Teaching English is a fun, rewarding way of helping people, plus you get paid!
Perhaps most importantly for most people wanting to teach English, you get to travel or live in exotic countries…
Teaching English is Easy
I talk about the easiest language to learn on the home page but for a native English speaker English is obviously the easiest language to teach! Here I am presuming you wish to teach English as a second language, in fact that is so popular today that it even has its own initials – TEFL, or ‘teffle’.
Talking of initials, another set you might come across are CELTA. That stands for Cambridge/RSA Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, which is quite a mouthful so you can see why they use the letters. That certificate in teaching English is widely recognised just about anywhere, though it is not the ONLY suitable certificate you can get.
Also of course, in many places you’ll be welcomed with open arms with ANY teaching qualification, plus being a native English speaker. Remember, compared to anyone who is not a native speaker you already have a huge advantage!
If you were to go for the CELTA course or similar, the next question is online or offline?
If you don’t live in the UK I suggest online is best, because while other courses exist I think having a certificate in teaching English, from England, has to be a good thing right?
If you are in England then life is easy, because there are a number of colleges around that can take you, either full time or part time, in this subject. Typically the cost is around 1000 UKP, maybe a bit less if outside a major city.
Teaching English as a First Language
By first language I mean teaching English to English students, or at least English speakers.
For this you’d be either dealing with youngsters, in a conventional school, and/or teaching the finer points of our great language.
You know, people always want to improve their English, in fact there is a famous advert, which a distinctive headline:“Are you making these mistakes in your English?”
Those commericals are always experimenting with different headlines and offers but that one stayed the same for many years, because even native English speakers worry if they’re doing it right!
If you want to teach English to natives you will need a degree in English, plus a teaching qualification. Also, realistically today, you might well find that as a teacher you will be called upon to teach other subjects as well as the English language.
Schools are strapped for cash now and I’m guessing (but not sure) that few people are able to teach English and nothing else. I might be wrong though.
