How to Implement TEFL if You're a Non-native Teacher
As a non-native English speaker, I was very scared of teaching English or even thinking about teaching English at the beginning of my teaching career. But some months later I realized that I have a huge advantage compared to the native speakers: I still remember the difficulties of learning English and I know what might cause problems to my students.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gabriella S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Advantages of Non-native Teachers
So I can always emphasize and slow down when it is needed without being impatient. Learning English requires time, and learning to speak well requires even more time and patience from both the teacher and student. I also teach Hungarian to foreigners and interestingly I find that more difficult than teaching English. I often don’t understand what is difficult for my students and it is tough to think with their heads when speaking Hungarian. While teaching English feels more natural because I also learn a lot while preparing for my lessons and also during the classes.
I also have the constant motivation to improve my English and to use correct tenses and interesting vocabulary. I read, speak and write in English every day but I know that it is not enough if I want to be a great teacher. So this was the main reason why I started this course at ITTT and this is why I want to complete other courses as well in the future. I am getting more and more excited about the idea of teaching full-time at a school or even travel around the world and teach English and yoga – as that is my other passion. However, it is sometimes difficult to find job openings for non-native English speakers, which I understand in a way.
Also Read: Top Tips for Teaching English One-on-One
How I Design My Lessons
To balance it out I use a lot of authentic texts and videos and I also improve my own pronunciation by watching English movies and series. I like TED talks as well because they are very interesting and most of the time the popular videos on youtube are from native English speakers.
I always but English magazines and newspapers as well to keep my English up to date and I watch BBC or CNN every day. I encourage my students to do the same and I can always give them useful tips because I am also trying to improve my English continuously. For my lessons, I also use copies of articles or even real chapters from books. I think learning a language can be the easiest while reading your favorite books and watching great series and movies. I also take grammar very seriously and even if I need more time to create worksheets and explanations, I like to do it myself instead of using them from the internet.
Are you ready to teach English all over the world?
I started to check websites in the last few weeks which can offer teaching jobs for non-native English speakers and I realized that there are many countries where I could be welcome too. It is important though to keep it in my mind that I might earn less or I might have to face difficulties while teaching, But I will stay positive and keep working on my English skills to become a great teacher!
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