These days, it is possible to gain knowledge and expertise in almost any field, from traditionally taught school subjects such as science, all the way through to more modern pursuits like robotics. This has been made possible in part due to huge advancements in the digital domain, but also as a result of travel being easier than it was many decades ago.
In fact, one area in particular that has flourished as a consequence of international travelling has been the sphere of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Read below to find out more about what exactly TEFL is, as well as some of the many benefits of working abroad as a TEFL teacher.
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What is TEFL?
Put succinctly, TEFL is the teaching of the English language to individuals who need this for their work, study, or personal lives. And here is a New Guide From The Researchers At The Tefl Org, there are now more TEFL learners than ever before.
Part of this is due to the burgeoning popularity of English as a global business language, where many daily interactions are performed in English. These can range from writing and reading email correspondence, to holding meetings with international partners where English is the language commonly spoken among the group.
For these TEFL students, they hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of English through the support of a friendly and supportive TEFL teacher, who can help guide them through the myriad challenges of learning the language. More specifically, these lessons could take the form of a grammar focus, such as how and when to use the past perfect grammar function.
Alternatively, sessions might take a look at an aspect of vocabulary, for instance days of the week or months of the year. Unsurprisingly, many students who are new to TEFL get the days Tuesday and Thursday commonly mixed up, as they both begin with the same letter, and so assisting learners to address these issues early on could save a lot of time and effort for them down the line.
What does a TEFL teacher need to get started?
In order to build an impactful resume, one should always be on the lookout for methods of acquiring skills and knowledge that add value immediately and across the board. Luckily, the best way to do this in the world of TEFL is to go ahead and work on getting a reliable TEFL certification before entering the TEFL teaching world.
First of all, this is the optimal method of ensuring that any and all knowledge of the English language is current and accurate. As with anything, trends in the English language are prone to changing and evolving over time, like with the usage of the modal verb shall, which has drastically altered and actually reduced over the course of the last century.
On top of that, the courses are a perfect platform to test some of the concepts and skills acquired through previous work and education experience, and find out if they will really transfer effectively to the TEFL classroom. For some individuals, their prior know how may well be great in other scenarios, but not work so well for TEFL learners, and these programs are the top approach to finding out in practice before putting it to the test in real life.
Last but not least, the projects are run by teams of expert TEFL professionals, with years of prior knowledge under their belt, and they are ready and willing to answer any and all questions about the field of TEFL. Consequently, this is a wonderful way of gaining the inside track on what could potentially occur inside the TEFL classroom, as well as being able to ask questions on topics as diverse as classroom management, lesson planning, and presentation skills.
Why might it be better to teach TEFL online?
Nowadays, it is possible to harness the power of the Internet to teach TEFL classes online, and there are many reasons to consider the upsides of this type of teaching. Initially, the best feature of this is being able to connect with students from all around the world, helping students from Taiwan in the morning before taking a break and coming back to work with Chilean learners in the evening.
Furthermore, this does enable a lot of flexibility when it comes to setting a timetable. For early birds, there is the chance to teach some morning sessions before going on a tourist excursion in the afternoon. By contrast, night owls may prefer to have a slower start to their day, relaxing and getting classes prepared before working on them later in the afternoon.
Not only that, but also online TEFL teachers can teach from pretty much anywhere with a decent Internet connection. This means that it is possible to work and travel at the same time, taking advantage of the aforementioned flexibility in the schedule to ensure that the experience of working abroad is as seamless and smooth as possible.
What are the advantages of teaching TEFL in person?
On the other hand, there are a range of benefits to working as a TEFL teacher abroad in person. Of course, there is nothing quite like the energy and intensity of a real-life classroom, seeing and feeling the progress made by learners as it happens.
This is especially true for collaborative learning projects, like inventing a role-play or dialogue to demonstrate knowledge of specific grammar or vocabulary that has been taught. These kinds of interactions are often made even more special by the fact that students can show their understanding in their own way, as opposed to simply repeating something they have been told.
What’s more, students are in a group with their peers, meaning that they have the opportunity to progress in their English language learning around their own classmates. Many students thrive in this competitive environment, wishing to show that they are able to master the language even more successfully than their friends.
In any case, teaching TEFL abroad is a great approach for anyone looking to see the world, and help others while doing so.
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