Job Discussion Forums

[Rooster_2006]

I've been searching for the answer, but can't seem to find it anywhere...

I keep on running across job advertisements for positions teaching "business English." I was even turned down for one job because they weren't convinced I could teach "business English."

What IS this "business English," and how do I go about getting myself certified to teach it? Is there a CELTA extension class for it? If I take business classes at a college and put those on my resume, would that do it?

Many of the good jobs seem to require the ability to teach business English, but I'm not sure where exactly you get this ability. That's why I asked.

[Wintermute]

Business English is not that much different to regular, eikaiwa-style English. Sometimes there is more emphasis on different tests (i.e. TOEIC, TOEFL, Eiken) and specific conversational situations (introductions, giving a presentation etc.) but it is just a regular lesson for the most part. However, the dispatch company is under contract so they need very reliable teachers with some experience. I remember applying to a lot of these companies a while back and I was regularly rejected. It wasn't until after I had finished a teaching contract at Mitsubishi that the offers started to come through. The first one is always the hardest to get but once you have a little experience it's very easy to get other lessons.

[saloc]

Business English can be anything from how to speak more formal English to how to conduct negotiations in English. The problem with it in Japan is that half the time people want "Business English" before they can speak English with any degree of fluency, and teaching so-called business English to such people is largely pointless. In those situations I think it is nothing more than a buzzword that people think they should use because the students are business people.

I've been hired for "business English" classes in the past and 90% of the time we just studied English with no particular focus on business. The only time I felt we were really working on "business English" was with a class of students who were, to all intents and purposes, fluent in English and just needed to focus on giving presentations, conducting negotiations and leading meetings etc.

[Rooster_2006]

Thank you, Wintermute and Saloc, for those responses. It sounds from talking to both of you that a business English class ends up basically being a regular English class most of the time.

Besides experience, what else can I do to make myself eligible for a position like that? I'd like to try not to teach little kids my first year in Japan, that's why I'm asking. Maybe this is a lofty goal for most new college graduates like myself, but hopefully by that time I'll have a year of experience teaching English at a public high school in China and JLPT Level 3 (plus the CELTA that I already have).

[stevenbhow]

One thing you can do once you arrive in Japan is teach private lessons or group lessons on the side to salary men. When you interview for companies looking for business English teachers tell them that you have taught business English as privates lessons or as group lessons. Also, if you use a few of the more popular business English textbooks (Business Venture, Global Interchange, ect.) this will help as well.

Currently, I'm teaching business English classes for three different companies. Generally, the classes are relatively easy to teach since the students are pretty motivated to study. The tough part, at least for me, is the travel. Most of these classes are taught in the morning or in the evening when the trains are packed. It can be very unpleasant especially when you are traveling an hour or more.

[Kootvela]

I had my teaching Business English certificate organized by a local teaching company. The certificate is called LCCI FTBE.
More:
http://www.lccieb.com/Web/lccieb/newsdetails.aspx?NewsId=624

Basically, the only difference I see between teaching General and Business English is vocabulary because grammar is the same anyway. If you need a paper prooving you can teach Business English, I think the above mentioned certificate will do.

[iverin]

[dove]

I am teaching business English in Brazil and I have also taught it in Japan. Here in Brazil, I spend a lot of time using business articles from the NY Times and the Guardian UK. They are difficult for the students, but Brazilians are great at guessing meanings and guessing from context. Most of the Japanese students I taught were lost and stayed lost with articles. For both countries, I have done many, many roleplays, negotiations, mock business meetings, pronunciation practice, telephone situations. I recommend using a general English textbook and using supplements for the business aspect of your lessons.

[alexcase]

I also did the LCCI FTBE, but I would say the real way of teaching Business English (and ESP) that it taught me is totally different to general English, starting with a full needs analysis on the first day. Having said that, many Japanese students in in company classes have no particular need and would be better off with a General English textbook.

Ways I can think of breaking into it without qualifications or business experience include:

- Get a job in an Eikaiwa that does plenty of business English as well, and make a list of all the companies and kinds of businesses your students work in to stick on the Business English version of your CV

- Try business English materials and topics out on your General English classes (as long as they are relevant, obviously). Reward resource packs or articles from business newspapers that are of general English classes are easy ways to start

- Teach TOEIC

- Get a private student that has at least some present or future need for English at work

There is more advice on the type of experience you'll need to be looking to build up in an old article of mine here:
http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/perfect-cv-cover-letter-for-business-english-teacher.html

TEFLtastic blog- "All the truth that's fit to teach"- www.tefl.net/alexcase

[Glenski]

I don't know who you have been applying to, but you seem to minimalize the type of experience you need for certain business English situations. If their clients are lawyers, scientists, or stockbrokers, it really pays to have the actual life experience in one of those fields. Understanding the jargon can often be very key to providing a good lesson, instead of just asking the students to explain the terms to you.

Look at the major textbook publishers for samples of textbooks. I think Oxford or Cambridge even has a lengthy tome on business English from the theory aspect and how to conduct classes in general. The other textbooks merely offer lesson plans, like a lot of eikaiwa books, so their quality will vary.

Alex's suggestion of a needs analysis is a good one, but you have to heed a warning. You may not have an opportunity to do such analysis before the first day of class. Then, what do you do, eh? Also, realize that in Japan your students may not always attend each class because of their work schedule, and that there is an important cultural interplay at work between people of different ranks in one classroom. You may not be able to separate people in that regard, nor by ability.

[matador]

Start off at a basic eikaiwa..then you might get introduced to one or two Business English classes. Topics will cover meetings, presentations, negotiations, business writing, etc.

There are l-o-a-d-s of books for these areas. Just check out Longman, Oxford, Cambridge et al.

Look for companies like ETG, Phoenix and CICOM in Tokyo. I worked for two of these places and they paid about 5-6k per hour. And you get to work in MNCs in the Tokyo region as well and in that way you make some good future connections... Good luck!

You also may get sent out to one or two week out of town training centers to do intensives. They put you up at a hotel and you get about 6 hours of teaching a day x 10 days...if thats your thing! PM me if you need any further data. I have been teaching business English for about 7 years in Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Its a good gig and I enjoy it. You can climb quite high if you play your cards right.

[Vince]

I had a few business English jobs in Tokyo. I started moving in that direction by teaching TOEIC at eikaiwa. The eikaiwa also had a department that sent teachers to teach short-term courses at companies. Getting one of these assignments depends largely on how the school perceives your professional bearing. If you're at an eikaiwa that has such a department, they'll likely train you before sending you out. You'll get textbooks with structured lessons and probably a lesson-by-lesson curriculum before each course. This will get your feet wet and get business English on your resume. I'd also suggest looking for a business English certificate like the one posted above. Of course, having corporate experience or a business-related degree is also useful.