Teaching English helps you develop the necessary pedagogic skills to teach the English language to people who aren’t native English speakers. You will come up with lesson plans and entertaining activities, which allow learners to gradually master the four main English skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
During a Bachelor’s or Master’s in Teaching English, you can expect to take classes on second language acquisition, linguistics and English grammar, sociolinguistics, phonetics and literacy, teaching English through literature, teaching and feedback, etc.
As a future English language teacher, you will work with students of all ages whose first language isn’t English. You will take them step by step through the learning process, teaching them the pronunciation, spelling, grammar quirks, and various rules that can be challenging. The goal is to make them competent English speakers who can use the language in different social contexts.
In addition to excellent English and pedagogic abilities, English language teachers also own communication, public speaking, organisation, creativity, and evaluation skills.
After graduating with a Teaching English degree, you can work for public or private schools in your home country or abroad. There’s also the option to collaborate with companies or offer online tutoring to individuals or groups.
You should also know the difference between TESOL, TESL, and TEFL. The confusion arises because the terms are similar and often used interchangeably. TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and is the broader discipline, including both TESL and TEFL.
TESL stands for Teaching English as a Second Language and refers to teachers who live in English-speaking countries and work with students who aren’t native English speakers.
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and refers to teachers who live abroad in non-English speaking countries and work with students who aren’t native English speakers.
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