| Most graduates I know don't have a clue about | | | | people like this in any profession if you look hard |
| grammar. This includes English (the subject) graduates. | | | | enough) to argue for hours over whether a term is |
| In fact it is especially true for English graduates. I can | | | | grammatically correct or not- and never find out for |
| say this as I graduated with an honors degree in | | | | sure. What the learners want is to be understood. If it |
| English and Philosophy, having taken TEFL courses at | | | | sounds funny, if it sounds wrong then it needs to be |
| university and still not knowing the difference between | | | | corrected. If you, your family, your old boss and half |
| a noun and an adverb. If this was true for me, how | | | | your neighborhood would accept the statement then |
| many others must it also be true for? | | | | you generally don't need to worry! |
| English is one of the most complex languages in the | | | | TEFL courses and qualifications are there to teach |
| world grammatically speaking. There are rules, and sub | | | | you the basics of how to teach, and teach you what |
| rules and exceptions to rules and exceptions to the | | | | you need to know in order to teach EFL, including |
| exceptions to rules! This is what makes teaching | | | | grammar. You will know lots of it instinctively, and it will |
| English to non-English speakers difficult once they get | | | | give practical guidelines on how to teach it. If you are |
| to an advanced level and why teachers of English as | | | | really worried about grammar then it is extremely |
| a second language need higher qualifications and skills | | | | important that you take a TEFL course that shows |
| than EFL teachers- their students are trying to master | | | | you how to teach it. Remember, teachers are allowed |
| the system for speaking and the system doesn't | | | | to look at the answer book in class! |
| seem to make sense. That is because the system | | | | It should also be noted that many TEFL situations wont |
| doesn't make sense! What is true for these students is | | | | require hardly no grammar at all (I couldn't resist that |
| true to a lesser degree with EFL students. | | | | one!). Lots of schools like in Asia have you there to |
| You, if you are a native speaker, have an enormous | | | | teach conversational English; for instance in South |
| advantage though. You intuitively, without needing to | | | | Korea the lesson plans are already prepared by the |
| analyze it know English grammar because you use it | | | | Korean teachers. Your students will often have been |
| every day without thinking. You don't need to wonder | | | | taught English in their school system but not had the |
| why "the cat sits on the mat" is wrong if "the cat" has | | | | chance to practice with a native speaker. Even if you |
| been dead for two years. You may however need a | | | | are there to teach an actual lesson most schools will |
| little help in working out the correct words to use | | | | give you a book which you follow and hopefully add |
| instead: "the cat used to sit on the mat"; "I remember | | | | something of your own into the lesson. When you're |
| when the cat sat on the mat". | | | | teaching in Asia, that is most often what you are there |
| Don't stress about grammar though! I said it was | | | | for, to provide a fun experience with a native English |
| complex and it is not unusual for really bored, uptight, | | | | speaker. |
| miserable and "better than you" teachers (there are | | | | |