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TEFL for non native english speaking teachers I chose the subject of non-native english speaking teachers because it directly concerns me. I am french but I want to teach english as a foreign language. Before starting this course I asked myself if I believed I had the skills to teach a language that is not mine, if it would be my place. I wondered what would be the advantages and disadvantages of such a situation. Now that I am finishing the course and maybe becoming a teacher soon, I am going to try and answer these questions. First of all a non-native english speaker must have a certain level of english. Both receptive and producing skills must be excellent. Regarding me, I have always loved speaking english and tried to preserve and improve it. With this aim, I have been reading books and watching movies in english for years. I also try to meet up and speak english with foreigners on every occasion I have. So I do think that I have the level needed to teach the language, if not to natives, to foreigners. Although one thing concerning the language skills that could be a disadvantage for a non-native english speaking teacher would be the pronunciation. As hard you try, as long you practice, if you have learned the language as a grown-up and never lived in an english speaking country, youll never catch up the accent. And the students we are teaching need a valuable model. Maybe from a certain level classes should be given by native teachers. For example people wanting to learn business english and having to work a lot on the phone would maybe need the input of a native. However pronunciation varies from a country to another, from a region to another, so would that really be a problem? I think that as long as the pronunciation is clear and comprehensible to the students we can be the model students need. But then do the language skills assure me of being a valid teacher? Would I be in my place teaching a language that, even if I master it, would still not be mine? What would students think of a teacher that is, in the end, in the same position as they are: using a language that is not ours? In reality I think that this last point can be an indisputable advantage. Being non-native speakers we have been, at some point, sitting just where they are seated. Learning the language just as they are. Which means we can identify to their difficulties and needs. The key is to share our own experience with them, make them see what we have in common and how we can make them benefit from that. In addition, teaching is not only about knowing your subject, it is about social skills and pedagogy. Regarding these, a non-native english-speaking teacher can do as well as a native teacher, if not better (because once again, we have been english students before becoming english teachers). It is all about the kind of teacher we are, the kind of person we are and the relationship well build with students. In the end, in a more general way, the most important thing is being aware of your skills and your limits. You have to be able to communicate and pass on your knowledge, so you need to trust yourself and your capacities, and know what it is you have to share and the value of it.
