Young Learners Teachers Teaching or Business English Teachers Teaching- Which TEFL Opt for?

Aug 15
10:15

2017

Manika Saha

Manika Saha

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The article discusses the need for English communication skills in the modern day world, and why TEFL specialisation training is necessary for teaching overseas learners.

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Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is a qualification that many aspirants who aspire to have a flourishing career in teaching abroad,Young Learners Teachers Teaching or Business English Teachers Teaching- Which TEFL Opt for? Articles whether English or other subjects, need to possess, especially if the aspirants do not have any prior experience in the field of teaching and training. Along with teaching, the teachers will be able to travel to various different places in the world around, meet new people of various backgrounds, get to taste the local cuisine, experience the culture and custom of the place, and many more – in other words, gather some excellent experiences and memories.
In recent times, almost every country has made it compulsory for teaching aspirants to hold a TEFL/TESOL degree along with a degree in the subject that he or she wishes to teach, although a college degree is not a mandate in every country looking to employ TEFL certificate holders. However, Middle East countries and some Asian countries certainly want a college degree along with a TEFL/TESOL degree.
Since English continues to hold the important position of being the lingua franca, hence the rush to learn and communicate in the language continues to grow and develop. In order to sustain oneself and be part of the growth and development in the global economy, knowing English and being able to fluently communicate in the same has become quite essential. Be it in international trade and business, politics and diplomacy, higher education, or better job opportunities, English has always been and still continues to be considered the only language that is used in the above fields by most non-English speaking countries as the primary language of communication.
Hence various educational institutes are employing TEFL trained teachers who will be able to properly and accurately guide the learners into mastering the requisite English communication skills and help them in becoming excellent communicators in English. TEFL courses come with specialisations along with it, where the aspirants gain ample knowledge on the specialisations along with the nuances of TEFL. The two popular specialisations of TEFL are Young Learners Teaching and Business Learners Teaching.
As the names suggest, Young Learners teaching specialisation focuses on the nitty gritty of teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language to Young Learners whereas business English teaching focuses on the correct approaches to teaching adult learners including professional adults who need to know Business English for communication purpose with clients, partners or customers. The main purpose of both the specialisations is to acquaint and train the learners in fluent communication in the English language with their peers and other people around the world.
A TEFL degree will ensure that aspirants get better job opportunities in the better schools and other education institutes with all the benefits and amenities and a better pay package. They also are able to apply for teaching positions from kindergarten till the 12th standard in various other organisations like private language institutes, schools and colleges, government sponsored schools and colleges, NGOs, and even privately tutoring learners.
Young learners teachers training is meant to develop the young learners’ language acquisition skills and make them proficient enough in all the four types of communication- reading, listening, speaking and writing, along with their knowledge on grammar and phonetics. The enrolled aspirants also get to learn the appropriate techniques and approaches to train children, lesson planning and executing them as per planning, the ways to handle mixed group of learners comprising from different backgrounds, ethnicities or culture, classroom management techniques and the latest methodologies of teaching students a language with which they are not familiar.
Business English teachers teaching, on other hand, is almost similar to Young learners ESL teaching the only difference being that Business English is aimed for the adults whether they are in high school or in the professional working world. The trainees are acquainted with the latest teaching and facilitation skills and techniques, provided with the knowledge on phonology and correct pronunciation, Business English communication skills in English, need analysis techniques and lesson planning, feedback and evaluation techniques, assessment strategies and many more that will enable the learners in developing their Business communication skills and becoming proficient in it.
Whichever specialisation the aspirant chooses to pursue, it will always be in demand among the non-English speaking nations.