Introduction
Maybe it’s the changing times, globalization, or a shrinking job market that have caused an increasing number of recent college graduates to seek employment abroad as teachers of English as a foreign language. Perhaps such opportunities offer a means of quenching the thirst for adventure that so many of us retain from our childhoods, or it could be the desire to share knowledge with others while at the same time gaining a broader perspective that has led a growing number of teachers to look for work beyond the borders of their native countries. Whatever the reason for an individual’s decision to seek employment overseas, the fact is that the field of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) has been growing rapidly in conjunction with an increased demand for English language education around the world.
Among the challenges that a potential EFL (English as a foreign language) teacher faces is the lack of standardization in the field. While an aspiring teacher in Colorado can look up information regarding the kinds of coursework and licensure exams that he or she must complete in order to be certified, new EFL teachers may not find such direction readily available. Type the acronym “TEFL” into a Google search, and millions of results will appear within a matter of seconds, including an almost overwhelming number of training and certification programs. The majority of these programs are not standardized, and, to make matters more complicated, many job listings simply request proof of TEFL certification, without clarifying exactly what this certification should look like. Add to this the fact that some employers do not even require proof of certification, and you have one complicated job search on your hands.
Of course, even once a new teacher has secured a job placement abroad, there are many other factors to consider. While some schools have a rigid curriculum already in place, others may expect the teacher to create a plan for the courses that he or she is teaching. Also, as one might imagine, there are unique challenges associated with teaching students for whom English is a foreign language. Many times, teachers are not fluent in the language of the country in which they are teaching, and, while some schools see this as a benefit for students, it certainly affects the kind of communication that can go on in the classroom. Thus, even those who graduated with a license to teach in Colorado (or another part of the United States) may find that teaching abroad requires them to learn about ways of educating students that were not covered in their university coursework.
In light of these issues, the purpose of this guide is to provide a starting place for recent college graduates and others who are new to the field of TEFL. There are a multitude of other resources available, many of which are referenced throughout the work, and my goal is not to attempt to replace any of these. Rather, my hope is to bring these resources together in a manageable and easy-to-navigate text that can serve as a point of entry into the rapidly changing TEFL field. This text also represents an effort to answer my own questions about the field, and so I hope that what I have discovered and synthesized will also be of use to the reader.
-Lisa Dompier
Among the challenges that a potential EFL (English as a foreign language) teacher faces is the lack of standardization in the field. While an aspiring teacher in Colorado can look up information regarding the kinds of coursework and licensure exams that he or she must complete in order to be certified, new EFL teachers may not find such direction readily available. Type the acronym “TEFL” into a Google search, and millions of results will appear within a matter of seconds, including an almost overwhelming number of training and certification programs. The majority of these programs are not standardized, and, to make matters more complicated, many job listings simply request proof of TEFL certification, without clarifying exactly what this certification should look like. Add to this the fact that some employers do not even require proof of certification, and you have one complicated job search on your hands.
Of course, even once a new teacher has secured a job placement abroad, there are many other factors to consider. While some schools have a rigid curriculum already in place, others may expect the teacher to create a plan for the courses that he or she is teaching. Also, as one might imagine, there are unique challenges associated with teaching students for whom English is a foreign language. Many times, teachers are not fluent in the language of the country in which they are teaching, and, while some schools see this as a benefit for students, it certainly affects the kind of communication that can go on in the classroom. Thus, even those who graduated with a license to teach in Colorado (or another part of the United States) may find that teaching abroad requires them to learn about ways of educating students that were not covered in their university coursework.
In light of these issues, the purpose of this guide is to provide a starting place for recent college graduates and others who are new to the field of TEFL. There are a multitude of other resources available, many of which are referenced throughout the work, and my goal is not to attempt to replace any of these. Rather, my hope is to bring these resources together in a manageable and easy-to-navigate text that can serve as a point of entry into the rapidly changing TEFL field. This text also represents an effort to answer my own questions about the field, and so I hope that what I have discovered and synthesized will also be of use to the reader.
-Lisa Dompier
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