| Mid-career crisis? Have you got what it
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| | professional domains, or of the
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| takes to teach English for business?
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| | commercial world, it is not essential. On
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| Teachers often ask me what direction they
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| | the other hand, it is necessary to be
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| can take after a few years of teaching
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| | interested in the world of business and
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| general English. To continue as an
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| | to understand how companies are
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| ordinary classroom teacher seems like
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| | structured and to be familiar with
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| stagnation, so choices have to be made
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| | business terminology. Regular reading of
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| about how to develop both professionally
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| | the business pages of the daily press can
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| and personally. Specializing in English
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| | help you build awareness of the field and
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| for business can be a fruitful move if
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| | of the latest developments.
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| the teacher is able to transfer existing
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| | The business English teacher needs to
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| skills to the business context.
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| | have an international perspective. In
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| Let me deal with the prospects first.
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| | dealing with many different
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| Teaching business people is recognized as
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| | nationalities, and with clients who have
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| a specialist field and the teacher often
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| | to operate in the increasingly globalized
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| has to be a program planner and materials
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| | business field, the teacher needs to be
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| developer as well, so salaries are
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| | aware of the implications of
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| generally higher. The training can take
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| | cross-cultural communications. Clients,
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| place in dedicated centers, often
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| | who have to use English--which is not
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| residential, in-company or as a special
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| | their native tongue, to do business with
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| program offered at a traditional language
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| | other non-native English speakers in
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| school, but wherever it takes place, the
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| | another country--have several layers of
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| teacher will have to be able to deal with
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| | cultural information to deal with. First
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| the people who are sponsoring the
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| | they have to acknowledge that their own
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| training and is thus answerable to a
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| | national and company culture is not
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| wider range of stakeholders. But by
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| | necessarily shared with their foreign
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| engaging in the corporate world, the
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| | counterparts or even understood by them,
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| trainer may find many opportunities to
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| | and secondly that nobody's culture is
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| widen his or her range of training
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| | intrinsically right or wrong, better or
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| skills: interpersonal communications,
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| | worse. The teacher may have to help them
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| written communications, cross-cultural
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| | understand the nature of cross-cultural
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| communications and ultimately consultancy
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| | interaction.
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| work in the communications field.
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| | The qualities needed by a business
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| However, the prospects will only open out
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| | English teacher are thus different in
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| to the kind of teacher who can adapt from
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| | many ways. They need the confidence to
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| the world of pedagogy to the corporate
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| | play the role of instructor/trainer
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| world. The clients are usually highly
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| | facilitator with people who may occupy
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| motivated and work in small groups or as
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| | senior company positions. They have to be
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| individuals hence the teaching dynamics
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| | adaptable and not have rigid ideas about
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| are quite different. Business people do
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| | how to conduct training sessions and what
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| not wish to go back to the classroom as
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| | the content should be. And they need to
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| they already have the professional
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| | have an understanding of how English is
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| expertise they need. What they want is
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| | used internationally as a lingua franca
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| someone who can help them communicate
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| | among people who may never meet a native
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| effectively in the global business world.
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| | speaker. They need skill in giving
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| The trainer needs to slip into the role
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| | feedback and must be robust enough to
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| of facilitator, working with clients to
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| | take feedback themselves. And they need
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| understand their learning styles, to
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| | to be clear and precise in describing
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| discover their specific needs and
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| | what they can offer clients and in their
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| immediate objectives and to help them set
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| | post-training debriefing. Clearly,
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| achievable targets. I have seen many a
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| | therefore, that this is not a field for
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| hopeful business English trainer fall at
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| | someone new to teaching--it demands a
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| this hurdle. They cannot throw off their
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| | certain maturity of approach and
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| accustomed teacherly approach.
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| | confidence both personally and
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| So who can become a successful business
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| | professionally. However, for teachers
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| English teacher? It is certainly helpful
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| | able to make the transition from
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| to have experience in fields other than
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| | classroom to the world of corporate
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| teaching. However, although it is very
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| | training, the rewards and prospects are
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| useful to have experience of other
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| | excellent.
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