Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

I recently received a PM from a TEFL newbie who asked if being an extrovert was a plus in terms of effective teaching. He was putting his CV and cover letter together and wanted to indicate that he's an extrovert because "that's the type of teacher employers want." I suggested other ways to describe his personality, but he was insistent on using "extrovert." Anyhoo...

What's your take on introversion and extroversion in relation to being an EFL teacher? Which is better for TEFL, if it matters at all? What about different cultural perceptions about these personality traits -- that some societies have a bias toward extroverts? What about ambiverts (in between an intro and an extro)? Where do you fit in?

Just some food for thought.

[schwa]

"Extrovert" might look good on an application in this field. Its certainly less generic-sounding than "outgoing."

Personally, I'm totally dual. In the classroom or other professional settings I can confidently run the show, but on my own time I'm an introspective near-hermit. I need that balance.

[Snuff]

Being extraverted helps in some parts of teaching, particularly with kids. If you want to work in an immersion programme for preschoolers, for instance, you need to have the energy and charisma to survive the day. It's definitely no place for the retiring type. I'm introverted, and I've found it difficult to keep up with the enthusiasm and energy. It doesn't come as naturally to me as it does to my extraverted colleague.

As for teaching adults, I've found it worked well for me in Japan. My students didn't find me threatening, and I had quite a high rate of student retention - whether this was due to my introversion, is another matter. In Prague, it doesn't really make a difference. Perhaps the lack of an edutainer's charisma makes me seem more professional? Meh.

The main reason being introverted in this field sucks is how the long hours of engaging with other people can drain your life force. Six hours of back-to-back privates (each lesson 40 minutes) was my idea of hell. At least in group classes, you have the chance to step back for a minute or two.

What I liked so much about the school I went for my Trinity Cert, was the diversity in personality types. The Course tutor even took the time to pair us off with a mentor who shared a similar personality to us. My mentor was the quiet, dry type, but he also had a gentle side to him. I guess it makes sense - students are diverse, so there isn't going to be a "one size fits all" personality type for a teacher; you can't be the perfect teacher for everyone.

Except for kids. Kids love jolly people.

[gregory999]

Harvard professor Brian Little is a specialist in personality psychology who also challenges the idea of teaching being dominated by extroverts. He says that introverts can act out of character when they teach (ie. act as an extrovert) out of professionalism, love, and passion for a subject. As a self-identified introvert and a beloved accomplished professor, Little thus challenges this stereotype of teaching as an extrovert’s domain in his talk entitled Confessions of a Passionate Introvert.

“Yet he pushes through the constraints of his temperament because the social value of lecturing and speaking–of truly connecting with his students–trumps the discomfort his introversion can cause him. Little calls this phenomenon Free Trait Theory: the idea that while we have certain fixed bits of personality, we can act out of character in the service of core personal goals. The key, he explains, is balancing three equal but very different identities. There’s our mostly inborn personality, the one that wants us to be introverted or extroverted; that’s the biogenic identity. There are the expectations of our culture, family and religion–the sociogenic identity. And then there are our personal desires and our sense of what matters–the ideogenic identity.”
http://sites.duke.edu/introvertedteachers/teaching-as-an-extroverted-profession/

[spiral78]

If the guy is applying for jobs in Asia and particularly with kiddies, extrovert is probably a plus. Otherwise, no.


I'd personally be highly suspicious of a candidate who blew his 'extrovert' trumpet at any stage of the job application process. Wouldn't be an asset in my context.

[MotherF]

I've met a few extremely introverted teachers who I've never seen in the classroom but who did leave me wondering, "How does this person teach?"

I'm not sure I'd say a CV stands out because it has the word extrovert on it though.

[johnslat]

I tend to be more introvered outside the classroom but very extroverted inside it.

Dr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde.

Regards,

Well, one or the other.

[GreatApe]

I definitely don't see it as an "either / or" dynamic. It depends on the class, the students, the level and the topic/subject I'm teaching.

Within that context it also depends on the day. It's much more like a tool or a "switch" that I have/use as a teacher. Some days I have to use it, and some days I don't have to use it. When you're teaching a "boring" subject or unit in a classroom, a little extroversion can be a great thing. When the students are interested in the subject (or topic) than extroversion might just be a distraction and there's no need to be so excited or extroverted.

Jekyll and Hyde about sums it up, although others might call it (experience it as) "multiple personality disorder!" I do think it helps if teachers can "turn it on and off" like a light switch, although it shouldn't be (or be seen as) "phony." Students should experience it as genuine and sincere, and if a teacher loves and enjoys what he/she is doing