Some English teachers in Singapore are incredibly intelligent, insightful, and well-educated individuals who are invested in their classes and students. However, some are recent grads with no prior teaching experience attempting to make a living while they party throughout Asia or Europe.
Some English instructors are experts who have honed their techniques through many years of instruction. Others have just discovered that teaching English online might be a simple method to earn some money when they are confined to their homes due to COVID.
It cannot be easy to distinguish between a genuine English teacher and a person who speaks the language and hopes to earn some money by teaching it.
I want to share some of my advice for picking a quality teacher with you in this article. I’m hoping that these pointers will assist you in choosing English teachers who can help you achieve your goals and steer clear of hiring a bad teacher or spending more money than you have to.
Pick between private instruction and group lessons.
You should also consider if you prefer group or one-on-one instruction.
You get a lot of speaking time, and the class is centred around you in one-on-one courses. But the price is higher.
You split the cost of group lessons with the other students. However, you also split the teacher’s encouragement and talking time.
Which one is better for you depends partly on your needs and preferred learning style. However, the evidence demonstrates that one-on-one tutoring is frequently more efficient than conventional classroom techniques.
By looking outside of your neighbourhood English school, you can reduce expenditures.
English classes can be pricey, particularly if you purchase them from a school.
My hourly charge for private lessons when I was instructing English in France several years ago was approximately €25. But for the same 1:1 classes with me, business clients would pay my English school nearly three times as much. So the price was three times as much, but the lesson quality and teacher were the same.
Choose any lesson you like if money is not an issue for you.
But if you have to consider your money a little, certain solutions are more affordable than others.
Private English lessons are typically much more affordable than what you’d get at a neighbourhood English school. You can locate
Most learners don’t require instruction from a native speaker.
From my observations, English language learners frequently think that native speakers make superior English teachers.
I can see the logic behind such a notion. Someone who speaks English well must be an expert in the language.
Indeed, some subjects are best left to native speakers. This is because they are well-versed in English slang and colloquial expressions. Additionally, they can replicate their distinctive dialect and connect speech perfectly.
However, English is much more than just slang and connected speech.
I think native English speakers are typically less adept at comprehending and illuminating grammar. Native speakers are far more likely to reply, “It just sounds better,” when asked why we say things the way we do.
That doesn’t help students.
Look for someone who is qualified.
When judging an English teacher’s calibre, look for their credentials rather than their social media following or native tongue.
An excellent English instructor will have both teaching and English training.
English teachers can receive a variety of credentials. Some people are more detailed than others.
Some instructors genuinely hold bachelor’s degrees in education or English. These instructors are among the best.
The CELTA certification, given out by Cambridge University, is the second-best qualification.
There are other TEFL certificates as well. The TEFL is not a single certified credential, unlike the CELTA. Instead, it serves as an all-encompassing word for various credentials given by multiple organisations. A TEFL certificate is a reliable sign of a teacher’s expertise.
You should keep looking if a potential English teacher has no credentials.
Pick an instructor who gives homework.
Sometimes the term itself causes uneasiness. It reminds us of arithmetic homework from school. But in reality, homework is just another chance for you to put what you’re learning into practice.
Since practice is the only thing that can help you improve, good English teachers will advise you to do your practice.
I’m not arguing that the homework must consist of grammar drills (I’ve already stated my opinion on such).
Test out various people
Know that you are not required to continue working with the first teacher you find.
Asking for a trial class and letting your prospective English teacher know you’re shopping around are both perfectly acceptable. Don’t be frightened to try some new things.
Consider it similar to dating. Unless there was a truly amazing fit, you wouldn’t get married to the first person you went on a date with. The same is true of choosing the first teacher you come across.
