TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TEFL)
PHILOSOPHY/AIM
The overall philosophy and aim of the TEFL schools is to provide quality TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) instruction at prices affordable by a significant percentage of the population, and in such a manner as to: 1) obtain a place of integrity for the TEFL school staff in the hearts and minds of the local population, and 2) to provide a place of worthwhile service for the TEFL school staff within the community.
It is important that our teaching provides 'good value for money'. We would hope that students leaving the TEFL school would know that their time spent with us was worthwhile. We often work in poorer countries and do not want to be a school just for the rich or for those with influence; however at the same time we seek to be reasonably financially self-sufficient.
TEACHERS
The single most important and influential factor in the TEFL school is the teaching staff. We are looking for teachers that are: committed to teaching, adequately trained, and professional in their manner, and dedicated Christians. Non-native English speakers may be accepted dependent on their level of English. We can accept teachers at any time of the year, and we are often looking for teachers throughout the year.
Qualifications for short-term service: age 18 years or older, TEFL certificate (can be of a lower standard and duration than the Cambridge RSA equivalent), aptitude to teach, minimum length of stay to be no less than one and a half months - but preferably 5 months.
Qualifications for long-term service: An internationally recognized TEFL certificate equivalent to the Cambridge RSA.
STUDENTS
The TEFL school has been set up to teach English to adults - 16 years of age and older. Many of the students are secondary school and university students; however we also have a reasonable number of professional people such as university professors, accountants, secretaries and other mid-level company employees. The classes are mixed (men and women). Local students usually make up at least 85% of the student body; the rest are from other countries.
PROGRAMME OF INSTRUCTION
The basic programme of instruction is General English covering the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The main aim of the programme is communicative competency and as such we emphasis the communicative and functional approaches in teaching.
There are seven 5 week sessions during the year. Each class is 2 hours long and a teacher would normally teach two classes a day. Since sessions are relatively independent from each other, both teachers and students can, as necessary, rotate in and out of the programme throughout the year. Please contact us for a schedule of sessions.
MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND EQUIPMENT
We use proven course books for instruction. Using a proven course book is valuable in that it:
1) helps ensure that we cover all the basics of language learning in an acceptable manner and at the appropriate levels,
2) assists in giving new and relatively inexperienced teachers the security and help they need in order to teach effectively, and
3) ensures that all classes of the same level are covering the same language points. We also have many good supplementary resources and materials.
The TEFL schools are usually well equipped, with TV/VCR, OHP, and cassette/CD player and there is normally a photocopier and computer for teacher use.