Who are the students taking English language lessons worldwide?
Posted by International TEFL Academy on Tue, Nov 09, 2010 @ 12:00 PM
Before teaching English overseas and becoming TEFL Certified, you should know who will be paying for professional foreign language classes and why.
English language students around the globe hail from all backgrounds, ages and walks of life. Depending on where you teach and which school you work for, you may teach corporate executives from Fortune 500 corporations, clerks from the local hotel, or university students. Or, you may find yourself tutoring local housewives or possibly teaching children in public schools.
Adult English Language Students
Adult learners represent the largest segment of students that most English teachers work with when they go abroad to teach English. This is particularly the case in Europe and Latin America where foreigners do not typically teach in public schools, where most young learners conduct their English studies.
Types of business professionals, corporate executives and employees – some companies will contract with a local language school to bring a teacher onsite to provide instruction to employees; others will send their employees to a class at the school.
Types of adult students:
- Small business owners who conduct business with foreign firms in English, or who work extensively with English-speaking customers.
Those working in tourism and the hospitality industry.- University students looking to study abroad, who are conducting research in fields dominated by English or are looking to obtain employment in an English-speaking country.
- IT and the Web- Anybody working in technology or looking to take full advantage of the Internet.Entertainment - Those looking to enjoy English-language movies, books, music, television and other media.
Most adult English language learners either work or go to school, so be prepared to teach classes in the late afternoon and evenings, and possibly on weekends as well. Many adult learners also seek private lessons, which offer teachers a great opportunity to earn additional income and work with students on a more personal level.
Teaching English to Children:
Asia is a booming market for those looking to teach children, where, unlike in Europe and Latin America, public schools are increasingly seeking native English teachers to provide high quality English language instruction. In addition, in countries like Korea, many parents enroll their children in language classes at private language institutes after school to supplement the instruction they receive in school.
Should you work with such students in a private language institute setting, expect to be giving most of your lessons in the late afternoon and early evening.
In Latin America and Europe where foreigners do not typically teach in public schools where most young learners conduct their English studies, there are fewer opportunities, however it certainly is possible to work with younger learners.
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