What You Can Expect when Teaching English Abroad
The thought of moving to a foreign country that is completely unknown to you to become an English teacher can be daunting. Teaching students that speak your language can be difficult, but when they don’t even understand what you are saying you may find yourself frustrated. With time and the training that TEFL Liverpool courses can provide, you will likely figure out how to best communicate and teach rather quickly. But being prepared for what you can expect beforehand can also give you an idea of what you can do to make the transition easier on you.
First of all, you will likely not be able to communicate very well with your students. Many foreign countries have a little bit of English that has made its way into their culture, but for the most part if you are there to teach them to speak English, then they will be starting out with the basics. A good idea to foster good relationships to start out is to do a little bit of studying on the language your students speak. TEFL Liverpool courses will give you plenty of tips and tricks to help aid non-verbal communication, but having a little bit of knowledge can help you out.
Unless you have travelled abroad before, you will likely experience a little bit of culture shock. It is normal for new teachers to feel overwhelmed or even nervous about some of the differences in cultures, but as time goes on and you become more comfortable with the newness then you will find that you don’t notice the differences nearly as much. If you try to take some time to read up on the culture of the country you will be visiting then you can be prepared for what you may expect and a TEFL Liverpool course can help with that as well.
Some TEFL certified teachers seem to have built-up expectations about how their experience will be. It’s a good idea to go into your travels with few expectations, but rather have the mindset that you will simply take each day in stride and learn something new. Your experience will probably be completely different than the one you daydreamed about during your TEFL Liverpool course. Don’t try to make your experience change for your expectations. Be flexible and ready to learn from every opportunity, positive or negative. Because there are so many different placement options for TEFL teachers, there are also just as many experiences and situations that can occur. Going in with an open mind can let you have a good time and learn no matter what happens.
