Qualifications Best TEFL

Volunteer teachingAn internet search will provide you with a plethora of suggestions for volunteer ESL teaching overseas. Besides a time commitment, many have a substantial financial requirement. If considering volunteering overseas, you would do well to research the opportunities to ensure the validity of the organization and to prevent unpleasant surprises upon reaching your destination. Some agencies require a bachelor?s degree and a substantial amount of teaching experience. There is no participation fee and, depending upon the agency, benefits could include travel to and from the country of service, living allowance and medical/dental benefits to name a few. Other volunteer agencies require only a good spectrum of spoken English. These positions are self-funded with varying placement costs depending upon the country and duration of stay. You would also be responsible for your travel costs to and from the country of service. World travel isn?t always an option for those with more limited time and financial resources. You don?t have to travel abroad to volunteer teach in an ESL program. There are an abundance of volunteer opportunities much closer to home ? perhaps in your hometown. Volunteer teaching is a rewarding service to the community and provides the teacher with an opportunity to hone his or her teaching skills. Volunteers are in demand at literacy centers, libraries, refugee agencies, immigrant associations, universities, and religious organizations. Teacher requirements vary depending on the institution or organization. Most offer some training and support to volunteers with a minimum hour per week commitment from the volunteer. Opportunities vary from one-on-one tutoring to classroom student groups. Many secondary educational institutions have volunteer ESL tutor programs available for international students. The extra language support provided to students allows them to improve their speaking, listening, reading and writing language skills. It provides the student with an opportunity to focus on his or her particular needs ? needs that the classroom teacher may not have time to focus on while addressing the common needs of the class. A volunteer tutor is someone with whom the student can talk and share with while learning. Many communities have volunteer programs in place to assist the influx of non English or limited English speaking immigrants. If teaching adult classes be prepared for diversity of culture, age, educational background, varying degrees of English language exposure, life experiences and current life situations. As immigrants improve their speaking, writing, reading and listening skills they gain a better understanding of the culture of their adopted country. As they learn to more effectively perform their adult roles as family members and workers, they move towards becoming contributing members of their communities. Regardless of culture or language skills, all esl students have a need for friendship. With patience, empathy and a willingness to invest the time required to build trust and understanding, students and teachers will be rewarded with enriching relationships. The informal setting helps to build the confidence of both teacher and student. An ESL volunteer program provides a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, learn about other cultures and obtain ESL teaching or tutoring experience. References: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatvol.edu_youth.secondary http://www.projects-abroad.ca/projects/teaching/?gclid=CKX4h7Kq2K0CFcfe4Aod_Wwbmw http://www.myhamilton.ca/services/volunteer-esl-tutor-learning-centre http://www.peianc.com/content/lang/en/page/language_tutoring/ http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/esl/index.cfm http://www.vcc.ca/programs-courses/detail.cfm?div_id=5&prog_id=131