A lot of people have recently asked how I learned Spanish and how I am now teaching Spanish in Korea. I've gotten this question here from my students, friends and even taxi drivers (at least, that's what I thought they were asking!) I've also had a lot of native speakers of other languages (besides English) ask how I became a teacher. I've also had people how to find teaching jobs abroad so I'll try to answer that, too.
Well here it is and I hope it's useful to prospective language teachers and future international teachers!
Becoming a foreign language teacher
Many current foreign language teachers studied the language in university and did study abroad programs in order to become certified teachers. The teachers that I work with have spent semesters and years in countries such as Chile, Spain, Mexico and other fabulous places. (Jealous!)
For native speakers, there's another route that you can take.
Although born in the US, I also consider myself Honduran and American. My parents moved to the States in the early 1980s from Honduras and knew they wanted to raise their children speaking both languages. This is a pretty common desire for Hispanics in the US. Unlike previous immigrant groups that have been obligated to renounce their first tongue and just speak English, I would say that probably most of Spanish-speaking immigrants in the US teach their both languages to their children (everyone that I have met has taught their children both) It makes sense, too. If you can, then why not? So basically my whole life I have been speaking both languages. My mom says that we (siblings and I) started talking later than other toddlers our age but when we did, we started speaking in both. I grew up watching shows and cartoons and both languages. Even at school in Honduras, I went to an international bilingual school where everyone was taught Spanish and English. I have always spoken both languages at home. Now, I've used both in Korea!
Although I didn't study education in college, I knew that at one point I wanted to try teaching. As college came around, I knew I wanted to work with adolescents in a school environment, probably as a school psychologist or counselor. Then grad school came around and I decided to study school counseling. Although teaching isn't a prerequisite for becoming a school counselor, it is suggested by many states that you have some teaching experience. I figured I should try to get some experience in a school setting.
After my first year of grad school, I took the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) exam. It basically measures your skills in a foreign language, both speaking and writing. Side note-the ACTFL provides states with standards and foundations on how to teach and learn a foreign language. Well anyways, this exam consisted of a long multiple choice section, a long reading section and then a formal interview where you basically talk about all sorts of subjects. In my interview we talked about my childhood, college experience, politics, celebrities and many other topics. They are basically looking for fluency in the interview.
A few weeks later, I received my passing scores and then I applied to various school districts, hoping I would be given an interview for a Spanish position. I didn't hear anything back and I had kind of given up. By this time it was August and I was interning at an eating disorder facility right outside of Richmond, VA. I thought I would just try applying to schools again after I was finished with my M.Ed. the following year. Then a few weeks before the 08-09 school year started, I got a call from a school system and they were looking for a high school Spanish teacher and a middle school Spanish teacher. I set up the interview and I was offered the position right away. They gave me a choice and I decided on the middle school level.
The next stop was to get licensed. The State of Virginia provides a provisional license to foreign language teachers based on the following: you must have been offered a teaching position, you must have a Bachelor's degree, you must have taken and passed the ACTFL test, you must finish about 12-15 education credit hours in 3 years and you must take the Praxis II exam and VCLA. There are also a few technology and child safety regulation courses that have to be taken but usually they are done every year in most school systems. Many of the education credits were covered in my M.Ed. and I only had to take 2 more classes.
Going into teaching was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Although I still plan to counsel in the future, I love my current position. At some point, I would really like to pick up French again and get certified in it, as well.
So for all of you that speak and write another language fluently and want to teach, take the ACTFL and send out your application. Many school systems are always looking for language teachers (and not just Spanish). ¡Buena suerte! Check out www.actfl.org.
Teaching abroad
There are many schools and institutions around the world looking for fluent English speakers because English is considered the "universal" language. There are countless of websites that recruit English speakers for schools (www.teachabroad.com, www.daveseslcafe.com, www.transitionsabroad, etc) .
As I mentioned when I first got here, Korea is a country that is really pressing the population to learn English. There are many hagwons/hakwons (private institutions) that focus on teaching English to children starting at a very young age. One of the easiest ways to do so is to hire native teachers. Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Korea is very common. Most of the expats here are EFL teachers (See my previous entries from my old school). The qualifications that Korean schools have for EFL teachers are: native speakers, must have a Bachelor's degree and no criminal background check. The hagwons here hire year round and the public schools hire close to August and March (based on the academic school year here). The process is pretty simple. You usually send your information to a recruiter (such as www.footprintsrecruiting.com). They then forward your information to many schools and set up interviews. The interviews are very laid back and short (I hear public schools are more intense, though) Once you get offered a position, you then have to send in a lot of paperwork to your school and then they set up an appointment for you at the Korean embassy or consulate. The school then provides you with flights (sometimes reimbursed-depending on the school) and an apartment (free or they provide a stipend). It's a nice deal, especially for recent college grads. Most of the EFL teachers here work at hagwons and they just wanted an adventure and a wanted a way to pay off those pesky student loans (good old Aunt Sallie Mae). Contracts are usually for one year.
If you are wanting to teach abroad, Korea is definitely looking for EFL teachers. You basically teach kids conversational English. (The age groups range but most of these hagwons' students are preschool aged. There are some adult hagwons, as well. Public schools hire for all age groups). Of course, many other countries hire native EFL teachers, too. I've known people that have taught conversational English in Senegal, Czech Republic and throughout Latin America. Many of these places have the same requirements as Korea, however, if you want to teach at a K-12 school and you actually want to teach a subject and not just English speaking, then you would most likely have to get certified and have teaching experience (see the next section)
If you are a certified teacher in your home country and have a few years of experience, the best option would probably be bilingual or international schools. Throughout the world there are many international based schools. These schools primarily serve the expatriate community and their children. These schools usually follow the North American school calendar and the faculty and heads of schools are usually English speakers. They usually have grades K-12 and instruction is mostly provided in English. Multilingual schools are a bit different. These schools start off instruction in more than one language so that all students are multilingual by the time they finish high school (This is the type of school I went to in Honduras. We had students from various places but regardless they all spoke English and Spanish fluently. Kids are enrolled in Prekinder/Preschool and even though at home they might just spoken Spanish or another language, the are taught English from the beginning and you take all your classes in both languages).
International schools only usually only hire certified teachers with experience. The benefits at these schools are great. The salary is usually higher than the average salary for a public school teacher in the US because it is not taxed and they provide round-trip tickets once a year, an apartment with utilities (usually), professional development and a lot of other great things. These are just a few examples here at my school: the apartments for faculty are right on campus, access to school vans and vehicles, relocation allowance, sign-on and renewal bonuses, professional development, free-tuition for dependents, etc. Of course, benefits are going to vary across international schools. I'm still amazed at how different it is coming from the public school system ( as far as finances and benefits but I definitely plan to return to US public schools).
Another major difference is that teaching and education is a career for international teachers. Many of my colleagues have been in the field for many years and hold Master's and Doctorate degrees in their field. They have also been in the field of international teaching for many years, too. My principal and her husband have been in Korea for 6 years and prior to that, they both taught in Japan, Malaysia, Saudia Arabia and Greece. (Now on the other hand, many of the hagwon/hakwon teachers usually did not study education and are here to gain experience abroad and take time off between undergrad and grad school)
American teachers have yet another option, which are the Department of Defense Schools. I'm not too familiar with these schools but I have met other people that have suggested this to me. DoDs schools are schools for the children of military men and women around the world. Basically, if there is a US military base, there will usually also be schools for the children to attend. You can find out more info here: www.dodea.edu.
I hope this was helpful!
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