By Rosana Hart

If you are thinking of teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in a non-English-speaking country, no doubt you have questions. What’s it really like to do this? Here are some of the common questions would-be teachers have, with answers.

[1] What will my students be like?

They are unlikely to be children, as whatever English the children learn is usually done within the country’s public school system. More likely, you will be teaching teenagers or adults. The adults will likely be very motivated, as they see English as a key to a better life. Some of the teenagers will have the same attitude, but some may be more casual.

[2] I only speak English. How will I communicate with the students?

Many methods of language instruction are based on using just the language the students are learning. So you will be fine. Once you get beyond the most basic levels of English, you can use English to explain things and most of the students will understand.

[3] I don’t remember much of the grammar I studied in school. Do I have to know it?

You do need to know some grammar, but you do not have to be a genius at it. This is one reason it is a good idea for you to take a TEFL class that gives you certification. Not only will it help you find work, it will also go over English grammar, from the point of view of what you will need to explain to your students.

[4] I speak fluent English, but it is my second language and I do have a slight accent. Can I still teach English as a Foreign Language?

It depends. Most language schools are understandably looking for people with native pronunciation of English. If you are looking for work in a country where there aren’t that many native English speakers who want to teach English, you are likely to be more successful. By the same token, people who are native speakers of English but have a strong regional accent may find it more difficult to get work than people who speak a more standard English. By the way, both American English and British English are acceptable.

[5] I graduated from high school but I don’t have a college degree. Can I still do this?

You may have fewer choices of positions, but you should be able to find work. Since you don’t have a formal degree, it would be a good idea for you to take one of the many TEFL courses that are available all over the world and online. Take one that provides at least 100 hours of instruction and gives you TEFL certification.

If you are traveling in foreign countries, particularly outside the US and Europe, you may be able to find work simply because you are there. The schools may be more lax in their requirements because they can talk to you on the spot, and you may also find smaller, more informal schools.

[6] I wonder if I would be good at this.

If you are friendly, outgoing, flexible, and genuinely interested in helping other people, it’s well worth a try! It also helps if you prepare your class lessons with care.

About the Author

Rosana Hart writes about Chinese language software at her website. She reviews a variety of programs for learning Chinese, and compares Fluent Mandarin, Rosetta Stone Chinese along with Rocket Chinese and Pimsleur Mandarin.

An article in which Tom Carter relates his experiences of teaching in Asia’s largest country

Having little luck finding an attractive job offer in the U.S. in 2004, I decided to take my skills where they were wanted – abroad.

Enticed by the “Teach English in China – No Experience Necessary” ads saturating the online classifieds, I emailed my resume with one hand and packed my bags with the other. I had no idea what to expect, but then, the great unknown can be what makes a job like teaching English in the People’s Republic so appealing.

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As the world’s largest economy opens to foreign investment, education has become one of China’s thriving sectors. Confucius probably wouldn’t stand for it, but he wasn’t wearing pinstripe suits and driving a shiny black sedan. The country may be Communist in theory, but the renminbi – Chinese currency – is emperor.

A Chinese adage says that the best advice is often born from the most challenging experiences. After three years helping the sons and daughters of Han learn English, I’ve had my share. Westerners looking to teach in China may want to consider the following before packing their bags.

Some foreign English teachers may be shanghaied at least once during their time in China. Baiting unsuspecting Westerners to China with false promises of a high salary, deluxe apartment, airfare reimbursement, visa or other incentives is a common online scam. Blame it on temptation. Often Chinese laws are too fluid and relationships (”guanxi” in Mandarin) with authorities too intimate, leaving some foreigners with little protection against scams.

The moment I arrived in the Middle Kingdom I had what some seasoned expatriates call “the complete Chinese experience.” The “school” that had accepted my application turned out to be a nickel-and-dime operation run out of an apartment by a guy in his bathrobe. I’d come half way around the world for a job and found myself out of work.

I was literally lost in translation. Despair and a desire to return home to Mom set in. But I quickly learned that, commensurate with its sizeable population, China has a profusion of kindergarten, primary, middle and high schools and universities in even the most remote cities. In short order, I wound up with a position and salary more attractive than the one I had originally accepted.

Chinese parents may work night and day to pay for pricey English lessons so that their child can get a head start in this competitive society of 1.3 billion. Unfortunately, academics are not an issue to many of China’s new educational entrepreneurs who put profit before curriculum and quality. Classroom experience and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification is nice, but in many cases a Western face is all a native English speaker needs to land a teaching job in China.

In more reputable schools, most prospective English teachers don’t have it so easy. I endured a weeklong interview process, including a series of teaching demonstrations before 300 stern-looking parents, all while I was still jetlagged and suffering from culture shock. I must have done something right, because I was chosen to teach at a top school in the province.

Being rice-wined and dined by my prospective employer over 30-course banquet dinners did not distract me from negotiating a fair salary. Many foreigners (”laowai”) prefer to live in a cosmopolitan city like Beijing or Shanghai than a small town such as the one I had chosen, and I was able to use this preference as leverage during contract discussions. All deals in China, like the price of fruit at the marketplace, can be negotiated.

Most English teachers in China needn’t speak Mandarin in the classroom. Instead, we instruct students through a process of language immersion and simulation, which in time invariably leads to proficiency. Diligence and a little creativity are all that are really needed, but like performing on stage five times a day, it takes its toll.

Over the next few years, I would meet a number of disappointed young Westerners who came overseas as English teachers expecting to party all night and spend their free time pursuing adventures in the countryside. That, I would tell them, is a lifestyle for tourists, exchange students and embassy brats, not the hardworking teacher.

As a foreign expert English instructor, I’m scheduled for up to 30 classes a week and spend most of my free time planning lessons. I’m up at dawn with the older folks practicing their Tai Chi and not back home until after 10 p.m., about when the migrant construction workers also are getting off work.

I never thought I’d be an educator. I didn’t like most of my teachers when I was a kid. Teachers the world over are typically low paid, overworked and underappreciated. But the fatigue and the hit on my income – compared to what I might earn in the U.S. – are what I pay for being part of a rapidly-changing China. As it turned out, I’m not so bad in front of the chalkboard – I actually like it.

About the author

TOM CARTER is the author of CHINA: Portrait of a People, a definitive 600-page book of photography published in 2007 from Hong Kong publisher Blacksmith Books.