Is a Career in Teaching English as Easy as ABC?

by Evelyn Robinson

The standard process of becoming what many refer to as a typical ‘English teacher’ is a long and arduous one. With no breaks from education and extra time spent re-sitting exams, the typical procedure takes, all in all, an extra six years on top of your compulsory academic life. Only then can the job hunt begin…

The Standard Route

This additional six years consists of: two more years of relative specialisation post sixteen academic completion, a further three years of completing a Bachelors Degree in the subject and a final year doting to extensive teacher training. The entirety of this commitment however, does not guarantee you a job at the end of the long and merciless road. Educational institutes are far keener to take you on board as a young promising, fee paying pupil, than they are to spend money employing you as a member of staff. Consider the staff to pupil ratio throughout your academic career – outside the schooling habitat the world of employment is a lot more cut throat.

English unfortunately, opposed to the sciences and even the humanities, is comparable to the arts; horribly oversubscribed. The linguistic abilities of the modern generation seem to be fast developing and ever more challenging and rigorously monitored making the market for teaching the material ever more competitive. Even after a suitable placement can be found for a potential teaching candidate, their practice is continually monitored at the beginning of their career to ensure high standards are consistently met in accordance with their achieved qualifications.

Looking for Work

Finding this suitable placement is a tricky process and no easy challenge to even the most qualified of applicants: excelling as a student by no means indicates that you will excel as a teacher. Towards the end of the training process, many institutions offer practical advice and guidance as to where to begin the hunt. Many issue their graduates with reputable recruitment sites that offer a variety of online jobs that can be applied for. In today’s day and age, online applications are by far the most common type of application which discouragingly suggests that both agencies and individual job postings are able to be all the more rigorous due to the ease at which they can administer the initial recruitment process. Beneficial to potential employees however, is the simple way in which many of these applications can be viewed and subsequently reviewed and completed. It also gives the candidate additional time to reflect and adjust their responses to questions and requested information. The interrogatives administered by many agencies and for individual posts are also similar, allowing job contenders to develop a framework that is suitable, to an extent, for most roles and can therefore be used repeatedly.

Universities recommend a number of job sites such as: TES, Schools Recruitment, FE jobs and Capita Education Resourcing. These are just a handful among the numerous sites out there with the sole aim of recruiting teachers.  There is a substantial amount of assistance, especially online, that can help find English teachers work; the downside of this is that it gets in the way of jobs being advertised directly and thus limits your chances in many situations. If the agencies become saturated (whereby the most popular ones do), applicants find themselves swimming in a sea of menacing competitors that aren’t afraid to bear their teeth.

Alternative Routes

One market that currently appears devoid of such saturation, is teaching English abroad - this is potentially due to teachers leaving the country to find work. It is highly ironic that the most convenient method of job searching, using the internet from the comfort of your own home, can lead to a far than convenient job post sometimes requiring the candidate to move continent. The World Wide Web truly does live up to its name, allowing even the humble English teacher access to exciting opportunities across the globe.

Teaching English internationally as a second language has a completely different agenda to a language taught to natives. Whereas teaching English as a core subject (along with Mathematics and Science) is highly creative and dominated by subjectivity surrounding things like poetry and Shakespeare, English as a second language, is taught in a precise and pedantic, formal manner, concentrating much more on structure and grammar than the content as is required mainly in a core subject course. In addition, if you find the job hunt for teaching English to natives too disheartening, you not only have the contradictory syllabus and different teaching styles to contend with for this alternative role but you may also not be qualified. There are a multitude of acronyms that extend way beyond ‘teacher training’ that apply to numerous teaching standards and methods that qualify you to work in a variety of environments. A breakdown of the commonly recognised qualifications are as follows: TEFL - teaching English as a foreign language, TESOL - teaching English to speakers of other languages, TESL – teaching English as a second language and CELTA – certificate in English language teaching to adults. CELTA is one of the most commonly recognised qualifications for teaching English internationally and is often considered a minimum requirement for most roles.

Complications

The aforementioned qualifications highlight the point that the job market for teaching English is a lot more complex than it first appears. The consequential perplexity involved in simply being able to apply for jobs rather than actually getting them, means that prior research into available job roles and requirements for these positions is among one of the most important things to be considered before you even begin to study towards becoming an English teacher let alone seeking employment as one.

Research is also a vital component upon deciding any impending career though many overlook this when considering something supposedly as straightforward such as teaching. As pointed out above, this is a common misconception and a disastrous mistake to be made by any potential job seeker. Even if you do a lot of research and decide on your intended teaching role beforehand and obtain the correct qualifications there are still opportunities for things to go wrong. This is mostly the case when teaching abroad in other countries. Online job sites advertising such roles often fail to provide specifics such as facilities present in provided accommodation. For example, the popular teaching destination of Korea (which is widely advertised on the internet) often doesn’t have housing provided to teachers that possesses in house washing machines which is something many English and American people consider a necessity. Problems such as this are often down to overlooked cultural differences; things that we may consider a regularity in our everyday lives may be completely different in other countries. Different areas in the world have different customs, eating habits, wear different clothes or may be dominated by a particular religion. Although employees would be undertaking a teaching occupation primarily, their occupation does not alter the land they are living in and candidates must ultimately abide by native customs which could come as a great culture shock and lead to all kinds of complications if they are not prepared for every eventuality.

There are also hidden bits of information that your standard teaching recruitment site won’t mention about overseas positions, such as the difference between a private and public sector school. Whereas public sector schools pay less, their income is more stable and you know what you’re getting before entering the classroom, whereas a private school can be touch and go depending on the area. There have been reports of less reputable schools refusing to pay teachers and being late with payments, this is down to the schools being privately established and therefore regulated differently.

English teaching is a time tested reliable source of income that is highly regarded in society, it is however not as straightforward as many think is and the route to finding a suitable job can vary heavily; it is not however to be dismissed, as once settled it can be an enjoyable and exciting practice that could potentially lead you across the world on a life changing adventure that ironically teaches you much more than simply how to teach.

"Coaching" - A Different Connotation and Application Today

By Allan J. Hirshey

Allan J. Hirshey (LLB, MS) is a former U.S.Government financial analyst, and business lecturer (adjunct faculty) at a Maryland community college. Training Medicare reimbursement specialists was a major part of his career.  After making aliyah, he earned a professional counseling diploma, and studied English teaching/tutoring theory.  He writes scholarly articles on the social sciences.  Additionally, he provides voluntary English tutoring to yeshiva students, adults (through AACI) and also to disadvantaged students at a local Jerusalem community center. “Express Tutoring” is the name of his business, specializing in business English, business math, resume preparation,  job interview coaching, personal financial problems, and life counseling using Reality Therapy techniques.   

Historically, coaching has always been associated with the sports world.  Today, however, coaching has taken on a new meaning.  No longer restricted to sports, coaches are privately being hired for a variety of personal reasons.  There are dating coaches, divorce coaches, writing coaches, voice coaches, lawyer coaches, executive coaches, and the list goes on.

How does private coaching differ from athletic coaching? In private coaching, the client sets the agenda & is considered “king.”  Furthermore, the client/coach relationship takes the form of an “alliance” or partnership to meet the client’s needs.  In this “alliance”, the partners interact on a “level playing field” - an authoritative relationship doesn’t exist. Ideally, the coach guides, supports, and empowers the client to recognize and then solve his/her problem(s) - poor motivation, low self-esteem, unsatisfactory job performance, etc.  In other words, the coach doesn’t provide answers or solve the client’s problem(s).  How does this work?  

Basically, the coach uses skillful powerful, creative, and opening questioning techniques, to stimulate the client’s thought processes and to break away from his/her problem “mindsets.”  If these questioning techniques are used effectively, the client recognizes the problem(s), and then sets up appropriate personal goals, satisfactorily achieving them within realistic set time frames.   

There are also other differences.  Whereas athletic coaching is done face-to-face, private coaching is also done over the phone, including long distance and by email.  Athletic coaches are normally paid straight salaries. However, private coaches often negotiate their own fees.  In that regard, top-class business and/or executive coaches often negotiate their own remunerations, based on fixed percentages of their clients’ future profit margins.  Consequently, compared to other private coaching areas, corporate coaching is the most lucrative, financially.

How does private coaching differ from psychotherapy, mentoring, counseling, consulting, & tutoring?  Unlike professional therapists, teachers, & counselors, private coaches are not government regulated - they don’t require licenses to practice their profession.  Moreover, private coaches don’t delve into clients’ past lives trying to uncover reasons for present problems.  Some other notable differences, broken down by related disciplines, are as follows:   

Psychotherapy - therapists normally work with poorly motivated and low self-esteem clients.  In contrast, private coaches, especially, at the corporate level, work with high driving, functioning clients, who strive for more excellence. 

Mentoring - mentors are normally older, wiser, with expertise in one area.  Basically, mentors bestow their knowledge to their clients.  Therefore, the client is not solving his/her problem(s).

Counseling - similar to a therapist/client relationship, there is no “alliance.”   Instead, the counseling relationship is more hierarchical.  The counselor is “boss”, and normally solves the client’s problem(s).

Consulting - consultants are hired for their fields of expertise to solve their clients’ specific problems.  So in this relationship there is no “level playing field”, and the consultant, not the client, solves the client’s problem(s).

Tutoring – again, there is no “level playing field” - the tutor is “boss.”  The client depends on the tutor to solve his/her problem(s).    

What are some of the key qualifications needed for successful private coaching?  A background in behavior modification psychology (including NLP) is one important tool.  To specialize in business and/or executive coaching, an aspiring coach also needs to know the following:  the fundamentals of business management; how corporate organizations develop and function; and the principles of risk and crisis/conflict management.  Moreover, having an MBA degree, supplemented by management experience in such areas as marketing, corporation finance, human resources, and/or telecommunications, provide a further “competitive edge.”  

Assuming an aspiring private coach’s CV lists the above qualifications, his/her glass is only half full.  Just as crucial is his/her mastery over certain key interpersonal skills. In that regard, recent studies have identified five critical interpersonal skills needed for successful private coaching. The first is the ability to develop client rapport.  Without client rapport, a partnership or “alliance” can’t be crafted.  Here, having a condescending nature is an important asset. Second, a coach needs to have deep listening abilities at multiple levels.  Hearing what the client is not saying is just as important as hearing what the client is saying.  Third, a coach needs powerful, creative, and opening questioning skills to effectively guide the client to solve his/her own problem(s).  Coming into play here is the coach’s ability to adroitly manage the conversation, and not the client.  Fourth, a coach needs to know how to implement open and objective feedback skills to maintain an effective coach/client “alliance.”  Praising the client as much as possible strengthens implementation of the feedback process.  And fifth, a keen sense of intuition is needed to ensure that the client is staying on track and exerting the maximum effort required to achieve his/her goal(s).  Here, a coach must be careful to trust his/her intuition, but not to overly rely on it.

What’s today’s job market picture look like for private coaches?  Unfortunately, it’s pretty bleak!  Although the supply side is growing at an exponential rate, the demand remains stagnant.  Some of the major factors causing this supply/demand imbalance are as follows: little, if any, governmental regulation (no coaching license requirements); a proliferation of  coaching courses and seminars, mostly short-term in length and without realistic enrollment requirements; high global unemployment rates; and the related scarcity of jobs for recent college graduates.  

In conclusion, an aspiring private coach needs three critical tools to be effective: (a) expertise in a specific field/occupation; (b) a working knowledge of the fundamentals of behavioral modification psychology; and (c) the innate personal skills to empower people to recognize and then to solve their own problems. If anyone of these skills is deficient or lacking, particularly, (b) or (c), pursuing a private coaching career isn’t realistic.  Perhaps a consulting, mentoring, or a counseling career would make a better choice.      

English Tutoring in Israel Today - Competing in a Tough Job Market

by Allan Hirshey

Over the past several decades, the supply of English teaching professionals in Israel has not only caught up with, but has exceeded the demand.  This has resulted in a flood of mostly unemployed English teachers, trying to find jobs in an already over-crowded English tutoring market.  The latter is now strictly a buyer’s market, with no end in sight!

         

The underlying causation factors can be summarized as follows: the large number of local teacher training colleges/universities with English departments, pumping  out hundreds of English major & teacher graduates annually; the same institutions offering  one-year English tutor certification programs, designed for older professionals seeking career changes; the steady influx of “Anglos” toting B.A. and M.A. degrees in English education, exacerbated by the sharp downturn in the global economy;  and even the number of presently employed English school teachers seeking additional income, via the tutoring route.        

Consequently, if you want to stay “a cut above the competition”, here are some   points to remember:

1.     Hebrew Language Proficiency – the lower the age of your student target group, the higher the Ivrit level you’ll need.     

2.    Educational Qualifications - relying on only a B.A. in English education isn’t realistically competitive.  You’re either going to have to beef up your education level to an M.A. and/or obtain instructor certification in perhaps one or more of these specialties - ELS, TOFEL, or SEN . 

3.    Marketing Strategies - maintain updated CVs, personal references, & business cards. For starters, volunteer your services at local community centers and schools.   Post tutoring flyers on neighborhood bulletin boards, and keep checking the JANGLO, ETNI, & similar websites for job opportunities. 

4.   Knowledge of Local Pay Rates - don’t be caught off guard.  Know in advance what the remuneration standards are in your catchment areas for groups & individuals.  In this regard, be flexible & sharpen your negotiating skills.  You’re going to need them!

5.   Technical Expertise/Skills - bonding effectively with younger clients is critical.  This is especially true if their parents are “arm twisting them” into being tutored.  Strengthen your bonding expertise by studying & practicing psychological techniques.  NLP is a good example.         

6.   Psychometric Readiness  - develop & maintain your own system of written tests.  It’s not uncommon to get insufficient client feedback from apathetic classroom teachers.     

7.   Reference Materials -   invest in and build up your own personal library.  There’s tons of free material on the “net” you can download & file away.  

8.   Office Technology - in addition to a PC, owning your own copying & fax machines save time, money, & also increases work efficiency.   

9.   Work Environment – minimize noise & window space.  Loud colored walls & pictures can also cause distractions.  Position wall clocks behind the student.      

10. Creative Entrepreneurship – think of starting your own English tutoring business, wider in scope, with one or more partners’ (each having own specialty & separate network of contacts).  Of course, check out the potential revenues & expenses – this might be a way to go!     

With that said, focus your attention on yourself rather than on the competition.  Don’t be discouraged, and don’t give up.  Always maintain a positive attitude.  If tutoring English is really your passion- GO FOR IT!

Information about Allan Hirshey, the author

I ‘m a native Baltimorean & retired “Fed”, with a 30+ year career span, now living with my wife & four children in Jerusalem.  Having B.A., L.L.B., & M.S. degrees enabled me to “wear many hats”, during my working career.  Some of these positions included lecturing in accounting at a local community college, developing legal cases for Medicare/Medicaid fraud prosecution, and directing the U.S. Public Health Service’s Hill Burton hospital loan portfolio (San Francisco RO).  I also managed the reimbursement operation for the Community Mental Health Centers Program, a national outpatient mental health program, administered by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Baltimore, Central Office).  

After making aliyah, I decided to begin a new career.   Accordingly, I obtained professional counseling and English tutoring certificates from Refuah Institute and the Natanya English Center (under AACI auspices), respectively.  Presently, I provide voluntary counseling, including Reality Therapy, to yeshiva students. Additionally, I do English & basic math tutoring.  I also learn in a yeshiva half a day.  Express Tutoring is the name of my formal tutoring service, & business English is my specialty.  A few years ago, I developed a “Business English 101” course for an Israeli teacher’s college.

During my spare time & in order to maintain my sanity (whatever’s left) , I play tennis, write articles, listen to a variety of musical selections, do genealogical research, occasionally attend NLP workshops, and enjoy babysitting with my grandchildren.