teaching

[joosie]

So I've finished the online part of my TEFL course and passed all the tests etc. and am gradually working my way through the assignments. This weekend I went to the first of the practical teaching assessments. It was 10 hours both days so very intensive but I feel like I got a lot out of it. For the first part of each morning we went over various aspects of TEFL teaching and lesson planning procedures, and then had 90 minutes to plan our own lessons, which we took in turns to teach after lunch. We had to design our lessons completely from scratch, including coming up with the games and activities we were going to use and creating all our teaching materials etc. It was a lot of pressure coming up with everything in quite a short time, considering the course is mostly aimed at people who have never taught before! - but I think I handled it ok once I got my head around it, and the tutor was so supportive and patient with everyone.

It was nerve-wracking of course but it was also the part I've been looking forward to - quite honestly I haven't struggled with any of the theory, grammar etc and doing the assignments is definitely drumming it all in, so what I'm more concerned about is getting actual experience of standing in front of a class and teaching. I was actually surprised by feeling quite confident when I was doing it though, and I got some really positive feedback from the tutor, so it's definitely given me a boost. Looking forward to the next one, which will involve teaching a small group of actual foreign speakers, so will be a very different experience to "teaching" English-speaking peers!

 

[Bodshi]

Ooh sounds like you're doing really well. Good luck with the foreign students. I bet it's a fab job to have if you have wanderlust like you - the world must be your oyster

 

[joosie]

Yes that's what attracted me to it, being able to travel. Combining teaching with horse work and still having the frredom to move around would be the best!

 

[orbvalley]

Excellent start. Well done, so pleased for you . Keep going and good luck with the next one xxx

 

[orbvalley]

@joosie - have you ever thought about private tutoring TEFL in France to children? In my region there's definitely a lack of English teachers that are English, the school budgets were cut a few years ago & they stopped paying English speaking teachers so its now taught by French profs regardless of wether they can speak the language or not! I'm forever being asked to teach children here. Its really not my thing but I do take my RI's little boy once a week (he's only 6) & I'm about to start a 13 year old tomorrow much to my despair (its a friends daughter so I feel as thought I can't say no!) I'd much rather they paid an actual teacher but they say there aren't any that are English

 

[joosie]

Thanks @orbvalley I am definitely looking at private tutoring as I think there's quite a good market for it.

 

[orbvalley]

I would think you could set yourself up as an auto-entrepreneur?

 

[joosie]

I'm not sure about doing it in France tbh. If I do settle somewhere then I've had my heart set on Italy ever since I lived there (10 years ago!). But I'm really planning to use my qualification to work & travel all over the place, it's the flexibility that appeals to me!