32 Part I: Getting Started in TEFL
Finding your level
In the world of TEFL there are four or five levels of ‘teacher’. Deciding
whether you want to earn enough to keep you in beer money whilst on your
travels or whether you’re looking for a long-term career helps you decide
what kind of training is appropriate.
The various types of native and proficient speakers of English working fit into
these categories:
✓ The opportunist who has no training in EFL or any other teaching quali-
fications but needs to find work.
✓ The teacher who has a basic level of training amounting to 20 hours or
fewer. He’s been introduced to the overall principles of TEFL.
✓ The TEFL initiated teacher who has completed a certificate level TEFL
course of about 100 hours.
✓ The teacher qualified in another subject who needs to learn the prin-
ciples of teaching EFL. At this same level are people who have studied
the English language extensively, perhaps having a degree in English lit-
erature or linguistics, but who have no experience of teaching.
✓ The TEFL qualified teacher who has a diploma or master’s-level qualifi-
cation in EFL.
Don’t underestimate the responsibility teachers have. Once you’re facing 20
eager students who’ve parted with their hard-earned cash hoping that you
can change their lives, it’s a little late for regrets.
Get some training or do your own research but never walk into a classroom
completely unprepared. A little training is better than none at all.
Being an unqualifi ed teacher
Most language schools belong to professional bodies, which set criteria for
teaching staff so that there’s a level of quality control. This means that usu-
ally you can’t find paid work in an English-speaking country without a well-
recognised teaching qualification. However, there are exceptions to this if the
school runs its own training programmes for would-be teachers. Charitable
and state-run organisations with volunteer programmes sometimes welcome
people willing to share their knowledge with others and you get some teach-
ing experience in return.
