Teach English in Woburn - TESOL Courses

business english is a term bandied about in tesol circles. When people hear the term business english, they immediately conjure up the idea that it is meant for teaching students about the business world, technology, or administrative type work. Wikipedia defines business english as “the english language especially related to international trade, and considered a specialty within tesol.” There is a wide swath of business english courses and objectives. The instruction can be as simple as preparing people to answer phones or greet customers as a receptionist, to college level understanding of economics or finance. business english is also referred to as english for Specific Purposes. Before a tesol recruit is assigned to teach a course in business english, she may encounter certain assessments her students have taken, will desire, or be required to take. As one muddles through the alphabet soup of various assessments that english students take all over the world, the IELTS is a very common one. IELTS is the acronym for International english Language Testing System. There are two types of IELTS; the General Training track, and the Academic track. The IELTS scores range from 1 through 9, (from non-users to expert users of english.) Both tracks test the four key areas of language acquisition: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Which track test should students choose? The General track is for students below undergraduate college levels. It is also used for immigration purposes in canada, australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The Academic track tests a person's ability to study in english at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. Listening and Speaking tests are identical in both formats, but the Reading and Writing components differ. So, how does a fresh tesol recruit begin when hired to teach a business english course? There is a strong likelihood that one will be teaching general english to professionals, or business content and skills through english. Settings include one/one, on-site before, after, or during the workday, or off-site as an employee group (e.g. at an Institute or School.) Clients may be at very different levels, grouped together by job type, not necessarily ability. Some students may have splinter vocabulary skills in isolation; for example, they may not know how to apply these to their job, or use them correctly in a sentence. A Levels assessment of, along with a Needs Analysis from each student is crucial for starters. It will behoove the instructor to learn as much about the company as possible as well as the culture of the workplace, while developing an understanding of exactly what is required of the employee on the job. Once the assessments and analyses are completed, a Needs Negotiation can be developed. Hopefully, the teacher can come to win-win agreement or compromise with the company and/or clients about the content of the class, and the best ways to deliver it. At this point, textbooks can be discussed and recommended. Realia is very helpful; the more authentic the workplace materials are, the better. Once the syllabus is developed, ongoing two-way feedback and evaluation is necessary, as well as flexibility in changing things up as needed. There are a myriad of resources available online as well as in hard copy for aspiring teachers of business english. Worldwide opportunities abound for teachers of business english, as demand is growing daily. Sources www.ielts.org eltlearn.com Bepeople.net tesol course content on-line-Unit 19—business english