What it takes to teach ESL abroad

Do you have what it takes to teach ESL abroad?

Learning a language is like playing a sport. A conversation can feel like a spectator event for the world to judge. When living in Paraguay, I can remember the panic I felt that first time I tried to order a pizza over the phone and couldn't understand anything the clerk was asking me. And I can remember wanting to walk off and cry when I went camping with a group of all Spanish speakers and just couldn't keep up with the conversations.

As a seasoned ESL teacher, I can tell you that most language learners have unreal expectations of themselves when they first enter a classroom. I remember going into my first day of seventh grade Spanish and thinking that I was going to just ace that class! All I'd have to do was learn a bunch of new vocabulary, right? Wrong.

Unlike most other academic pursuits, foreign language mastery requires, not only brain power and hard work, but also boldness, competitiveness, a high pain threshold, and an open mind. Novice learners think that if they just show up and hang out, and maybe even study their books really hard, then they’ll acquire gorgeous and accurate fluency. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case! Learning a new language is like overcoming an ever-changing, ongoing obstacle course --think Ninja Warrior for the cerebellum. You can't just go in the gym and lift; you've got to do Cross Fit. You've got to look at it from six different angles with seven kinds of smoke! A lot of students, especially adults, refuse to believe that they will probably need to learn about the culture and history behind a language, learn to love its music, watch its TV programs, read its newspapers, and even do some acting in order to learn it well. They'll resist doing what needs to be done because it just doesn’t seem to fit into the realm of academic learning.

As an ESL teacher you're challenged with growing not only your student's minds, but also their world views and comfort zones. So before you drop $2000 on a TEFL certificate or sign a contract with a Korean cram school (hagwon), take this survey to find out if you have the basic building blocks of what it takes to be a great ESL teacher and coach. Teaching ESL can be rough. But if you can agree with most of the statements in the sections below, then you might be ready for a a foray, or stay, in the world of ESL.

1. Do you love the sport? Sure, teaching English abroad is like getting a passport around the world. But you’ll hate it if you don’t love the most basic components of the field – Words, People, and Travel. Check off how many of the boxes you can answer yes to, then move on to the next section.

I like words. I want them around me in the form of music, books, videos and more. I’ll read the back of a cereal box if I have to, just to get my word fix.
I take notice when something is well-written and vice versa. I smile at a clever lyric and recoil from a typo in a text message.
I’m approachable. I can talk to almost anyone and people are drawn to me. In fact, strangers seems to feel comfortable asking me for directions and talking to me on public transit.
I'm a great listener and I can get even shy people to open up.
I easily remember people’s names.
I’m adventurous -- some would even say daring.
I’m interested in people, trends and events around the world.
I enjoy writing.
I'm physically expressive; I can impersonate others and I dominate at the game of charades.
I desire to live in foreign places.
I like sitting on a bench and just watching people.
I respect differences between cultures, religions, languages, etc.
When writing, I may agonize over my inability to find the perfect word …even in something as insignificant as a status update on Facebook.
I’ve tried to learn a foreign language or two…or three.

2. Do you know the sport? A great coach can train an athlete because he was an athlete. Many language schools search for teachers who have the right resume and have the right experience. That experience can include leadership, public speaking, meeting facilitation, and strangely enough, foreign language ability. This last one is important because if a person has tried successfully to learn another language, then he or she will understand how difficult and nuanced the process really is. An experienced ESL trainer can take the right person with no English teaching background, and have them classroom ready inside of three weeks. Can you agree with half of these statements? If so, move on to the last section.

I have experience in leadership and team building.
I have taught, mentored, or coached others in a discipline, hobby, or sport before.
I’m comfortable speaking in front of people.
I can speak speak at least one foreign language.
I not only recognize when something is spoken or written incorrectly, but I can fix it and explain why it’s incorrect.
I have always performed well on the reading and writing sections of standardized tests.
In school, I consistently earn/earned high scores in English and Language classes.
I have a degree in English, Education, Linguistics, Journalism or a related field.

3. Are you willing to play ball? Teaching is a constant negotiation. You must be willing to make great plans, then scrap them in an instant. Like a great coach you must have a personality that is tough yet approachable. People can’t be afraid of you, but they have to respect you. You’ve got to have an understanding of where people's limits are, and know how push them a little past those boundaries. You’ve got to be fine with leading from the front, middle, and back. If you can agree with most of the statements below, keep reading.

I can adapt to and/or respect the customs and ways of others.
I know how to write a plan, but I’m not afraid to deviate from it.
I can read a room, i.e. I can understand the way people are feeling when I enter a new environment.
I can command a room’s attention.
I can think on my feet. I’m willing to adapt to shifting situations.
I exude professionalism and evoke confidence from others.
I'm not afraid to give a pep talk to someone who is down and out.
I’m polite and inclusive.
I’m good at crowd control, even if that means taking a disciplinary role.
I’m organized and small details do not escape me.
I’m patient. I don’t mind explaining things in different ways.
I’m willing to be someone’s cheerleader.
I’m willing to take and reflect on constructive criticism.

FINAL TALLY: If you checked...

0-15 boxes: Hmm...it could be that you like words, but aren't comfortable with people. Or, you like people, but aren't enamored with the nuances of language. Then again, perhaps you're not crazy about travel and other cultures. Whatever the case may be, I'd be weary of taking up the torch of teaching ESL, if I were you. You might end up being that miserable teacher who rams his head on his desk every day after class or daydreams about cutting school more often than his students do.

15-30 boxes: You definitely have some of the raw skills or talent needed for ESL, but you may be missing some of the passion or training (or vice versa). I would recommend that you find a way to sit in on several local ESL classes in your city, if possible, before doing anything drastic like flying to Thailand to get a TEFL certificate. Test out the feel of classrooms with children versus teenagers versus adults and observe different teaching styles to see if anything resonates with you.

30-35 boxes: You were pretty much born to be an ESL teacher. Just stop what you're doing and get on the boat. Seriously. Start listing countries you'd like to live in, then get online and explore job opportunities locally or abroad. With your personality, skills, and interests, you could probably take a 3-week TEFL course and be spring-loaded to win in the classroom.

If you already have some experience and are looking for classroom or private ESL teaching opportunities in Washington, DC?