Do you Need a Native English Teacher?

Hi there,

Welcome to Motivational Monday. In today’s newsletter, I want to discuss how you should choose an English teacher and answer a very important question.

Do you Need a Native English Teacher?

Firstly, let me be clear, I am speaking as a mother-tongue English teacher. You might expect me to have a bias towards mother-tongue English teachers but this is not the case. Let’s examine why.

A Passport is not a Qualification

You will often see adverts for English teachers stating they must be mother-tongue. So let me break down why you cannot automatically assume that a native English speaker will necessarily make a good teacher.

• Children in the UK and other English-speaking countries do not routinely study grammar. If you are familiar with the Italian educational system this may surprise you. When I became an English teacher I had to study English grammar for the first time - just like my students!

• Some schools seem to assume that just because you know a subject you can teach it. This is not the case. And ask yourself if you would trust a person who wanted to treat you just because their parents were doctors!

• I hear the argument that only mother tongue speakers can teach the ‘correct’ pronunciation. But what is the correct ‘pronunciation’? American English, Scottish, Irish, Australian? I know many Italian English teachers who have perfect English pronunciation. As do a lot of my students!

There is no place for Discrimination

The defence for advertising for mother-tongue English I hear the most is that ‘it’s what the customer wants’. This is often based on the fact that the English teachers that they knew in school probably were not very good (perhaps B1/B2 level).

Discrimination on the basis of nationality is, quite rightly, illegal in the EU.

So, how do you find a qualified and experienced teacher who can also help you achieve your goals? Here's a three-step guide...

Three-step guide to looking for an English teacher

How would you choose a new employee for your company? Hopefully, you think about a combination of qualifications and experience plus whether they would make a good fit within your team.

• Qualifications: There are only 2 internationally recognised initial qualifications for teaching English as a foreign language: Cambridge CELTA and Trinity CertTesol. Does your proposed teacher have these qualifications? If so, their level of English will have been assessed by Cambridge English and Trinity College as part of the application process. Hopefully, they will be C1 (Advanced) or C2 (Proficiency) level (these are the highest levels on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)). the way, many native speakers would find the Proficiency exam difficult. It is a huge achievement for any English student to achieve this level.

• Area of expertise/experience: Does your proposed teacher have the relevant experience or area of expertise? i.e. experience in business for Business English, experience in exam preparation (Cambridge IELTS etc), or working with young learners. Very few teachers are great at everything so where do your potential teacher’s strengths lie? as an example, for a business English teacher, you will get so much more from a teacher with an interest in and experience of business than from a general English teacher using business words.

• Rapport: Have you got or can you develop a rapport (see below) with your teacher or proposed teacher? Do you feel a connection with regard to interests? Is there a synergy between their teaching style and your learning style? You may need a few lessons to understand and develop this.

I hope that this short guide can help you find a great English teacher for you or your children.

I concentrate on Business English and preparing students for Cambridge Exams. For further information, you may book a free 20-minute Zoom consultation here:

https://tidycal.com/communicate/20-minute-meeting

If you are looking for a Business English teacher or help with Cambridge Exams, I can help!

Word of the Day - Rapport

Rapport - noun - a good understanding of someone and the ability to communicate well with them.

“What makes her a great leader is the excellent rapport she has developed with her staff.”

Do you have any Business English questions?

Please email me and I will do my best to answer them in future newsletters.

Until Wednesday - have a great day!

Iain.

www.communicateenglish.com

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