By Pete Malcolm

If you’re ready for a career teaching English to foreign students, then you definitely have a fun and exciting career ahead of you. There is a lot of opportunity in this field because many countries like Japan and China try to teach their students English to increase their opportunities. You can definitely take advantage of that opportunity and learn about a new culture in the process.

The best thing about doing this is that you will learn as much as you will teach others. There are lots of different countries that offer great teacher exchange programs that you can benefit from. Japan is one of those countries that offer probably one of the most well known programs called JET. This has been in existence for many years and has been quite successful.

Once you’re ready to start on this new adventure, you need to make sure that your English is top of the line. You have to ensure that you have excellent grammar as well as good command of the language in general. You will have to spend a lot of time interacting with students and other adults, so it is essential that you enjoy such activities. We will now highlight a few tips that will make your experience much more successful.

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Many American style teachers are accustomed to a high degree of informality in the classroom and tend to dress however they wish. Some may think that jeans and t-shirts are good clothes to wear for such occasions but in many countries, this is simply not the case. In many eastern countries, it is expected that you dress very formally so that you exude an air of authority. Make sure to determine the dress code before you start working.

Another factor that needs careful consideration is how you behave and your mannerisms. Unfortunately, western lifestyles are quite relaxed and often use a conversational style of teaching. Unfortunately, in many countries this is considered rude or a good way to undermine your authority and lose respect in the classroom. You should definitely maintain a high level of formality and refer to your students respectfully.

The culture of the countries and its people is also another more sensitive factor to pay attention to. If you are an American or western teacher, then you are probably accustomed to having interacting classrooms where you ask questions on the spot or simply encourage a lot of debate. Unfortunately, many foreign countries do not value free speech as much as westerners do. As a matter of fact, if you bring up controversial topics, there is good chance that it will have the opposite than your desired effect. The reason for this is that there is a culture of silence where one’s opinions should be kept to themselves. It is therefore important that you keep a note of the topics that should not be broached.

There are a lot of different communication styles that your students will display. Some don’t like being asked questions on the spot and may simply not respond to your teaching methods. This is especially true in eastern countries where students are taught to be quiet and simply listen. They are also taught to take the time to think before answering, so you should definitely adapt to that method.

And there you have it, a few good ideas to help you with your teaching English career. Once you keep these in mind, you should be just fine.

About the Author: Trying to gain valuable work experience? Then consider

teaching English in Korea

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