Job Discussion Forums

[smartus]

Hi,

I am now having a break from full-time employment. I do not intend to make a living as an English teacher. But I have a friend who wants to learn English and if I am going to teach one person, I think I can manage more students, meet new people and maybe earn some money.

My main question is: How to teach English as a foreign language?

I don't have a teaching qualification, but I did a lot of tutoring while working as a software developer. I would like to do it to the best of my ability. My friend is "lower intermediate". Otherwise I don't know what level of English will I teach. I want to be prepared for everything. Or maybe I can specifically pick one level that will be the easiest. What materials to use? Where to teach if you don't have a classroom?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. If there are any good books or resources online, please, give me a link. I googled some information, but most of the articles are very brief and don't explain much.

Thanks in advance!

[nomad soul]

Is there a reason why your friend can't enroll in a structured English language class at a language school or community ESL program in his/her area? That's something to consider instead of potentially straining your friendship by turning it into a teacher-learner relationship.

But since you asked where you should start... If your goal is to teach (to the best of your ability) more than one student and as a potential money-making endeavor, I strongly suggest you get yourself into a TEFL cert course, preferably one that offers face-to-face instruction and supervised teaching practice with real students. Another option is to volunteer for a couple of months or more as a teaching assistant or in-class tutor at one your local non-profit refugee or ESL literacy organizations. You'd receive some training but also guidance as well as experience while working alongside seasoned teachers.

[smartus]

[bansheebeat]