Greg Strandberg - Teaching Abroad

Teaching Abroad

Making the Move To and From ESL Teaching

Greg Strandberg

Big Sky Words, Missoula

Copyright 2014 by Big Sky Words

D2D Edition, 2015

Written in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Connect with Greg Strandberg

www.bigskywords.com

Selected Non-Fiction

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

Youre young;

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

Youre finishing university and youve 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;

Youre older and want to experience some things you missed out on;

You just cant find a job back home;

Youve gotten into some legal problems back home or somewhere else;

Youre 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.

Ive 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.

Ive also met many teachers that are quite questionable, and Im not sure Id want them teaching my kid. These people often look like criminals, and after you talk to them enough at the bar youll hear all the stories confirming that they are.

Ive 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 theyre 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 its 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 doesnt, and why.

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

Wherever in the world youre 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, youll 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? Ive 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 cant 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 doesnt. Whats more, just because something doesnt work doesnt mean it wont 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 youre 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 dont 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 its true they tried, they didnt 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 werent 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. Ive got a few other ESL books and a website called www.esladventure.com and these are good places to start.

Theyre 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!

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

If youre considering being an ESL teacher but just havent 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 childs life somewhere.

#1 You Want to See a New Country

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

Im from Montana and the vast majority of people from there never go to another country, hell, most dont even leave the state. To actually live in another country was something I did that most people I meet each day cant say. Perhaps wherever youre 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 cant come anywhere close to actually living in the country whose language youre learning.

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