Of interest to teachers around the world - and to those who are thinking about a teaching career overseas.
Issue No. 1 April 2000
Editor: Prof. Robert Taylor
Publisher: Sunbridge Institute of English
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Welcome from the Publisher
2. The Importance of Qualifications
3. Tips for Teachers: Taking Grammar for Granted
4. When are Teaching Jobs Posted?
5. Interesting Web Sites
6. Language Software.
7. Classified Ads
8. Submissions Wanted!
9. Subscription Management
10. Contact Information
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1. Welcome from the Publisher
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Welcome to The ESL Teacher - the e-zine for ESL teachers and
anyone who would like to teach overseas. Our intention is to offer an informative newsletter with articles of interest to teachers – and particularly those who are considering an overseas teaching career. Please let us know what you think about this first electronic issue and what you would like to see in future issues. You are welcome to forward this to anyone else who you think might be interested.
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2. The Importance of Qualifications
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There are many teachers out there who do not have any teaching qualifications. In some parts of the world, merely being alive and breathing and having some knowledge of the English language will get you a job teaching English. In other places, being a native English speaker is enough. For new teachers wanting to get their feet wet in the profession, this may very well get you a job if you are in the right place at the right time. As with anything though, the better your qualifications, the more chances you have of getting a better paying job. We highly recommend a bachelor’s degree as the minimum that your should have. Your BA or B. Sc. and a TESOL certificate will open many more doors – and will open them a great deal faster. A Master’s is even better and usually the minimum a university will consider...Ph.D. preferred.
Teaching is far from the highest paying career but teaching overseas has many compensating factors, including having a school pay your airfare, housing expenses and the opportunity to travel thanks to the many holidays for which teachers are renowned.
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3. Tips for Teachers: Taking Grammar for Granted
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When you grow up in an English speaking country such as Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand of the U.K., you take grammar for granted. You will have been taught the rules in school but by the time you decide that you want to be a teacher, chances are that your grammar may be very rusty. A new teacher finds that out very quickly when s/he is in front of a class of 40-50 students trying to explain the difference between the past tense and the past continuous tense. Students ask ‘Why?’ and they expect you to know the answer. After all, you are the teacher, right?
Grammar has many components and if you are going to teach it, you may want to refresh the old memory a little. You may know how to say it, but do you remember what the grammar rule is? Take it from experience, you should have a really good grammar book handy from where you can quickly look up the answer.
Keep the grammar book with you in class. When faced with a ‘Why? grammar question to which you can’t recall the answer immediately, you can turn it into an opportunity (and dance your way out of a memory lapse!) by saying "That’s a good question. Let’s look up the answer together!"
One of the best grammar books around is "Fundamentals of English Grammar" by Betty Schrampfer Azar. There is also a student workbook and a Teacher’s Book available. All are recommended. Aside from a good reference for refreshing your grammar skills, the lessons are a complete grammar course you could easily adapt. You can read more about the book (and order it if you like)on the Amazon.com website. To go directly to the book, click on the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0133382788/sunbridgeinstitu
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4. When are Teaching Jobs Posted?
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People in North America and Europe are familiar with a school year that starts around the beginning of September and ends in June or July. In that case, teacher openings will be posted two to four months before that.
In Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, schools follow the Southern Hemisphere academic calendar. There the school year ends in November. Look for postings beginning around September.
Parts of Asia are on a different calendar. In Thailand, for example, the ‘summer’ break is usually mid-March to mid-May. Schools and universities begin anywhere from the start of May to the start of June. February to April are good months for job postings.
In all cases, school years are divided into terms or semesters. Schools do not always need teachers at the beginning of a school year. Often a replacement is needed during the year, generally coinciding with a term break.
If you are looking for a teaching position in a part of the world with which you are not familiar, look for sources of such information (Embassy, consulate, local ex-pat community or the Internet). If you see an ad, it will usually tell the starting date. In some cases, the need may be urgent. You could find yourself booking a flight just a week or two away!
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5. Interesting Web Sites
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Every issue, we plan to feature sites where you can view and possible download lesson plans, language games and other language software. Here are a couple to begin:
Here you can download free ESL / EFL lesson plans, materials and
language learning software.
<www.churchillhouse.com/english/downloads>
Quick and easy, ready-to-print materials usable for teaching guides,
worksheets, handouts, or quizzes, plus enjoyable pages relating
to English as a language, its inconsistencies, jokes, and other fun
language nonsense! Brought to you by The English Zone!
<members.home.net/kayem/teach/t-index.html>
Know of any other interesting sites? Email them to us at <[email protected]>. We’ll check them out and share them in
future issues.
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6. Language Software
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Each issue, we shall tell you about some language software. It may be shareware, freeware or software available directly from the distributor.
Two little interactive shareware language games that help with beginning sentence structure and vocabulary are:
"Dave’s Diary" features seven weeks of diary notes...with missing words that the student has to fill in. Three levels)
"Opposites" is a match up vocabulary game with three levels of difficulty.
For a copy of both of these, send an email to us at: [email protected].
Put "April shareware" in the body of your email.
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7. Classified Ads
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Earn your TESOL Certificate in teaching English. Our distance learning course means that you can complete the course wherever you are in the world - and at your own pace. Visit our web site for information and to download the registration form.
Web site: www.teachesl.org
Email: [email protected]
Toll free voicemail and fax number:1-800-282-6299.
Thai-American International offers a good program for people who would like to teach in Thailand. For information:
Web site: www.taiteach.com
Email: [email protected]
The Canadian School of Management offers pre-graduate, graduate and post-graduate level diploma programs. Graduates of the Sunbridge TESOL course can apply their certificate towards a graduate level course.
Web site: www.c-s-m.org
Contact: [email protected]
Berne University offers distance learning degree programs. Graduates of the Sunbridge TESOL course can apply their course as the prerequisite TESL qualification needed for the Berne University Master of Education or Master of Arts in Education Degree.
Web site: www.berne.edu
Email:[email protected]
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8. Contributors Wanted!
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Are you a teacher? Do you have experience teaching in a foreign country that you feel would benefit prospective teachers? Do you have a great lesson plan, web site, idea, language game or comment that you would like to share? We welcome your submission though we do reserve the right to select the most appropriate material for our readers. You can email details to <[email protected]>
Are you a school with a job opening? We’ll post it for you free.
Sorry, we are not yet set up to accept resumes (CVs) from prospective teachers. We hope to do so in the not-to-distant future.
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9. Subscription Management
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Add a name:
If you know someone who you think would like to receive a copy of this newsletter, please let us know. Send us their email address and we’ll gladly add them to our list and give them the opportunity to subscribe or not. Just email us with the following in the body of your email:
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10. Contact Information
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Sunbridge Institute of English
10 Lower Jarvis St., Unit 127
Toronto, ON Canada M5E 1Z2
Tel/Fax: 416-352-5636 or 1-800-282-6299
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.teachesl.org
In Asia, we may be contacted at:
Sunbridge Institute of English
302/120 Central Condominium
Latphrao Soi 1
Latphrao, Bangkok 10900 Thailand
Tel: (66-1) 854-7846
Fax: (662) 513-1110
Email: [email protected]
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