New ESL Teacher:
3 Ways to Boost Your Skill Set & Resume
1. Volunteer
TESOL volunteering is one of the best ways to obtain hands-on experience, while giving back to the community. By offering as little as a few hours per week, you will gain valuable teaching insights that transfers directly into the classroom environment. There are many opportunities to be found at: public libraries, TAFEs, community centres, schools, and language swaps. Find these by asking in person or online.
2. Toastmasters
Let’s face it, not everyone is born with Hugh Jackman’s charisma. Enter Toastmasters, a non-profit educational organisation that been around for almost 100 years and operates in over 140 countries around the world. Its sole goal is to help people improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. Soon enough, you will be able to capture the attention of any demographic, from a study tour of playful ten-year-olds to serious adult business students.
3. Become a student again
For most of us, it’s been a very long time, if ever, since we learnt a second language in a classroom setting. By becoming a language student again, we put ourselves in the shoes of our students, learning how they feel and think in different situations. This allows us to be a more personable teacher in all areas of communication and understanding. There are short courses available in many languages, from Spanish to Swahili.
