFLing.

I think the title needs to say 'Teaching English as a Foreign Language' or something though.. 'The joy of TEFL'..


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 3

KB

It is a good Entry, Sol. One suggestion: I think you you should mention what students should expect to pay - CELTA isn't cheap.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 4

Lanzababy - Guide Editor

Good subject for the Guide Sol! cheers smiley - biggrin

One sentence which needs editing:

smiley - biroYou may teach those preparing to take exams in the English language, support students at a University who are writing essays in their non-native tongue or teach people who know their field when [you do not how to talk about it confidently in English].

Do you mean 'they' etc?

I think this sentence has too many places, I'd edit down to a few obvious contrasting pairs, or opposing types of city or continent.

smiley - biro You might be teaching in Moscow or Vladivostok, Tokyo or Sasebo, Riyadh or Al Khobar, Santiago or Valparisio, Sydney or Darwin, New York or Sioux Falls, London or Wolverhampton. It’

smiley - biro This is an awfully long sentence. smiley - laugh

The reason why you want a course with significant amounts of teaching practice is that without that it is a lot like assuming you can drive a car because you have passed the theory test. And this is important because learning English, for most people, is not a matter of indulging in a passion for languages, furthering their obsession with the Royal family or wanting to read the works of O Henry in the original, but a deadly serious need to be acquainted with the lingua franca of the world in order to get a decent job or to get by in the strange new world they have found themselves in now they live in an English-speaking country.

smiley - biro It behoves native English speakers not to take advantage.

'unfair' advantage?

smiley - biro a class of their own (volunteer) students to teach.

Would you explain who these volunteer students are? Do they get free teaching, or are they actually English speakers in the first place?

smiley - biro
retire back to real life ad a proper job. > and (typo)


smiley - biro Some clever way to end

How about some anecdotal stuff about the pleasures? Lovely students? Possible long term friendships with those you've taught in foreign climes? I don't know what the joys would or might be, but I am sure there may be some.



A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 5

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Many, many joys in teaching EFL and ESL. smiley - biggrin You meet the nicest people...

Thanks for doing this, Sol. Back when I started teaching, there weren't any courses. They took anybody with a bachelor's degree, and you learned by doing. This is enlightening.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 6

Recumbentman

>Some clever way to end which I haven’t thought of yet.

You could mention famous people who kept themselves afloat by TEFL until they achieved artistic recognition:

James Joyce, for one.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 7

Lanzababy - Guide Editor

Did he? Well that *is* interesting.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 8

Recumbentman

Yes, for the Berlitz School in Trieste. I saw an interview with a woman who had been taught by him when she was a teenager. He chatted, about things that mattered to him. She said in the interview 'You had a leader in Ireland called Parnell?'


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 9

Sol

Thanks for comments, everyone - I'll get to them, I promise. Useful stuff.

I think I might use your idea in the intro, actually, Lanza, and I MUST use yours, Recumbentman, for the close. How cool is that? James Joyce.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 10

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

You might enjoy that classic of TEFL teaching, 'The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N', by Leo Rosten:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyman_Kaplan


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 11

Elentari

Good job. A friend of mine did a TEFL course then went to teach in China for 5 months. Loved it and now wants to go to South America.

"And the reason you want an internationally recognised qualification? Is so that you can get a job in a reputable school, which will support you as a new teacher and pay you a going wage." I think you need to reword the 'is so' bit.

You've got "wiork" instead of "work" somewhere near the end. smiley - smiley


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 12

Lanzababy - Guide Editor

*ahem* I think this may be delayed because Sol has problems with her Ws at the moment. smiley - winkeye


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 13

Sol

Nah - pure procrastination. I shall steal my husband's vv enabled computer. Esp novv I have discovered that if you input the text in plain in Pliny, vvhen you look at it in ripley a lot of the code is already there. Hurrah!

OMG, Dmitri, that does sound vvorryingly familiar. I am not sure vvhether to look it up further, or run screaming for the hills.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 14

Lanzababy - Guide Editor

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=478446345507694&set=a.158139670871698.33824.139729956046003&type=1&theater

^ sort of silly joke someone shared with me earlier ^

Don't worry about the errant w's I can fix them for you if needed.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 15

Awix

JK Rowling also famously taught TEFL. As did George Orwell.

Looks fine to me, although the course I was on usually expected applicants to be graduates (on the grounds that this proved they could handle the academic rigours of the course).

Also, and this may just be me, I would stress more the difficulty of working as a full-time TEFL teacher in an English-speaking country until you have a few years experience. I didn't even bother applying to UK schools until I was four years into the job. Maybe a mention of summer schools? A useful and supportive environment for newbie teachers, I've always found...


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 16

Recumbentman

Nice one Lanzababy, but you have to delete the s in https for the link to appear (in Brunel anyway)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=478446345507694&set=a.158139670871698.33824.139729956046003&type=1&theater


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 17

Sol

Thank you for stopping by Awix - I have been meaning to come and ask you to take a look at it. I've changed the section on getting work to make it more aimed at new teachers. Actually, in London, it's really not all that difficult for newbies to find work, but mustn't be too capital centric. I may still get that section more concise yet.

I know that many centres like to play safe in who they accept, but I have worked for places that will be flexible. The problem with not having a degree, though, is that people find it difficult to get work visas abroad as a tefl teacher. I may put that in. It's not impossible.

As for the rest of you, hi again, thank you for your patience and I think I have addressed all concerns. I like my list of places, though, Lanza. They are matched pairs of big city, small towns in contrasting countries, and I actually looked them up to make sure tefl teachers were needed in the small places. I wanna keep them. *sulks*

I still need to strengthen the opening paragraph and put in the famous teflers. I also wish I knew someone in the state funded sector not in the uk, as I think that bit might be a bit uk centric. Still. Hey ho.


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 18

Lanzababy - Guide Editor

It's your prerogative to keep the text as your intention. Don't need to sulk. smiley - laugh

smiley - choc?


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 19

Sol

I'll pass on the chocolate. It might be nutella and peanut butter time for the top and tail. I need to save the calories.

*Sneakily erects a bit of barbed ire around her list*


A87768238 - How to become a TEFL teacher.

Post 20

Sol

VVire, barbed vvire. Blast this keyboard anyvvay.


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