TEFL study guide

Once you're facing 20 eager dents who've parted with their hard-earned cash hoping that you can change their lives, it's a little late for regrets. Get some training or do your own research but never walk Into a classroom completely unprepared. A little training is better than none at all. Being an unqualified teacher Most language schools belong to professional bodies, which set criteria for teaching staff so that there's a level of quality control. This means that usually you can't find paid work in an English-speaking country without a willingness teaching qualification.However, there are exceptions to this If the school runs Its own training aerogramme for would-be teachers. Charitable and state-run organizations with volunteer programmed sometimes welcome people willing to share their knowledge with others and you get some teaching experience in return. Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 33 If a school trains staff to use its own teaching methods, you've a bet ter chance of finding work with them without a teaching qualification. Big chains like Calla and Burlier employ staff in this way, depending on the location.On the other hand, If you're traveling to a part of the world where there are few native English speakers In accidence, but the locals have some disposable income, you're more likely to be viewed as a great catch by schools and individual students looking for a tutor, despite your lack of qualifications and experience. Being a native speaker can be your USPS (unique selling point), but try not to be complacent. Many FEEL teachers have no training whatsoever but still manage to find work and develop their skills while In the Job.If you won't be relying on an Income from taster course is probably all you need. Various organizations offer weekend and short courses in TOEFL that give you a taste of what is involved in the Job and help you ecocide whether teaching is for you on a long-term basis. In the I-J, for example, Burlier (who m. Burlier. Com) won't employ a teacher who doesn't have a degree and teaching certificate. However, if you apply to one of their schools abroad, you may have the chance to prove yourself on their unpaid training course which lasts one to two weeks.Unfortunately, employers don't view all native speakers as equal. ELK, Australian and other accents from economically strong nations are viewed as high status and are more sought after. Students tend to mimic the pronunciation of their teachers and any have distinct preferences about the accent they want to acquire. Countries that use English as Just one of their national languages often bring influences from the other language (or languages) into the pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary of their particular variety of English.Some students find Asian and African varieties of English, for example, less desirable than those of the single-language nations. Whatever your accent, practice speaking clearly and accurately. When you start approa ching schools, project a professional attitude, a sense of humor and an interest in meeting and helping people. Once you find work, you need more than a great accent to get through the lessons. If a choice of work comes your way, teaching conversation lessons is your best bet for easing yourself into TOEFL.Teaching conversation is a little easier because you can concentrate on teaching less technical areas like fluency, vocabulary and pronunciation and avoid tricky grammar questions until you build up your experience. It's inadvisable to advertise yourself as merely a teacher of conversation lessons though, as this can limit your 34 Part l: Getting Started in TOEFL chances of finding work and you may find yourself feeling pigeonholed even after eve expanded your skills. It pays to brush up on your own grammar anyway and take an interest in how the English language works. Look at Chapter 15 for info on grammar. ) Think about when and why you say the things you do. Getting initiated I f you intend to teach for more than a few months, make a reasonable living at TOEFL, and give your students value for money, you really should invest in a TOEFL certificate course of 100 hours or more. Teachers at this level are officially called TOEFL initiated. Most FEEL teachers remain at this level as this is what the majority of employers squire from Job applicants. Before enrolling on a certificate course, consider who you want to teach and where.Each country has its own standards and preferences, so failing to meet the criteria for visa applications and the standards set by local employers hampers your chances of finding work. The I-J TOEFL market is a prime example. The two strands of English course providers are the private sector and the public sector: Private sector: The more established private language schools tend to be accredited by the British Council who expect FEEL teachers to be graduates (in any lied) and to hold the CELT (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) or qualifications.Other qualifications are technically acceptable but school managers have to Jump through hoops to convince inspectors that their teachers are worthy if they don't meet the British Council's standard for FEEL teaching qualifications or if their qualifications are not so well known. As a result they usually avoid hiring anyone who doesn't fit the profile or may cause them extra work. Public sector: On the other hand, in the public sector, schools and colleges have to meet ever changing government standards.So these days, all new teachers have to take a ‘Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector' qualification. Unfortunately, one certificate alone won't easily grant you entry into both sectors. The point being that, if you know where, who and how you want to teach, you can do your research and select the right course. Look at TOEFL Job ads specific to the country you intend to work in and even call or email a few employers to find what exact ly they are looking for. If you need a work permit before you can work as a teacher in your chosen destination, check whether you qualify for one.If not, you may have to put in bit Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 35 more planning, otherwise you'll find yourself dependent on dodgy operators who run courses with poor facilities and ridiculously low pay. Find out too if the schools there have a strong preference for one qualification over another. Becoming a qualified teacher A fully qualified FEEL teacher is someone who has a diploma in TOEFL and has at least two years' full-time experience in teaching FEEL. The best-known diplomas are the Cambridge DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults) and Trinity Dippiest (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers ofOther Languages). You may also have a master's degree in LET or a similar field (such as Applied Linguistics) in addition to teaching experience. These qualifications are for people who want to make p rogress in their career and apply for managerial positions such as Director of Studies. You need a qualification like this if you're interested in training roles too. The good news is that all these positions attract higher pay and even if you're teaching the same courses as your less qualified colleagues, you're likely to have a better hourly rate than them.Diploma and master's-level courses are not for the faint hearted. You need to get thorough experience in TOEFL before considering a qualification at this level. Getting on Course After you decide that some form of training is in order, you need to find the right course. Doing a training course abroad may be cheaper than doing one at home. Entering introductory courses Various organizations offer weekend courses of about 20 hours that introduce you to TOEFL. Courses aren't accredited by any of the best-known bodies, so word of mouth is an important indicator of quality.Even though the certificate may have an accreditation stamp, it may be from an organization most employers haven't heard of. So it's worth finding out about the tutors' qualifications and experience and of what the course consists before parting with your cash. In most cases, courses have a minimum age requirement of 17 or 18. To be honest, you need to have an A-level standard education or similar to get your head around it all, but more importantly, you should have the confidence to manage people, which is something teenagers may struggle with unless they restrict themselves to teaching small children.There's no upper age limit, but once again, the pace is rather hectic on these courses. Be honest with yourself as you need to be the kind of person who can absorb knowledge quickly and put it into practice to get the most benefit out of these TOEFL weekend programmed. Trainees sometimes underestimate what is required of them and end up a little discouraged. So be warned. Weekend courses are fast and furious! If you're not a native speaker, you usually need to show that you've achieved an advanced level of English by passing an exam such as LILTS (International English Language Testing System) with a minimum band score of 7.However, even if you're a dative speaker, your grammar should be of a reasonably high standard or else you can find yourself doubting your English and losing the confidence of your students. You should know that your English is correct even if you cannot explain why yet. What you can do with this certificate A certificate from a weekend course tells employers that you're responsible enough to undergo basic training before applying for a Job. It doesn't mean that you're now a qualified FEEL teacher, regardless of what the advertisement says.In fact, after a training weekend, you're likely to feel a lot more enthusiastic and aware of what the job entails. You won't feel ready to go anywhere and teach anyone but at least you know a bit more about how to put a lesson together and the kind of the informatio n students need. View the course as a taster and tell employers that you're keen to develop your skills on the Job. What the course covers A weekend TOEFL course follows similar lines as a full TOEFL certificate because it touches on most of the same course components but in a very brief way.A weekend course should include: Basic grammar: There's far too much grammar in the English language to teach everything in such a short time, but the course should make you aware of different menses (you may think that there's a past, present and future tense and that's it, but believe me, the truth is a little more complicated). You usually touch on the different kinds of words you use in a sentence too – nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives.Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 37 Classroom techniques and activities: Very often the tutor treats you as though you're a foreign student and shows you how to handle warm-up activities and pair or group work in the classroom. Lesson planning: You should learn one of the different formats for planning a Essen so that you know in which order to do things and how to make your lessons fun and effective. An opportunity to practice teaching: You teach a mini lesson or part of a lesson to volunteer students or to your fellow trainees.The maximum class size should be about 20; a tutor can't effectively teach more than How much it costs A weekend course should be a lot cheaper (about 25 per cent of the cost) of a full certificate in a school, but don't forget to factor in the cost of accommodation and travel too. In the I-J courses cost approximately IEEE for 20 hours training. I- to- I (www. I-to-I. Mom) has been offering weekend TOEFL courses in the I-J, USA, Ireland, Canada and Australia for several years. Signing up for a certificate course TOEFL certificate courses come in a variety of packages these days.You can do intensive or part-time courses or complete a distance course online or by post. You have to b e at least 18 years old to do a TOEFL certificate in most cases, which is practical as you'll be managing people in your classroom. There's no upper age limit. Course providers generally prefer to take students with degrees or a good standard of education (good enough to go to university). Don't despair if you don't have any aroma qualifications though. It's worth speaking to the school or college in person. If it's satisfied that you have a good head on your shoulders and a respectable level of English, it may well accept you.Applicants with teaching experience are also favored. Most schools ask you to take a test to prove how good your English is, so inform the school beforehand if you have a learning difficulty that affects your writing. If you're a nonnative speaker, schools expect you to have an exam pass at advanced level in English as well. 38 part l: Getting started in TOEFL Intensive TOEFL courses last four or five weeks. Don't try to keep up your part-time Job or even your favorite TV show because every waking moment is filled with lesson plans and projects. However, this type of course is a great way to Jump in and get started.If that sounds a bit too much for you, plenty of courses are spread over three months or even a year, enabling you to attend sessions in the evenings and at weekends, so you can fit it in around your Job. In any case, you need over 100 hours of tuition, plus feedback and homework time to gain your certificate. With a bachelor or master's degree in any field and an FEEL teaching certificate you're eligible to apply for the majority of vacancies. To be honest, many university graduates have no idea what to do in a classroom so some employers bypass your level of education if you've managed to prove yourself and passed a certificate course.What the course covers The overall aim of certificate courses is to provide initial training for people who want to teach English to speakers of other languages and to make sure that they meet the criteria for teaching by demonstrating English usage accurately, by giving well balanced lessons and by evaluating their lessons. Objectives for the course usually include familiarizing trainees with all those areas that go into English language teaching – methodology, classroom procedures, techniques and aids, language awareness and testing.You have the opportunity to teach and to find out how to To help trainees learn about the main pronunciation, vocabulary and structural features of current English. To raise awareness of the learning needs of individuals or groups of learners and of the motivation they have in a variety of circumstances and environments. To make sure that trainees can work cooperatively as members of a teaching team or group. / To help trainees develop the ability to create and maintain the learners' interest and establish rapport.Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 39 To make sure that trainees can plan lessons with clear and achiev able aims using methods appropriate to the learners' levels of achievement and age. To give trainees basic classroom management skills and the ability to provide relevant activities. To make sure that trainees are able to use and adapt published teaching material and create their own basic teaching material. To highlight the main advantages and disadvantages of various language teaching approaches. To ensure that trainees can continue their development in TOEFL after completing the course.Before you start, the course provider sends you an FEEL reading list and often asks you to complete a work book that provides an introduction to three important areas of the course. One is the unknown language section, the second is a grammar section and the third section is about how to teach. Some courses include lessons in a foreign language so that you understand how the students in your class feel. Through these lessons you can gain the dual perspective of both a teacher and a student and expe rience various teaching techniques.You produce a project based on these lessons near the end of the course. Teaching practice is an essential part of the course so expect real live students to volunteer to take part in your lesson. You also have the opportunity to see various other experienced teachers at work and your tutor gives you continual advice, feedback and support. Courses with a learner profile project give you the opportunity to get to know one FEEL student a bit better and analyses their language skills in depth. For the project, you usually conduct an interview with the student and record it.In addition you set them a written task so that you can write about their strengths and weaknesses and discuss ways in which you would help them through FEEL lessons. You may teach one lesson with the student in which you address one of that student's weak points. A materials project is designed to help you use and adapt basic materials, such as a photograph, in the classroom. You'r e asked to show how to use the same set of materials with students of different levels and abilities. At the end of the course there's often a test on grammar and phonology (pronunciation). 40 Part l: Getting Started in TOEFLSpeak to local schools and colleges about their teacher training programmed. CELT and Trinity Creosotes are the most widely accepted certificates for the private sector check whether your university runs TOEFL courses in the summer. The average cost of the CELT and the Trinity Creosotes is II,OHO. You may need to consider accommodation and travel costs too if no course provider exists where you live. Keeping your distance Distance learning courses never share the same high profile as taught courses because they don't let you experience teaching practice, but they have their own advantages.Many people find it easier to fit the course into their normal lives by studying in this way. You can go at your own pace – and distance courses are a lot cheaper. On th e other hand, you may never meet a student until you're teaching a class yourself and your tutor can only offer feedback on your written work not your actual performance. So distance learning has a few disadvantages too. Many people who already have a suitable teaching qualification, such as a PACE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), but have no experience in FEEL choose to take a distance course because the certificate itself is not as important for them.The skills to do with presentation, classroom management and lesson planning are transferable, so with this kind of course it's easier for the teacher to choose which areas to spend more time on. Overseas employers appreciate the fact that you've taken the trouble to study and get yourself a certificate, and this tends to carry more weight than the actual certificate itself. This is because the organizations offering distance courses aren't as well known as CELT or Trinity, which provide taught courses. This area of the market has far less quality control than taught courses.However, the College of Teachers is one body which accredits distance TESTS (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) courses as does ACTED, which is specifically for distance courses in TESTS. Courses accredited by these bodies offer a reasonable standard of professionalism and someone to talk to if the course or course provider falls seriously below your expectations. Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 41 Most distance certificate courses run along the same lines as taught courses (see information in the preceding ‘Signing up for a certificate course').