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    Teaching Abroad: Teaching ESL, #4
    Teaching Abroad: Teaching ESL, #4
    Teaching Abroad: Teaching ESL, #4
    Ebook149 pages1 hour

    Teaching Abroad: Teaching ESL, #4

    By Greg Strandberg

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    About this ebook

    Living and teaching abroad! Oh, it sounds so wonderful, and it can be, but it can also be quite the challenge. That’s why you found this book, and you’re looking at it for one of three reasons:

    You’re thinking of teaching abroad;

    You’re already overseas teaching ESL or TEFL;

    You’re back home wondering what to do now.

    Making the move to being an ESL teacher is great – you’re excited about new people, places and experiences.

    What do you need to know to succeed? What works, what doesn’t, and why? For 5 years I was living and teaching English in Shenzhen, China. From 2008 to 2013 I taught all manner of kids and adults and quickly found out what worked and what didn’t. I’ll tell you that here.

    Teaching ESL can be quite rewarding, and it can also be quite frustrating. Making the move from being an ESL teacher is awesome – you’re excited about seeing old friends and getting your life started. What’s the best way to go about doing that?

    In 2013 I moved back to America. I’ve gone the full circle from knowing nothing about living and teaching abroad to coming back home after many years of doing it. What’s more, I’m succeeding back in America, not just puttering to get by.

    Teaching Abroad will tell you about the ESL profession, whether it’s getting into it, working at it, or getting away from it. You’ll also get a good idea of how to help your students get to America as exchange students. This book takes my experiences and the experiences of others to highlight each of the areas and stages you’ll go through as a teacher.

    So whether you want to take the plunge or are thinking of getting out of the water, read this book. Find out what works, what doesn’t, and why, when it comes to teaching English and living abroad.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreg Strandberg
    Release dateJan 19, 2014
    ISBN9781507088517
    Teaching Abroad: Teaching ESL, #4
    Author

    Greg Strandberg

    Greg Strandberg was born and raised in Helena, Montana. He graduated from the University of Montana in 2008 with a BA in History.When the American economy began to collapse Greg quickly moved to China, where he became a slave for the English language industry. After five years of that nonsense he returned to Montana in June, 2013.When not writing his blogs, novels, or web content for others, Greg enjoys reading, hiking, biking, and spending time with his wife and young son.

    Read more from Greg Strandberg

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      Book preview

      Teaching Abroad - Greg Strandberg

      Introduction – Why Teach ESL?

      There are many reasons to teach ESL. Here are my top 10:

      – You’re young;

      – You have no idea what you want to do with your life;

      – You’re finishing university and you’ve got a lot of debt;

      – You like kids and want to get some teaching experience;

      – You want to experience a foreign country on more than just a holiday;

      – You’re older and want to experience some things you missed out on;

      – You just can’t find a job back home;

      – You’ve gotten into some legal problems back home or somewhere else;

      – You’re going through a crisis of some sort, such as a divorce;

      – You have something to prove.

      I met numerous people that fit neatly into each of these categories over the 5 years I was teaching ESL in China.

      Many were young, but many were also old. Some were fresh out of college, others finishing up long stings in the military or just starting to collect social security.

      I’ve seen teachers that love kids and teachers that hate kids. Many like to move around and live in several different countries, others are just happy to finally get a job, perhaps after looking for months or years back home.

      I’ve also met many teachers that are quite questionable, and I’m not sure I’d want them teaching my kid. These people often look like criminals, and after you talk to them enough at the bar you’ll hear all the stories confirming that they are.

      I’ve met a lot of ESL teachers that took the plunge into teaching simply because things were horrible for them back in their home country. Many went through divorces, had deaths in the family, or perhaps lost it all due to the economy or just poor choices. Many of them find their way to an ESL classroom for at least a few months before moving on to something else.

      And there are just as many ESL teachers that have something to prove, perhaps they’re just biding their time, waiting for the right moment to act before springing their big idea on the world. ESL is a good job for this, as you have little oversight and a lot of time to work on your own creative endeavors.

      So why are you thinking of teaching ESL? Is it for one of those reasons listed above, or something entirely different?

      Whatever it is you can probably learn a few things about the profession, whether it’s getting into it, working at it, or getting away from it. This book takes my experiences and the experiences of others to highlight each of those three areas.

      So whether you want to take the plunge, or are thinking of getting out of the water, read this book to see what works, what doesn’t, and why.

      Part I – Getting Ready

      So you want to be an ESL teacher? Great! Now get ready.

      Wherever in the world you’re going to teach ESL, you can count on a few things being the same. First, students will be hesitant to talk – shyness is something that transcends international borders.

      Next, you’ll probably flail about a bit at first as you try to figure out how to teach, or how to adapt your prior teaching experience to ESL. And finally, what worked for other teachers might not work for you.

      Yeah, bummer, huh? I’ve got a few books out that give all kinds of games and activities, but the sad truth is that what worked for me might not work for you. I can’t tell you how many times I saw other teachers doing something cool and tried it in my class only to have it fail miserably.

      This happens a lot, and no one likes it. But trying new things is a great way to learn what works and what doesn’t. What’s more, just because something doesn’t work doesn’t mean it won’t work – some of the best games I came up with took a few times to get right and sometimes never worked with certain classes or age groups.

      Mainly you have to keep trying. One of the best things you can do if you’re just starting out as an ESL teacher is to find all the books you can. Before I moved to China I read a lot of books by Peter Hessler, an author who first went to the country ten years before I did and who wrote some great books about his experiences.

      Please don’t make the mistake I did, and that was to not read much on how to teach ESL. I figured the company that was bringing me over there would train me in everything I needed to know, and while it’s true they tried, they didn’t do a very good job and for the next couple months I was a horrible teacher.

      But I kept at it, scoured the internet, and found my way. Remember, this was back in 2008 when eBooks weren’t really that big yet, and everything on teaching ESL at the library was quite dated.

      Today you have hundreds if not thousands of choices for learning ESL either through books or websites. I’ve got a few other ESL books and a website called www.esladventure.com and these are good places to start.

      They’re by no means exhaustive sources on ESL, however, and I urge you to go forth and find as much as you can – your students will love you for it!

      1: 10 Reasons You Should be an ESL Teacher

      People all over the world at this very moment are considering whether they should be an ESL teacher or not. There are many reasons to be one, and also many reasons not to be one. Check out the next chapter for the other side of the story.

      I didn’t know much about ESL when I first became an ESL teacher, and...well, I didn’t know anything. One of the things I didn’t really know was why I wanted to be an ESL teacher in the first place. I’m still not sure I know the answer to that one.

      If you’re considering being an ESL teacher but just haven’t yet made up your mind, check out some of these reasons you should. It just might make up your mind and make a big difference in a young child’s life somewhere.

      #1 – You Want to See a New Country

      No matter what country you choose to teach ESL in, chances are you’ll be there for at least a year. This can be great if you like traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing a different culture.

      I’m from Montana and the vast majority of people from there never go to another country, hell, most don’t even leave the state. To actually live in another country was something I did that most people I meet each day can’t say. Perhaps wherever you’re from is the same way, and this could be a real selling point for you.

      #2 – You Want to Learn a Foreign Language

      I took a year of Chinese at university before I moved to China, and it really helped me out a lot. But it can’t come anywhere close to actually living in the country whose language you’re learning.

      The truth is I never improved much beyond my basic Chinese skills, but I could have if I’d wanted to. I spent most of my time improving my English skills, something that I’ve found to be a lot more profitable for me.

      I met a lot of people living in China that wanted to learn the language. Many tried, a lot gave up. Quite a few got pretty good at it, and I can’t help but think their living in the country played a part in that. Just because you learn the language doesn’t mean it’s going to do anything for you, but it is a nice thing to do just for yourself.

      #3 – You Want to Get Out of (insert your country here)

      I spent 19 years living in my hometown before I finally left, and a good many of those years were spent saying how much I wanted to get out of there. I finally moved to my university town, where I stayed for another 7 years or so, and then I spent 5 years in China.

      When you’re young you want to get the hell out of wherever you grew up, and there are few places further away than a foreign country. Well, not if you’re living in Europe. But anyways, you get the idea.

      #4 – You Don’t Know What to Do With Your Life

      I have this one in the chapter on 10 reasons you shouldn’t be an ESL teacher. This one cuts both way and when you don’t know what to do with your life, living in another country could be the best answer.

      One thing I found was that I didn’t want to live like people in China. No one made any money, at least the vast majority of people, and their living conditions were never very good. I also realized that I sure the hell didn’t want to be an ESL teacher for the rest of my life, so in that regard moving abroad was really good for me.

      #5 – You Don’t Care About Money

      If you could give a damn about money then being an ESL teacher is a great job for you. I worked with one teacher at a training center, and I think he had this attitude. When his contract was up he moved to Yunnan province to work in a public school of some sort for free.

      Even if you do choose to get paid for your ESL work you wont’ get much. And don’t think you’ll be getting any year-end bonuses or huge annual pay increases, either. Most likely you’ll get a standard raise, if even that.

      I don’t think I ever met an ESL teacher that was in it for the money. I met a few people that wanted to make money, and they transitioned into business. Quite a few made successful ESL websites or spun their knowledge off into things that made them money. I suppose I’m doing the same thing, although on a much smaller scale.

      #6 – You Want as Little Responsibility as Possible

      When you’re an ESL teacher you’ll rarely have a boss breathing down your neck. This is great if you hate bosses, like to do your own thing, or just don’t care about your job.

      The first year

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