People, who wish to teach English to individuals not comfortable communicating in this language, can take up one of the many pathways that lead to a successful English teaching career. There are certain prerequisites for enrolling into a TESOL course. The first and foremost out of which is this- one must have a BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BS (Bachelor of Science) degree. In fact, you cannot get the permission to pursue a career in ESL teaching in many countries without fulfilling one of the above mentioned criteria.
Nowadays, both elementary and secondary schools have immigrant students not fluent in the English language at home as well as abroad. The qualifications required to be a TESOL certified teacher may vary from state to state. Different educational institutions have different courses in ESL, EEL or bilingual education.
The courses in ESL generally teach students how to be fluent in a foreign language. These courses emphasize on why teachers should take cultural differences of their students into account while teaching. They are also encouraged to make lesson plans based on the caliber of the students. Basically, ESL students are taught the psychological and physical sides of communication and language. There are many courses available under ESL some of which are methods of teaching, voice and articulation, anthropology etc.
Most ESL teachers pursuing a career in the US teach at local schools and colleges having immigrant non English speaking students. They may also wish to do one-to-one tutoring or impart lessons at community centers. In the US, an ESL teacher needs to meet certain additional teaching requirements besides having a bachelor’s degree. There are some states that require them to have a state teaching certificate in ESL.
Organizations such as TESOL have created online courses for interested individuals. Upon completion of such a course, you can receive TOEFL (Teacher of English as a foreign language) certification. However, you may not require a certificate or teaching degree for volunteer and non-school posts. However, some pertinent experience or a degree can boost your chances of achieving success in this career opportunity.
There are many people who wish to teach English abroad. It is essential for them to fulfill regular teaching requirements that enable an individual to teach in international schools. And to legally work there, one must procure all necessary documents first. It is not a mandatory condition to have a TESOL certification online
or TEFL program in order to teach overseas. But with ESL certification, finding a job in an overseas school will become easy for you. Upon a sincere search, one can find jobs in not only language training centers and schools but also private companies.
So, the bottom line is that different courses have set different qualification requirements for interested people. All one needs to do is look for a course that they are eligible for and apply. If you are selected to pursue a TESOL certified course, you will be able to find employment in some of the best schools around the world. And that is probably the most interesting part of the entire story.