Me: 'Antonio, give me a sentence with "feel" ... '
Antonio: "I feel my mother."

Me: 'What questions might you be asked in a job interview?'
Miguel: 'How long is it?'


A couple of the linguistic gems to have lit up my classroom in the last week or two. I'd love to say I've changed names in the interests of anonymity, but I don't think either student is likely to be reading this. Not that I'm one to mock, of course - in my own Spanish lessons of late, I've talked about how I'll have one hundred anuses when I'm older and claimed I ate myself for breakfast at the weekend. Language is a tricky business; both to learn and teach.

Perhaps you've thought about Teaching English as a Foreign Language before, perhaps you haven't. Those who are interested in this wonderful, frustrating vocation need to GUTA. That's get used to acronyms. TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is perhaps the most common, TESOL (Teaching English as a Secondary or Other Language) is another oft-heard one, and then there's FCE, CAE, VAK, TPR, TBL ... and any number more. Nothing can't be improved by acronymising it!
Anyhoo, there are some things EFL teaching is, and some things it isn't;

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It is ...

- Endlessly varied and unpredictable.
- Relatively free of red tape and jumping through hoops; for the most part, you're trusted to do your job properly.
- Pretty well-paid by the standards of the country you're living in (usually).
- A chance to live in some wonderful places (often unexpectedly so), with all the benefits that may bring.

It isn't, though ...

- Terribly secure or reliable employment, or supported by Unions.
- Well-paid by English standards.
- An easy job or a free holiday.


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What's the average working day?
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I'll be honest - one of the things I love most about the job is the working hours, and the life-work balance it brings. Classes at my current school start at four or half-past, with three hour-long lessons back-to-back before a half-hour break at seven thirty and a final ninety-minute lesson until nine thirty. The late evenings aren't ideal, but I'm happy to trade in early dinners for being able to leave the alarm clock off.

I tend to arrive at school around three, sometimes before, to plan my lessons - although with fairly regular meetings and workshops, I'll often be in considerably earlier. As such, my working day's probably slightly shorter than the standard nine-to-five, although there will also be those that are considerably longer. In my previous job in Poland, with the lessons being spread out over the day, I'd sometimes work ten or eleven-hour slogs.

Working in Spain now, there's much more of an emphasis on Younger Learners - which can mean anything from four or five year-olds right up to mid-teenage classes. I only have the one genuine adult class, although my older teens are (normally) pretty mature and feel much the same to teach as their older counterparts. This focus on younger students is either a boon or a pain in the posterior; some people like teaching children for the creativity, unpredictability and untempered enthusiasm involved, whereas to others this looks more like a bunch of screaming, ill-disciplined little sods who want to do anything but learn.

With a range of ages from five to fifty-something and levels from absolute beginner to verging on advanced, the job really does throw some wonderful variety at you. On Wednesday, for instance, I segued nicely from asking kids what colours their shoes were ('Rosa!' - 'And in English?' - 'Peeenk!') to discussing how we express regret using the third conditional ('If my hamster hadn't died, I would have been happy.')

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How does one become an EFL Teacher?
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Legend tells of a time when you could park your donkey in any town square and cry "I'm English! I don't mind fraternising with the natives! Can I have a job?" And more often than not, someone would be obliging. Alas, not now. Discounting this method (which isn't completely impossible, depending on where you plan to work), there are two routes into the industry; the CELTA and Trinity Certificates. These are essentially very similar qualifications, with much the same content and equal standing in the eyes of potential employers.

Find information here (http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=293) and here (http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-award s/celta.html).

A certificate is one of the tools you'll need to find employment; depending on the country you're looking to work in, (good) jobs may ask for experience, and most places prefer their teachers to hold degrees. Generally, Eastern Europe and the Far East are good places for newly-qualified teachers to find work. Ideally, one's first school would offer a good induction and training programme, which can make a world of difference in the first year.

In terms of where to find work, www.tefl.com and www.eslcafe.com are well-trusted for their range of vacancies and reliability. I've used the former, which is an excellent, well-laid-out site with a broad, daily-updated database of positions which can be searched by country, type of position and various other parameters.

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Highs of the job ...
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Most of the time, I really like my job; it gives you a good balance between working and not, there's plenty of training and development available and a great deal of variation from day to day; there's relatively little scope for boredom. Additionally, there's the opportunity to develop a range of skills; you're not just a kids' teacher, nor do you only teach adults. You work across a broad range of ages, skills and personalities - all of which make the work endlessly interesting and entertaining.

There's perhaps a perception - not only of TEFL, but of all strands of education - of a teacher needing to be an outgoing, bubbly personality who can talk for their country. This may or may not help you as a teacher, but it's certainly not a necessity. If you've got a good grasp of your native language's grammar, you have an interest in language-learning and you're genuinely interested in working with people of all ages, you'll likely do well as an EFL Teacher. No two teachers are the same or teach the same way, and it's wonderfully satisfying to develop your own way of doing so.

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... and Lows.
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There is, it must be said, substantial variation between schools which can make all the difference to the job. Class sizes, materials, working hours and levels of support will vary substantially between language schools, and it's certainly worth doing your homework before accepting a position. For example, I've had two younger students who came into the academic year on final warnings for behaviour, couldn't improve, and were removed by the management (much to the displeasure of the parents, but hey ...). Now the class is incomparably better-behaved, and actually learn something. At another nearby school, a friend has had similar problems, but in this case, the owners are reluctant to lose the students (or, at least, their fees) and the issues are ongoing.

There are a number of large companies with multiple branches worldwide, such as International House, English First and Bell amongst others. Working in one of these schools affords a certain confidence in good management, although they are effectively franchises, and as such, do vary in numerous areas. On the other hand, independent or much smaller schools may not offer the same "guarantees", but if you choose wisely, may well offer a more appealing, relaxed working environment in which your voice is better heard.

The job can be difficult at times - there are long hours occasionally, equally behaviour is inevitably an issue to some degree, and you may or may not be under pressure to ensure your students achieve certain goals. However, if you're flexible - and if you remember that things get easier with experience - these negatives shouldn't impact too heavily on your satisfaction with the role.

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Inevitably, EFL teaching isn't for everyone. However, if it's something which appeals to your sensibilities, interests and skill set, it can make for a fascinating, rewarding position that offers a world of possibilities. Whether you're in it for a year or two's experience or setting your sights on a long-term career, there's plenty of demand, and plenty of opportunities for those with the skill and will for the job.

(And, of course, you can always amuse yourself with your students' gaffes.)