Teach English in Dazu Qu [incl. ShuAngqiao Qu] - Chongqing

Business English Teaching Business English is in some ways quite different than teaching General English. A Business English course would be a bit more focused than a General English course would be. students taking a Business English course may either already be working in a business environment and have decided on their own that they need to learn English or their employer has made it a job requirement. Alternatively, they may be interested in working in an English speaking environment and know that in order to be considered for a job or even be able to realistically apply for a job, they will need to learn English. Many companies now use sophisticated testing when hiring for English speaking positions. Anyone taking a Business English course for any of the above reasons is likely very determined and therefore motivated to learn and the results of the course could be crucial to their future employment and livelihood. English is an international language and is one of the three most widely spoken languages in the world and of those three languages it is the most widely spoken in the business world. Some sources say English is ?the most international language?, many large corporations are based in North America or Europe and their workers typically speak English as a first or second language. Many companies in developing countries realize that their future success is reliant on them having proficient English speaking employees. Nearly three quarters of websites on the Internet are in English, this is important for companies to know and appreciate, they will need English speaking employees to use and benefit from the Internet and its access to information and other businesses and services. Most tourists speak English, either as a first or second language and that makes it a valuable language to know for anyone that lives and works in a tourist destination. students may choose to attend a school to take Business English, they may decide to engage a teacher for one-on-one training or their employer may hire a teacher to teach them on-site. There are many things involved with teaching Business English in a workplace environment rather than at a school or one-on-one. Dealing with company expectations and requirements may be the most challenging part of the association. Many things need to be taken into account at the beginning of the relationship. The teacher must be sure that they can meet the requirements of the contract before accepting it. A well thought out course outline must be presented to the employer prior to finalizing a contract and it must give realistic time lines and it must clearly indicate what time and equipment are needed to teach the course. If the company is unable to realistically give their employees the time, space and equipment that are needed to study, the teacher must either negotiate some flexibility in their plan with what the employer expects and what has been proposed, change their course outline or not accept the contract. The employer may not realize what is necessary to teach their employees effectively so they might appreciate this information, however, if the employer?s expectations are unrealistic, the teacher needs to be clear on that. There is no point in setting everyone up for disappointment and discouragement. Once the contract has been finalized, one of the biggest challenges and I think the most interesting aspect of teaching Business English is learning about the business so that you can communicate with the students. There may be positions at the company that you are not familiar with and in order to be prepared to teach, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the positions in advance, if possible. There are many ways to get information about the company and its positions. One of the best ways is to do Internet research. Visiting the company website will help you to determine their history, their mission and values and their products and services. This information will not only give the teacher the confidence to work in the environment but it will also give a clear message to the employer and students that you have done your homework. Being knowledgeable about the company?s business and the positions in the company is a good way to show the students that you are interested in their learning. Another good way to learn about a business is to spend some time with a contact at the workplace; however, often employees are too busy to dedicate time to this kind of activity. Another way to gain the knowledge necessary is to use the first class as a learning period, rather than waste the student?s time with get to know each other games, (they probably already know each other), use the time to do a thorough Needs Assessment survey. Ask the students to bring ?homework? for you; such as information about their individual job or anything else that they think might be useful for you to know about their business. When designing the lesson plans, website research is a good way to find ?authentic? material for vocabulary, writing and speaking practice and it can be used in the student?s lessons. students will need to learn important things related to business - how to write letters, read letters and instructions and especially important in today?s business environment, write e-mails. No matter what the students need to learn, whether it is producing and giving presentations, answering correspondence, answering telephones, communicating in meetings or socializing in a business context, the Internet can be a good source of material. Taking the time to explain to Business English students how to find information on the Internet is also valuable. Dictionaries, thesauruses, etc. can all be found on the Internet and can be quickly and easily accessed by workers if necessary during work time to help them. General English must be mixed in with Business English lessons as well, when communicating with fellow workers or someone outside the business one must not only be able to speak in Business ?lingo? but be able to speak in general terms as well (hello, how are you, my name is, etc.). Teaching Business English in a school environment or one-on-one would be similar in that you could use all of the Internet material and reference information to prepare lesson plans and exercises, however, the course outline would already be designed. The teacher would need less preparation time related to researching the business and it?s positions. students that have chosen to take a course are typically more motivated than someone who is taking a course to simply fill a requirement. I feel that teaching motivated students is more rewarding than teaching students that are just filling a timetable and anyone taking Business English is likely very motivated. It is still important to make the lessons varied and interesting. Keeping in mind things such as homework requirements is important, an alternative would be something as simple as asking the students to come up with one question for the next class related to a saying or phrase that they have heard in English and don?t understand or a phrase they want to learn because they think it will be useful will keep them thinking outside the class and they will all learn something new and useful in the next class. This activity could also be used as an Engage Phase activity - to get them interested and listening. Overall, I think teaching Business English would be the most rewarding type of English to teach. I think that because of my many years of experience working in business in an English speaking environment and my interest to teach and help people build for their future, I could contribute significantly to a Business English teaching position.