TeachingEnglish
Becoming an English Teacher
Submitted by nyaribo on 11 May, 2009 - 08:40
Hi,
I'm a Kenyan and I recently moved to Belgium. I'm interested in teaching, specifically teaching English. I have searched the net and found several language schools I could apply to teach at. My dilemna is I've never taught before, except in my line of work (call centers). Can anyone advise me on the best way to get into teaching. I also do not have any training in teaching. Where should I start? Thanks
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I agree with the previous opinion but I want to add to that. There are also books and CD's that you can buy at bookstores that will serve as a guide if you don't have enough time to go to a school to study. Another suggestion is that you can download free lessons from the internet. This is a very practical step I should say. Good luck!
Dear nyaribo,
Firstly I'd like to wish you good health and luck to enjoy your new "home"!
Well, your very first days overseas might have been not that easy... But I guess it will certainly be very enriching while getting to know another culture, coming across different people, learning from them. These are very positive features you are supposed to take advantage from. Moreover, in Belgium, you can meet people from other (European) countries, not just outstanding politicians dealing with European and International issues...
As for "Teaching English", I'd like to suggest a visit to The British Council Office there. You should also inquire about any Association of Teachers of English. Given your adventurer spirit, I'm sure you'll find an immediate solution to your great calling: "Becoming a Teacher of English!"
By the way, (...) do not forget to write a short report for TE website on how challenging it might have been until your "D- Day".
Good luck!
Maria
I was working as a Voice and Accent Trainer for over 8 years with leading international call centers. I assume that you have worked as a Trainer. Going by my experience it is a real challenging task for any trainer to train candidates purely because the standards set by the client is very high and all qualifying parameters has to be met without exception. Another pertinent point is the selected candidates are put under various categories as in good, trainable and under observation. Their quality scores are also periodically monitored.
With the first category the candidates are good at spoken English but need lot of fine tuning. The second and the third category is a huge challenge for the trainer because he has to work with them and raise the level of candidates. Moreover the call center industry by itself has got a very high attrition rate which puts all the more pressure on the trainer because the cost of hiring is very high and candidates cannot be sacked at will. The call center industry ( Voice Process ) is totally people driven.
There is absolutely no need for you to enrol for a course. You need to understand the culture and the attitude of people. If there are English Clubs down there you could be part of the audience and get a feel of how trainers go about their job. Also try to converse with experienced ELT trainers who can give you pertinent inputs.
All the best.