Should Students Teach English Language?

Teaching English was and continues to be one of the preferred ways of students to boost their income. But are they ready and do they have the necessary skills to teach? The answer may be the education and courses taken by students during secondary school and high school. They must be trained on several levels of study to cope with such a challenge.

For students, it would be desirable to be native speakers of English and they should ideally have benefited from another form of training in teaching English. Such challenge can prove to be essential, especially for a student who wants to follow a career in education. At the same time, they should expect to work many hours every week and to prepare each lesson in advance. English students studying in foreign countries have to spend their very precious free time for the preparation of the next day’s lessons. At the same time, they have to be quite creative in writing and speaking in English, not to mention the deadlines that must be met. Adaptability and empathy with learners’ problems are two more plus factors of students who want to teach. A good assessment and self-assessment capacity, in different aspects proves to be a must in their future teaching career.

Beyond all theoretical notions and personality traits that are useful in teaching English, the student-teacher needs considerable self-control when faced with the learners. Unexpected problems of any nature may arise, which may obstruct or hinder the pedagogical act. In these cases, patience is critical. All these attributes can be acquired over time and are not accessible to anyone.

Most students interested in this career may have had a teacher in the past as a role model to follow later. But faced with the real life of a teacher, they may find that they do not have what it takes to embrace this career and give up. There are many duties and responsibilities that a teacher assumes and these can be intimidating for many. Instead, some find these aspects exciting and opt for a teaching career. They may become successful teachers later on.