Becoming a teacher is a hugely rewarding experience. Teachers, after all, do more than just teach. The relationship between teacher and student is a significant one, and one that helps to define identity, influence experience and establish an education that will stand your students in good stead for years to come.
Becoming a language teacher is particularly fulfilling. As a language teacher, you’ll have the opportunity to travel whilst teaching. You may even learn a few things about language yourself, experiencing different cultures and meeting new people along the way.
As the world’s largest online language homestay club, we make it our mission to bring together those looking to learn a new language with those who teach. Our network is home to language teachers with varying levels of experience.
But for those just starting out, what steps should you take to become a language teacher when travelling?
Perfect your teaching skills
There’s certainly an art to becoming a great teacher. Although you don’t need any formal qualifications to become a language teacher or au pair here at Lingoo, having a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) or similar qualification is certainly a bonus.
You’ll obviously know your native language inside out, but many of these courses give budding language teachers the confidence boost they need to teach.
There are many skills and qualities that will come in handy as a language teacher; see if you have what it takes to teach abroad.
Define your teaching style
There are a number of teaching methods you can use to become a successful language teacher. In comparison to teaching a classroom-based language course, teaching students in their own homes as a language au pair offers increases flexibility and freedom.
Great for those looking to embrace the more informal, experience-based teaching style. The benefits of language immersion are well documented, not just by us. While much research relates to the impact immersion has on children learning a second language, ScienceDaily revealed just how successful immersion was in adult foreign language learning:
“’To our surprise, the participants actually became more native like in their brain processing of grammar,’ Ullman says. ‘And this was true for both the classroom and immersion training groups, though it was still the case that only the immersion group showed full native-like processing.’
Ullman believes that, over time, memory of the language was "consolidated" in the brain, probably by the same mechanisms that also underlie native language. He says this process is probably similar to the consolidation of many other skills that a person might learn, such as learning to ride a bike or play a musical instrument.”
Gain experience as a language au pair
With any form of teaching, experience counts. The experience you gain will not only improve the skills and qualities you already have, it’ll give you confidence in your ability to teach.
Gaining experience is easy with Lingoo, you can join our network and become a language au pair. Language au pairs travel the globe staying with language learners in their homes.
With Lingoo, you can make contact with thousands of families looking to learn a foreign language. Better yet, you choose where to stay, when and for how long.
During your stay, the family that hosts you will provide accommodation and food. When you’re not busy teaching and gaining experience, you’ll have the freedom to explore the country and culture around you.
Becoming a Lingoo au pair is a great way to develop your experience, skills and qualities as a language teacher. You can even use the opportunity to learn a brand new language from your host family.
For further information on becoming a Lingoo language au pair, please click here.
