EnglishClub ESL Forums

Hello!

I'm a native English speaker looking into the possibility of starting to teach English as a second language. I have been approached to do one-to-one teaching. Being a native English speaker and not studied since leaving school many years ago, I would like to refresh my knowledge on the structures of the language in order that I feel more confident to teach. I am aware of the TESOL accreditation however I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for further courses/reading that would be recommended if I were to continue with this idea and possible change of career.

Thanks!

TEFL/TESOL course is a good step.

Highly recommend the course from theteflacademy.com.

In terms of further reading, I highly suggest watching demo lessons on Youtube. Teaching is one thing, but as a foreign language requires a different approach.

You can go with TEFL or TESL. But there are some who have little or no previous experience in teaching who would go for CELTA. It depends on what your objectives are. I suggest that you do a little research first before deciding which certificate to go for. (There are TEFL and CELTA graduates who upload videos on YouTube to share their journey towards earning their certificates.)

But no matter which certificate you decide on, be sure you have a good working knowledge of the English grammar before you finally start teaching. This gives you a solid foundation to English language teaching and equips you with the extensive knowledge to address almost any language issue that a student can throw at you. :)

For background reading you could try:
https://www.tefl.net/tefl-courses/guide.php

Tefl.NET is independent, doesn't do courses itself, and gives objective commentary.